My Mom Has Stage 4 COPD
Hi. I'm new to Reddit, and I made this account to...maybe try and find support? See if there are alternative solutions? Vent? I'm not really sure. But, here I am. I'm 45. My mom is 74.
She was diagnosed with COPD maybe 15-ish years ago. She's been on a steady decline since. She's now stage 4 and moved in with me, my husband, and our 6 year old last month.
She's on oxygen 24/7. She is on all sorts of meds, including nebulizer treatments. She has had 3 Zephyr valve procedures. They kept moving and not functioning properly, so the doctors have kept going in to reposition/remove them. She moved in with me after the latest procedure, where they removed 6 valves and kept 3 in. She is now down to 13% lung function.
I help her with basic stuff - making meals, coffee, laundry, bathing (although she keeps saying she has been too worn out to take a bath, and I'm not sure when to push it).
She has good days and bad days. She gets up, goes to the bathroom, walks to the kitchen table, etc (although she spends most of her time in her room reading, doing sudoku, and watching TV). The lack of oxygen is also causing short-term memory loss, and that's probably the hardest part.
I guess I have a few questions for you all in the COPD Reddit community:
Do others have these issues with the Zephyr valves shifting, requiring multiple bronchoscopies?
What are ways I can best help her recover at this stage? Are there things I can do/push her to do that might help her regain some lung function? She had been going to pulmonary rehab when she lived alone, but has not seemed interested since this last flair up.
Are there any alternative approaches (supplements, diets, breathing exercises) that others have has success with that I could add to her routine?
Thank you all for taking the time to read my post. It's really been lovely having my mom at home, connecting, and spending time with her.