Advice

[Pinknpurple]

My mam is in hospital right now, struggling to breathe properly. She's been in 9 days so far. Any tips/ advice I can give her to help her when she's back home? She is 77years old. Thank you in advance.

[jillygirl]

Hi Pink Purple, I am sure the hospital will make sure your Mum has her nebulisers etc.

The only tip I can offer is. When I struggle to breathe I can soon start to panic.

A tip I got from the respiratory nurse was to carry a small portable hand held battery operated fan. Hold near to your nose and mouth and do some deep breathing. It helps to calm you down.

Hope this might help. 😉x

[Alberta56]

I'm sure it will help your mum to know that you are there to support her. Reassure her if she needs it. Recovery from lung troubles is a slow process and takes a long time. Sometimes you can feel as if you will never get any better, but you will. Make sure she gets small, nourishing meals, and help her take very gentle exercise, just a little at first very, very gentle, chair bound is fine. There are suggestions on the HU web site. Best wishes to you and your mum. Hope all goes well.

[Patk1]

Welcome to the forum.sorry to hear yr mums unwell.hope thetreatment is helping her.u could ring the helpline gor advice mon-fr 0300 222 5800 I'd go to aluk website+ read up on " controlled breathing with pursed lips".practise it so ucan help mum to use it when needed.it slows breathing,eases coughing and helps with reducing anxiety. Xx

[Pinknpurple in reply to Patk1]

I played mindfulness music to her yesterday and that helped , I'm looking for a cd for her but there's so many out there. Thanks for your advice

[garshe]

Has your Mum got a Respiratory team assigned to support her. They are fantastic and pay home visits. Maybe your mum can arrange to attend a Pulmonary Rehab Course where she will meet people like herself.

Most important when having breathing problems is not to panic

Slow breathing down by breathing in slowly through nose hold for a few seconds then breathe out through mouth with pursed lips slowly.. To remember this technique think of "smell the roses, blow out the candle slowly.

Anxiety and Panic attacks are brought on when breathing too quickly.

Tell your Mum to concentrate on what she can do and not what she can't. There's no rush just do everything at a much slower pace.

Hope she will feel better soon and get her confidence back

Lots of love ❤️ Sheila xx

[Pinknpurple in reply to garshe]

Thank you, I've asked the hospital to find info about pulmonary rehab for her. She enjoyed doing mindfulness breathing. I'm looking for a cd for her to try .

[garshe in reply to Pinknpurple]

If you get in touch with her respiratory team they supply a nebulizer and order prescription for medication from GP. If required. Your mum may also require oxygen

There is an oxygen nurse with the respiratory team who will assess her . She may only require it for a few hours a day.. also they have portable cylinders for going out. Just something to look into..

The hospital can arrange for the respiratory team to attend so speak to them before they discharge her.

Its so scary when you can't breathe but mostly we cause the problem by panicking. I know I do. Your Mum most probably won't require all of the above if not any, but worth checking.. breathing techniques are best ., and not rushing

I have severe COPD so know how hard it is. It can be very scary .xx.Sheila

[Mydoggnasher]

Hi pink purple..Hope you're nan's well today....I'm 61 and was taken to hospital with breathing difficulties in Feb this year. I think all you can do is reassure nan that her breathing will get better ( not smoking I hope). They will find the answer to it...maybe she has copd...when I came home I bought myself a

Mask steaming machine for copd on line.its brilliant for helping clear the mucus etc.. so just being there showing your love and support will be helping her more than you know. Hope she's home ASAP.

[garshe in reply to Mydoggnasher]

The respiratory team supply nebulizer.c

[Mydoggnasher in reply to garshe]

Good morning garshe... Thankyou for your reply.

I had to buy my own as my hospital only loan's nebuliser machine for a few weeks at a time.

I don't mind face mask machine..

But can anyone advise best ones on line please for copd.💕

[garshe in reply to Mydoggnasher]

Sorry can't help as I have nebuliser supplied by my respiratory team . I don't use on a regular basis only when I have an exasperation xxSheila

[Pinknpurple]

Thank you for the suggestion of the mask, I'll look into it. My mam is still in hospital, she has empsemia.

[Homely2]

When your mum has recovered a bit, help her do one of the asthma UK courses. They are online and free. They are for anyone with breathing issues. They have great presenters and 20 or so people on the course.

I did the breathe easy course, which taught me about a lot of general breathing issues, I also learnt the harmonica with them.

They will help your mum feel less alone with her breathing issues, there are lots of us out there.

[Bingo88]

Good morning Pinknpurple. Sorry to hear your Mom is not well. But she is in the right place to get help and treatment. When she is home help her and make sure she is taking her medication and Inhalers the proper way. I had an aunt who sadly because of 2 recent family deaths started giving up and wasn't taking the medication. She will need the support of her family and it sounds like she has a diamond in you. Take care of yourself as well. Brian

[leo60]

Hi Pinknpurple, as usual, I am late to the party and the others have already given the best advice!

I hope your mum is getting better, it will be slow, but she will get there and your support will be invaluable. It sounds as though you are making all the right moves, well done! I remember when I was particularly ill ( 2.5 months in hospital), my daughter was fantastic and made it her business to understand everything that was going on physically and mentally. I wouldn't have made it without her! That was just over a year ago, yesterday I cleared a large flowerbed that hadn't been touched for 3 years!

Good luck and stay in touch with us, as you can see we give great advice! xx

[purdeyspringer]

Good morning , I hope you dear mum improves and is home soon.Just a little tip, I don't use any sprays in the house ie, air freshners etc. Also I get lots of fresh air in the house if possible, also a fan when the weather is warmer helps. I also drink honey and lemon once a day helps break up mucus.

Good luck and wish you all well.

[Pinknpurple]

Thank you purdeyspringer, I'll tell my mam about the honey and lemon, she is feeling abit better. She loves her garden and can't wait to be back home to be in it. The windows in her hospital room don't open so I bought her a mini hand held fan , which helps a little. Thanks for your advice, i appreciate it.x

[Patk1 in reply to Pinknpurple]

Just a thought pinknpurple,if mum produces mucous,ask for respiratory physio to see her b4 discharge,teach her how to get it up xx

[NHgardener]

Hi Pinknpurple - Alberta56 mentioned this, but, yes, make sure she’s getting beneficial meals (rather than empty calories) - even simple food prep can be daunting since the energy required can be overwhelming and physically exhausting. Have lots of small meals and snacks on hand. And try to provide a variety so she keeps up an interest in food. Best to you and your mom. 😊