Emphysema and Humidity, Exercises, and new medications.

[John B]

Hi, My father is 78 and has had emphysema for at least 5 years. As the years go on he has terrible breathing patterns when the humidity is high and has good and bad days when humidity is normal. We live in the UK and is there a way to control the humidity with in the house. What are the best breathing exercises for emphysema and are there any new medications for emphysema in the UK. Thanks. JB

[MSue]

My husband has emphysema and steriods seem to be the only meds, that clear up an attack of poor breathing he has 50% lungs left because of the damage is there anything new out for this? We live off the coast in GA. and the humidity is bad here

[Adrienne]

Have had emphysemia for approx. 8 yrs. Have tried Advair & another kind of med,(crushed a capsule & inhaled, which was just as useless. Have an appt with MD to see what I can do, as I get SOB just walking from one end of my house to the kitchen. Sure hope he can help, as I cannot go on like this.

[Mooo]

Im having an exceptionally hard time breathing right now (I have emphysema) and it seems a little warm and humid, can humidity affect your breathing to such a great extent?

[raffaele]

John B wrote:

Hi, My father is 78 and has had emphysema for at least 5 years. As the years go on he has terrible breathing patterns when the humidity is high and has good and bad days when humidity is normal. We live in the UK and is there a way to control the humidity with in the house. What are the best breathing exercises for emphysema and are there any new medications for emphysema in the UK. Thanks. JB

i would strongly suggest to try qigong,breathing exercises and meditation

[Brad]

This note is to all, but especially to John and his father in the UK and Adrienne in Houston. In 2001 I was working in Taiwan and was diagnosed with emphysema. In the following two years I was hospitalized two times, two weeks each time. I retired from teaching (I am now 67) and returned to the US and settled in Tucson, Arizona. In eighteen months I was in the hospital two more time, two weeks each time. I decided I had had enough of doctors and hospitals and made the decision to go back to Mexico where I had previously lived for eighteen years. My old stomping grounds of Mexico City was out of the question, so I made plans to relocate to León, Guanajuato. Right now the humidity is 17%. My priorities were stable climate, and low humidity.(You can Google all that stuff and check it out.) In the four years that I have been here, I have yet to learn the name of any doctor, and I have no idea where any hopitals are located.

When I was in Taiwan and Tucson, I had enough medicine and oxygen tanks and concentrators to start a drugstore. The only thing I use here is the little SALBUTAMOL spray and one lasts me a little over a month. That is all I have ever used here!!! I'm pretty mobile and can now slowly walk a block without a rest.

BTW, John, the brand I use is generic, made in Britain and the cost here is about 4 USD. In the States it is around 25-30 USD.

Good luck to all, and for those of you who are still puffing on those cigs, Shame on you!

[Brad]

About the SALBUTAMOL, I get the 200 dose 100 micrograms.

[Carole]

Brad, Are you saying you went from having really bad Emphysema and being on oxygen to breathing much better just by moving to Mexico and using Salbutamol?