And breathe...

Great news on your result today - that must've been a load off your mind!

 I never noticed my breathing improving after first giving up smoking....do wonder if it was delayed with me (a year seems a terribly long time though!) LOL.

 

Hey Wilfie - I've sent you a private message (not sure if we're allowed to post links on here?).

Hi Wilfie, research coconut oil. It has anti fungal, anti bacterial, and anti inflammatory qualities. It is set at room temp but soon devolves. Place a teaspoon full in your mouth and it desolves almost immediately. Swish it round your gums for about 12 minutes and then spit it out. It also whitens your teeth. You can put it in food or a hot drink like tea. That would help with the candida. It also reverses dementia. Hope this helps.

Thank you gallee- that is really helpful tip - whe do you suggest I source the coconut oil a health shop ?? Tesco - or specialist food store this is all new to me - but I do like coconut so that's sounds a tasty treat as well lol!!

im so glad I found this forum I have had some great tips thank you for your time ..

Yes shop around though my brother in law got it for half the price I paid. My sisters swear by it for treating constipation. It's fuel for your muscles and your brain. Happy shopping.

Thank you for your reply - I will let you know how it goes 

Hi Gallee- well clever you and a very big thank you to you 

I bought some Organic extra virgin coconut oil in the health shop yesterday afternoon, the guy in the shop was helpful and gave me lots of helpful tips about cocnut oil, which corroborated what you Had told me as well as what I read up on the net.

All I can say is wow !!! I used at 4.45 pm yesterday, once to clean my mouth out as you described - then followed by a teaspoonful, let dissolve in my mouth then swallowed,

This morning no burning mouth, I repeated this morning about 10am about 2 hours after cleaning my teeth and having my oates for breakfast. This afternoon I repeated the mouth cleaning again about 4.45  so far my mouth has stayed calm with no burning sendation.

This is quite amazing Gallee- thank you so much , I'm going to continue to use for my digestion ref silent reflux and also my high cholestral as I read it is also good for lowering that as well.

so let's see how things progress - thank you again Gallee - I had no idea coconut had so may properties ...... Wilfie )))

Thanks moonlight!  There were a couple of things that I feel made a massive improvement.  Firstly, I didn't follow a diet as such, but cut certain things out (fats, alcohol, caffeine) and started eating a lot of rice, fish, home made soups etc.  I am very guilty of not drinking enough water, so I increased that.  The thing that gave me the biggest relief was the high PH water and alkaline drops.  Within 2 days my throat and mouth felt better.  A pep test confirmed I had high pepsin present, so I knew what I was dealing with (LPR).  The alkaline drops reduced the inflammation and I was coughing less and my throat felt better.

Have you seen the 'justpassingthrough' Facebook page?  Loads of great tips on there :-)

Didn't mean to call you moonlight - silly predictive text!!!

 

Hi suzeq1972

I have LPR, and have also had great relief largely thanks to JPRs advice. I have also had air hunger exercises on an NHS retraining breathing programming. I am a lifelong asthmatic, but had a test on a spirometer - (I think that is what it is called - not a spirograph, as I told a friend, to their great amusement!) This found that I have COPD now - I am not so sure, as my breathing is better than ever before... 

Basically the training gets you to breathe out fully then hold your breath for as long as you can - and try to increase that time. Its based on the Buteyko method,  which is very different from everything I had been told previously.

I hope this helps  - take care.

Thanks Jon.  That is most helpful.

I've been reading up on the buteyko method and started some of the exercises.  I only seem to get the need to breathe in deeply when I am hungry.....maybe that's when I (my body) get stressed!!!!!  

I think it's a bad habit I've picked up as whenever I think about it, that's when I do it!  I've also stopped exercising for the last couple of months (was 4 times in the gym a week), which must have slowed down my breathing.

Thanks for your reply :-)

P.S spirograph made me laugh too!

Hi jon08211, first time ive posted here though ive learnt much from reading others' posts. And its the first time ive seen anyone with copd on here, though realise you dont feel sure about this dx. I have both LPR and copd with long term asthma and find (and have been told by medics) that for various reasons, both copd and LPR make each other worse.

I wanted to suggest you check whether Buteyko is safe for you as it's not usually recommended for people with copd. Unlike with asthma, people who have copd can have a tendency to retain CO2 beyond normal levels which impedes their ability to function.

Obstruction in the lungs shows up with spirometry but if its at the mild stage this may not affect your breathing much at present. 

Spirometry will show lots of different measurements including peak flow which im sure you are familiar with having asthma. In relation to copd, the important spiromentry measurement is the FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in one second) so you could ask your GP about that as its one of the criteria which defines what stage of copd you are at.

Both my copd and LPR (which includes barretts oesophagus) are at the severe stage though with lifestyle management i function fairly well on a day to day basis. I have been very grateful to be able to educate myself on this forum so that i can minimise the LPR.

I am on the HealthUnlocked forum with the British Lung Foundation community in relation to my lung disease (O2Trees on that one!) and it is very good for getting support and information, and the BLF have a helpline you can call which is run by specialist respiratory nurses who will be familiar with people who have copd and reflux.

Information sent with good wishes, but please ignore if unwelcome.

Thanks for the post - it is most welcome! I agree with you that I too have gained much from reading on this forum.

Can I measure the FEV1 using my peak flow meter? I am in a bit of a mess, as I have recently moved, and have not registered with a new doctor - so I am trying to use self - help. Actually I am finding it quite cathartic, in a way.

I think I am like you, with multiple health problems, but managing OK day to day.

My main scare is night time choking, for which I have had several sleep studies, and been told that I do not have sleep apnoia - but I definitely stop breathing, which is what the word means...

Thanks for the info on the BLF forum.

Take care, and thanks again

 

Hi Jon - no, a peak flow meter will only measure peak flow which relates to asthma not COPD. You have to be using a spirometer to measure FEV1. Some are portable which respiratory nurses tend to use at surgeries, and some much more grand machines such as I get to use when i see my consultant at the hospital and have all my lung function tests done. Unlike peak flow meters, the portable spirometers arent available on the NHS as they are much too expensive.

The night time choking sounds horrid. And very confusing re stopping breathing and the (not) sleep apnoea. The BLF helpline i mentioned will talk to you about this - the number is 03000 030 555. And i would advise you to register with a GP asap, self management is essential but you need the back-up. When i moved I checked with neighbours to get recommendations before i re-registered.

My experience of choking comes from the LPR and seems connected with mucus. Also occasionally i get langyspasm which is when the vocal cords close off the windpipe and no air will go in or out.  Its never happened during sleep though which just sounds horrendous.

Please do get some advice re your nighttime problems. The helpline would be a good first step. Good luck.