Ten years ago, on the 22nd of August 2011 I received my COPD diagnosis. For me it’s not about celebrating having COPD for ten years, it’s about how far I have come in those ten years. That Day Like many COPD patients I had no idea about this disease when I was first diagnosed. … Continued
Managing COPD is vital for any patient who wants to either improve or maintain their quality of life. Apart from taking medication as prescribed, exercise has long been championed as the next best tool to manage COPD. But is it? Data I have been collecting for my own case study would suggest, while exercise … Continued
This year’s World COPD theme “Living Well with COPD” may sound very foreign to many patients but for a growing number of patients this is becoming a reality. COPD kills over 3 million people a year, it’s a progressive disease which has no cure. When I was first diagnosed with COPD there was not a … Continued
Four years ago, I started using the ketogenic diet to help manage my COPD. In this challenge I want to share with you my experience with a range of diets I have tried and how they can improve your symptoms and quality of life. To begin with I’d like to make a couple of … Continued
Since COVID-19 started I have seen an increase in patients looking for advice on how to protect themselves from this killer virus. What we are learning about this virus is, it’s frequently changing, but one thing stays the same. We can manage our risk exposure! For those patients who have been living with COPD … Continued
On Wednesday November 20th we celebrated World COPD Day around the world. On the same day a patient friend posted in a COPD Patient FB group. When I read this post it brought a tear to my eye. Not just because of the outpouring of frustration and desperation in her message, this patient spoke … Continued
Each year there is a theme for World COPD Day. This year’s theme in my view is very relevant to how we should approach COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), now and into the future. Bringing patients, healthcare professionals and researchers together in the fight against this debilitating disease can only lead to better outcomes. … Continued
Patients and healthcare professionals working collaboratively for positive outcomes are always going to provide better outcomes than a solution with a narrow band width. We are seeing patient advocates becoming more involved in the decision-making process of disease management which can only be positive. But are all patient partnerships for the good of patients? … Continued
Standing on the sand at the start of an Ironman event is a daunting experience whether you are an elite athlete or an athlete with COPD. I’m about to jump in the ocean and swim 3.8k (2.4 mile) with 30% lung function and the ocean on this morning resembles a washing machine! As Ironman … Continued
So much went into this race in terms of preparation, training and recovery I couldn’t fit everything into one article. Welcome to part 1! Ironman is tough, whether you have lung disease or not! Putting your body through a 3.8k (2.4m) swim, 180k (112m) cycle and a 42.2k (26m) run is an extreme challenge. Doing … Continued
After nearly three years of using a KD (ketogenic diet) to help manage my COPD I feel I’m fairly well qualified to talk about how this diet affects my COPD. Over this time, I have had many blood tests and pulmonary function test while monitoring the effects it’s had on my disease. At the … Continued
Seven years ago, I completed my first Ironman after being diagnosed with stage 4 COPD. This race changed the way I thought about my disease. My motto of “Never Let Your Disease Define You” was born from that race. Two years later I went on to complete two more Ironman events. Since my last … Continued