Yuri Yakunin COPD

Milana V. Natalia, hello! I ordered the PARI O-PEP exerciser from a store; they deliver, and it costs about 2500 rubles. Natalia, I read about this the other day – think about a harmonica; the principle is the same. I just searched for the exerciser online, and several offers came up. My husband says it helps him; he practices twice a day for 10 minutes. He got the pneumococcal vaccine, but a doctor friend advises against the flu shot – you don’t know who to listen to, though the pulmonologist isn’t against it. The doctor says people live for 30 years with this disease; clean air is very important.

kot. hp yurayakunin, at the beginning of the illness, I had strength of will; I sought treatment and did exercises. But after the last examination, it turned out the disease is progressing. CT scans showed “honeycomb lung” – it’s all full of holes. That’s when I lost heart. All these medicines are useless. I catch every virus; it immediately turns into bronchitis, and the phlegm won’t clear. Chest pains start immediately upon inhaling. Do you take hormones or not? I’ll have to start taking them soon. I’m very afraid.

kot. hp Milana, that’s exactly what I wanted to know – is there any point in buying it? Does his phlegm clear out after using this exerciser?

Milana V. Natalia, yes, it does. Find Pulmonologist Meshcheryakova on YouTube; she’s been involved in COPD rehabilitation for 10 years. When I went to see her instead of my husband, she explained everything very clearly and showed many techniques to ease his condition – exercises to strengthen the diaphragm muscles. I highly recommend looking her up.

yurayakunin (Author) Natalia, of course I take them!!! You are preparing to die, yet you haven’t even taken hormones. I’ve been sick for 21 years and have gone through different periods. Twelve years ago, there was a time when I had to call an ambulance almost every day because around four in the morning, suffocation attacks would start. It felt like the paramedics were taking me out of a noose, and this went on for nearly a year. My wife should be awarded a “Heroine Wife” medal, but unfortunately, no such medal exists. I will write about how I got rid of that unbearable state. My dear, those who want to – find a way; those who don’t – find an excuse. Fight, but most importantly, your loved ones must help you in this struggle; you cannot conquer this road alone! And why are you afraid of hormone-containing drugs? They are the foundation of treatment – or rather, of maintaining a positive state. You can’t get anywhere without hormones. It is better to gain a little weight than to die quickly.

yurayakunin (Author) Milana, these exercises are good in themselves – a great way to maintain muscle tone – but unfortunately, exercises are useless specifically in fighting COPD.

Milana V. yurayakunin, Yuri, thank you, but surely there must be some way to support oneself.

yurayakunin (Author) Milana, of course! My wife and I have been doing this for 21 years! 21!!!!!

Severina Natalia, go get a bioresonance diagnosis; you’ll surely be surprised – someone is living in your lungs, meaning parasites.

Milana V. Natalia, someone is advising you to get some kind of bioresonance diagnosis – don’t throw your money away. I only believe in official medicine, perhaps because my mother-in-law was a chief physician at a clinic for 20 years and taught us to trust doctors and herbal treatments, but without fanaticism. Medicine does not stand still; this disease is now the 3rd most significant cause of death, and many pharmaceutical companies worldwide are working on new and more effective drugs. The author of this block has lived with this disease for 20 years and has no intention of giving up. I believe that an exchange of opinions on treatment between patients can offer a lot for maintaining health and extending life. Thank you, yurayakunin, for sharing your advice with all of us.

yurayakunin (Author) Milana, thank you. This disease is characterized by the fact that at some point, you realize all connections with the outside world are severed and you are one-on-one with the illness (read my miniature – “The Talking Head”). That is where the internet comes in handy; it helps you still feel alive. Strength of will, experience, and the desire to live – that’s already a lot. Today I live with minimal mobility but maximum comfort. You won’t believe it, but for two years, I haven’t had a single doctor at my house except for the ambulance… and a dentist :)

Milana V. yurayakunin, why wouldn’t I believe you? Usually, we visit doctors often only at the beginning of the illness, and then, having learned to listen to our bodies, we start seeking them out less frequently. No matter how good the relationship with a physician is, communicating with them is always uncomfortable: for patients, because we might ask the same thing several times and be frustrated that we didn’t get the answer we expected; and for doctors – I know from my mother-in-law, she was of the old school and upbringing – they aren’t completely indifferent and feel guilty that they cannot help the patient. In the past, very informative brochures were published about diseases; now we have the internet to help us. My husband hasn’t seen his pulmonologist for 4 months and doesn’t plan on going anytime soon, as he is slowly learning to live with his illness.

Milana V. yurayakunin, “The Talking Head” is too minor for me; I like the one about khinkali more – which I love – and the Vake district in Tbilisi. I was in Tbilisi last in 1989; our friends who live there tell us it’s completely different now.

yurayakunin (Author) Milana, good luck!

kot. hp yurayakunin, well, what kind of life is that – being tied to a hose? A friend of mine has been living like that for two years. She only dreams of falling asleep in the evening and not waking up.

yurayakunin (Author) Natalia, does your friend not have a balcony?

kot. hp yurayakunin, your sarcasm is out of place here. Why did you create these notes – to laugh at people? In what way is your “moral support” expressed? Not everyone has such strength of will as you, and not everyone has support like your wife. Many people survive however they can, and everyone’s circumstances are different; some don’t even have the opportunity to buy this oxygen machine.

yurayakunin (Author) Natalia, dear Natalia, not everyone writes poetry like Byron or plays the violin like Paganini. So what – should we burn Pushkin and tear the strings of the violin? Sarcasm is appropriate everywhere, as this is life, and everyone lives it as best they can and as the situation allows. So, if not everyone has the same strength of will as I do, should I be crucified for it? And as for my wife – she is my second wife. I suffered with my first one for 23 years, apparently so that I could receive my second wife as a reward and live with her for another 23 years. “Some don’t even have the opportunity to buy this oxygen machine.” I didn’t have the opportunity to buy an oxygen concentrator either – it was GIFTED to me. The first time it was used, and the second time it was brand new. And what’s important is that I didn’t even ask for them to be gifted!

kot. hp yurayakunin, I have nothing against you; on the contrary, I thought: there are people strong in spirit, but I, for example, am not like that, and it’s very hard for me to think that I only have 2 years of life left. And your answer about the balcony… Someone might laugh, but someone else might just take a step [off of it].

yurayakunin (Author) Natalia, how do you know about two years of life? Doctors guaranteed my wife that I had 3—4 years. 21 years have passed since then. Yes, today my condition, I think, looks like it might last a year, but I will fight. By the way, a month ago I released three of my books. I have no time to die; I’m thinking of writing another one.

A.F. Natalia, where did you see strength of will? The man sits at home with an oxygen hose for comfort, apparently, but at the same time reports that he is able to walk 50 steps. I also walk 50 steps, but I understand that you need to get out every day to the bench by the entrance, rather than staging a “Lament of Yaroslavna” [endless crying]. I don’t believe that you can’t drink a cup of coffee in that condition without oxygen… It’s just comfortable for him, he’s just used to it, that’s all. We’ve been there, we know.

Milana V. A., he doesn’t know about Yandex Zen, I’m the one who reads it.

A.F. Milana, well that’s good, otherwise he’ll read all this nonsense and sit at home without leaving, pretending to be miserable. With this disease, you quickly get used to such a lifestyle and come up with excuses for yourself not to bother with walks. It’s just hard to break the habit later. It’s an excuse. Winter, nothing more. The author of these notes is a vivid confirmation of what I wrote.

Vitaliy N. Milana V., I’ve been sick for 6 years, an extremely severe degree of COPD turning into emphysema. It is mandatory to use an inhaler, preferably one with two components. Berodual via a nebulizer. Quit smoking and drinking, definitely. Get vaccinated against pneumonia and the flu. Protect yourself from colds.

Flura T. 10 years with COPD. I’ve tried many things, and there is nothing better than Strelnikova’s breathing exercises.

yurayakunin (Author) Flura, everyone selects what works best for them. The main thing is that it helps!

yurayakunin (Author) Flura, get checked and make sure that you definitely have COPD.

A.F. yurayakunin, you should cast aside laziness and do your exercises.

Dmitry Grafov I am very ill. I think your information will help someone; maybe one day I will also write about my bitter experience.

Ayumi Hello, I have asthma and the emphysematous type of COPD. I’m 39, and I don’t smoke. I was diagnosed with COPD at 35. My disease is caused by Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency.

yurayakunin (Author) Ayumi, Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency is a hereditary disease characterized by low levels of the alpha-1 antitrypsin (A1AT) protein in the blood. Mostly, A1AT deficiency manifests as COPD, emphysema, as well as damage to the liver and blood vessels. Try to create comfortable living conditions for yourself – that is all we can do today to help ourselves. Breathe oxygen (oxygen concentrator) when you feel a lack of it – do not strain the heart. In COPD, if you don’t take care of it, the heart is the first to fail.

A.F. Ayumi, don’t listen to nonsense. A concentrator is needed not for comfort, but for use during exacerbations, if necessary. If you sit at home without going out, your heart will eventually be good for nothing. You shouldn’t be lazy; you should try to walk more. For some it’s 50 meters, for others it’s all 100.

Vladimir The information is complete, nothing to add. Thank you.

A.F. I have read all your notes. I suffer from stage 3—4 COPD myself. Your doctors are strange. With COPD, you need to get an antibiotic injection and an IV drip once every six months. I can’t imagine what I would do without this procedure. I would probably always walk around connected to an oxygen concentrator. And every year in February, I would be visiting the ICU.

Milana V. A., is it really necessary to take antibiotics? My husband has stage 1—2 and no antibiotics are prescribed to him.

A.F. Milana, I didn’t mean stage 1—2; when exacerbations occur, such a need will arise.

Milana V. A., I still don’t understand how these exacerbations manifest? There is a lot of panic due to our ignorance; please share.

A.F. Milana, don’t panic with stage 1—2. I only went to the doctors 6 years ago when I already had stage 3—4. There is nothing terrifying about your situation. I was still running when I was in your state. I think if you were to diagnose long-term smokers and those who have had pneumonia multiple times, everyone would be at stage 1, and half of them at stage 2. The author of these notes is just fear-mongering; he’s simply too lazy to crawl out of his apartment – he’s gotten used to it and convinced himself of things that aren’t there.

A.F. Milana, buy a pulse oximeter. Keep an eye on the blood oxygen level and pulse. It will make it clear when, what, and why things are happening.

yurayakunin (Author) I recently bought my fourth one. They didn’t break; I either submerged one in the bathtub, dropped another, or just lost one…

Get Examined at a Clinic

Doctor examining a chest X-ray. Try to have a family pulmonologist.

I want to say right away that I am not a doctor, but a patient; I will not give advice on specific medication, but I will tell you what I went through and how I was treated – then you can think for yourself and, most importantly, react in time.

I want to warn you about one thing: do not trust a doctor’s “sensations.” There are many doctors, and their sensations are likely to be different. Trust the results of spirometry, the determination of blood oxygen levels with a pulse oximeter, X-rays, and lung tomography. My advice is not to wait until you turn into the kind of patient whose shortness of breath is already making itself felt before running for an examination.

Run not just to a pulmonologist with a phonendoscope, but to an equipped clinic where your breathing will be checked using computer programs that exclude both your own sensations and the subjective diagnosis of a doctor. If your local clinic does not have the necessary equipment (though I think it exists everywhere now), do not be lazy and get examined at another clinic at least once a year or undergo a thorough examination – it is worth it. First of all, you will have all the results of your examinations saved, and an objective picture of the changes in your lungs over time will be visible; from these, one can roughly, but still, determine the effectiveness of the prescribed treatment.

I would not advise you to get X-rays for two reasons: first, one must be able to “read” them, but not a single pulmonologist will tell you that they cannot read them. Some doctors could almost determine my blood type from an X-ray. Most importantly, today there are much more effective methods of lung examination than X-rays that can provide a computer-generated conclusion.

And one more very important observation: smoking, of course, is harmful in any case, but COPD does not only appear from smoking, like a pregnancy from a sperm cell – it increasingly occurs due to environmental factors, which, of course, the state will never admit to you. Apparently, all Russians think that the cars stuck in traffic jams are exhaust pipes belching out oxygen? Look first at the quality of gasoline at the gas stations and how many cars are equipped with the modern exhaust systems that are mandatory in the West. People in the “soviet-style” system apparently think that factory chimneys are all equipped with harmful substance traps, and that the smoldering piles of garbage located right next to city blocks are smoking with Indian incense?