Welcome to the June Update from Breathing Better Living Well!



At home in a new place.

I’m sure we can all think back to a time when we moved to a new home.

This month we’re going to talk about moving, not physically to a different home, but what might happen, and what you can do when you find yourself living in a different kind of new place – a different body, one with chronic lung disease. Living in this new “place” can bring about changes; some small, but some big enough to send you reeling!

One of these changes is a tendency towards depression. Health Central asked me to write about COPD and depression, and as I was researching I was surprised to learn of the significant connection between depression and COPD.  Interesting stuff, confirming the fact that none of us are immune to depression, no matter how strong we might be. Take a look at two short articles: COPD and Depression: Part I – Who, Me? and COPD and Depression: Part II-You Can Feel Better!

Have you seen this man?
Our new friend, Mark Koltz, right now – this very minute – is riding his bike across America to raise awareness and money for lung disease. He started off in Astoria, Oregon and is working his way East. In a recent interview he told me about his life, his family, and what it is that makes him ride. Read the entire interview -Mark's Trek Across America,  or the article - Man Bikes 50 Days for the American Lung Association.

Got a question?  
We love to hear from you! Go to our Community page and you'll find the "Ask the RT" forum. Anybody and everybody can read info on our Community page, but to ask a question or make a comment, you have to be a member. This is easy to do and of course, free of charge. In addition to our wonderful RT's, at least one member of our BBLW team is on the site every single day. We're there... and we care. 

Water drinking
Very important, especially when you have COPD. It helps your mucous stay thin and easy to cough up, it’s good for your kidneys, your skin and, well…it’s just good for you! Here’s a fun little piece about water drinking with COPD.

Free Booklet! The Guide to Better Breathing is loaded with information about living well with COPD. It’s beautifully done, easy to understand – and it’s free! Call 1-800-231-6568. Don't pass it up!

What's New? 

Come on over and visit our Newly Remodeled BBLW Bookstore! We’ve added more sections making things easier to find. Remember - in addition to books and products listed in our store, you can order anything (and almost everything!) from Amazon through either the Amazon portals on our home page or our bookstore and a few cents from each purchase will help us maintain the BBLW website. We really appreciate your support!



·      100 Questions and Answers About COPD

·      COPD for Dummies

·      Nonin GO2 Oximeter

·      Coping With Prednisone

·      NEW! Adventures of an Oxyphile 2 -  by Dr. Tom Petty with Robert McCoy, Louise Nett, & Kay Bowen. This book is recommended for those using supplemental oxygen, their caregivers, and respiratory therapists. In it you'll find encouragement and motivation for enjoying life with longterm oxygen therapy.

Monitor your Oxygen level at home
More and more people are getting these handy little gadgets to their oxygen at home. The $99.00 Nonin GO2 Oximeter is well-made, durable, affordable, and will keep you on track by telling you your oxygen level. You can find the GO-2 at the top of our BBLW Bookstore and also in the “products” section.

Go in Style - Finally!
Do you use liquid oxygen, such as Helios? Here’s a stylish bag for liquid oxygen! Scroll down to the “Products” section in the BBLW Bookstore and take a look! If you have to tote you O2, you may as well look good doing it! :-)

Visit us on Facebook
Breathing Better Living Well is on Facebook and we’ve got over 440 fans! Thanks to all of you who've shown your trust and support in our great site. Visit the BBLW Facebook Page!

Ahhhhh....... 
Here are Ten short articles on Panic and Anxiety with COPD by Dr. Vijai Sharma, clinical psychologist, yoga expert and COPD patient. Read, learn, and practice.

Before I go I’d like to share with you a comment following my article, COPD and Depression: Part II-You Can Feel Better! Peg wrote, “We all will have good days and bad days...with or without COPD. When we are in a "bad day" cycle, that arch enemy, Depression, jumps in to visit and wants to move in. We have to show it the door and say, "Glad you came to remind me how well I was doing without you. Now you can go away. Thanks for the reminder!"

And thank you, Peg! What a great way to look at Depression...Having the upper hand with an unwelcome visitor in your home, your new “place” – your new life – with chronic lung disease. You have the power. Be informed, take what you learn and give depression the boot!

On a personal note, I hope you like the picture of my garden. I grew up in Chicago and our home there had a long, curved driveway edged by a deep bed of daylilies under old shade trees. When I moved from Chicago to Michigan about thirty years ago, I was new in town, I knew just one person, I lived in an old fixer-upper house, and I had no job. I was kind of lonely so I asked my mom and dad to bring some of the daylilies to Michigan. They did, and as you can see they’re still with me to this day, thriving, blooming, and cheering me each summer - without fail – at home in a new place.

That's all for now. 
Breathe Well today, my friends, and I'll see you next month.