Jean Ennis was in Las Vegas this winter she started to feel a cold coming on.
Ennis has Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD), and she recognized that she needed to see a doctor right away before she got a full-blown cold, which could make it so hard to breathe that she would end up in hospital.
She credits the local Better Breathers COPD Support Group for giving her the knowledge to take care of her health.
Ennis has learned how to better look after herself through the support group, which she describes as more focused on education and information, and through presentations such as one the Better Breathers COPD Support Group and the Comox Valley Nursing Centre are hosting next week.
Dr. Sudhakar Raj Dawadi, who specializes in respirology and internal medicine, will speak about acute exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) April 14 in Courtenay.
Dawadi’s free presentation, called Living Well with COPD, is aimed at increasing understanding of COPD and will focus on how to cope with exacerbations of COPD, which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
“The issue is breathing and being short of breath and limited in what you can do,” said Ennis.
Some people function very well with COPD, and people might not even know they have the disease if it’s in the mild stages, noted Michele Caley, a registered nurse at the Comox Valley Nursing Centre.
During his presentation, Dawadi will explain how people with COPD can care for acute exacerbation and how they can improve their quality of life.
“You’re already vulnerable, and if you get an infection, the flu or pneumonia, it can land you in the hospital,” said Ennis. “(Dr. Dawadi) calls it a lung attack as opposed to a heart attack. It’s just as serious.”
If you think you are getting a cold or flu, there are things you can do to prevent it from flaring up.
Ennis learned this through the support group, and it came in handy this January when she was in Las Vegas.
“I felt something funny and felt I was starting to get a funny feeling in the back of my throat,” she said. “I decided I needed to deal with it right away.”
Ennis found a walk-in clinic and left with antibiotics, steroids and a new puffer, and she didn’t have any troubles.
“If I hadn’t been in the group, I wouldn’t have known it,” she said. “We have to pay attention.”
Early treatment really improves your prognosis, noted Caley.
“The keys are early diagnosis, early quitting smoking, exercise and learning how to deal with exacerbation,” she said.
Dawadi’s presentation will be held April 14 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Florence Filberg Centre Conference Hall at 411 Anderton Ave. in Courtenay. Seating is limited, and people are asked to call 250-331-8504, ext. 38115, to register.
The presentation is free of charge and open to people living with COPD, professionals seeking information about COPD and those interested in learning more about the disease.
Caley and Ennis encourage people with COPD to bring their family members.
The Better Breathers COPD Support Group meets the third Wednesday of each month at 1:30 p.m. at the Comox Valley Nursing Centre at 615 10th St. in Courtenay.
Ennis is grateful for the nursing centre and the services it provides.
“It’s not like front-line health care; it’s education and prevention and dealing with the homeless and disadvantaged,” she said. “It’s huge how valuable it is to the community and how lucky we are that (the Vancouver Island Health Authority) funds it.”
writer@comoxvalleyrecord.com
