Medical Conditions

 COPD Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

This condition keeps your lungs from working normally.  COPD results in shortness of breath that may interfere with your normal activities.  The airways in the lungs become blocked making it harder for you to breathe.   There are three additional diagnoses that your doctor may tell you that you have.  These include:

Emphysema in this disease, the airways in the lungs are damaged and lose their ability to stretch.  This results in the airways collapsing and air becomes trapped.  Again, this makes it harder for you to breathe.

Chronic Bronchitis, in this disease the airway makes more mucus than normal and results in blockage of the small airways in the lung.  The muscles around the airways have to work hard to let air in and force air out of the airways.  This also makes it harder for you to breathe.

Chronic Asthma – this occurs when substances in the air cause the airways to become inflamed.  As a result of the inflammation, the airways swell and become smaller making it harder for air to get in and out of the lungs. 

Treatment plans for COPD may include several forms of treatment depending on your symptoms and the underlying cause of the COPD.  Treatment may include medications, Oxygen therapy and exercise program to improve energy levels.  Blue Ridge Home Care a can provide further education, training and evaluations if ordered by your doctor.

Heart Failure; also known as Congestive Heart Failure or CHF.

When you have heart failure, your does not pump as well as it should.  This results in your body not getting enough blood and oxygen to certain areas.  Some of the symptoms include: shortness of breath; weakness or tiredness; trouble breathing especially when you lie flat; persistent cough; rapid weight gain; swelling in abdomen or feet; heart beating too fast; or dizziness or fainting.

Treatment includes: medications including oxygen especially at night or during sleep; monitoring your weight and blood pressure; quitting smoking if you smoke; and education about how to cope with this illness, diet and life styles changes that may help’ and education about the disease.

Blue Ridge Home Care along with your Doctor can help develop a plan to manage and learn to live with this disease.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea  (OSA)

 Obstructive Sleep Apnea is when a person stops breathing during sleep.  The breathing stops because the airway collapses and stops air from getting into the lungs.  This collapse causes the person to breathe harder (snore) to get the airway to reopen.  The person may have excessive sleepiness during the day because they are not getting restful sleep during the night.

Symptoms of OSA include:

• Snoring, interrupted by pauses in breathing
• Gasping and choking during sleep
• Restless sleep
• Excessive daytime sleepiness
• Neck size larger than 17 inches (males) and 16 inches (females)
• Morning headaches

If not treated OSA can lead to Stroke; High Blood Pressure; Congestive Heart Failure; Depression; Obesity; and worsening of Diabetes.

If you think you or someone you know may have OSA, contact your physician for evaluation.  Your physician may order a “Sleep Study” to see if you have OSA. The sleep study will help you and your physician decide which treatment is best for you.

OSA is a serious potentially life altering condition however it is easily identified through the “Sleep Study” and can be effectively treated.

For more information please contact a clinician at Blue Ridge Home Care or contact your physician for testing and evaluation.