COPD360social welcomes new member Larp who joins 66,258 current members of our community. Weโ€™re glad you're here!

Mark Luttmann, COPDF Research

Mark Luttmann, COPDF ResearchCARDINAL COPD Study

Cold season is unavoidable. But if youโ€™re living with COPD, you donโ€™t have to just wait and hope for the best. The CARDINAL study is researching a potential treatment to help reduce the effects of rhinovirus (the common cold) on people with COPD.

See if you or a loved one may qualify: https://copdcardinalstudy.com/join

Join the CARDINAL Study to Advance the Future of COPD Care

Discover if a clinical trial aiming to reduce the impact of cold and breathing symptoms in people with COPD is right for you.

3 hours ago

Coach Brandon - Community Manager

Coach Brandon - Community Manager

๐Ÿ’ฌ Okay, friendsโ€ฆ whatโ€™s on your mind?

Itโ€™s a brand-new month, so I thought weโ€™d start with a pretty simple question:

How are you doing โ€” and what do YOU want to talk about?

Maybe you have a COPD or lung health question thatโ€™s been bouncing around in your head. Maybe something has changed and youโ€™re wondering if anyone else has experienced it. Or maybe thereโ€™s a question you keep hoping somebody else will ask first.

Wellโ€ฆ you can be the one who asks. ๐Ÿงก

Thatโ€™s what this community is here for. We have patients, caregivers and families with years of experiences to share, and sometimes one simple question can open up a conversation that helps a whole bunch of us.

New here? Jump in! Been here forever? Jump in! And if you have something youโ€™d rather not ask publicly, send me a message. I can always put a question out to the community without sharing who asked it.

So letโ€™s hear it. What have you been wondering about? What should we be talking about more?

Letโ€™s make October about the things that matter to you. ๐Ÿงก

4 hours ago

  • NewestOldest
  • DebbieB.-Connecticut State CaptainTo be totally honest, I am wondering when health insurance will be affordable for someone like me! 
    Also, hoping the environment will improve for folks like me. We obviously have no control over the irritants caused by pollen and weeds. We also have no control over the storms that bring mold and bacteria in.
    Also, hoping someone would please begin my husband's cancer treatments soon. The growths are so near his carotid artery.
    One day at a time. Good thoughts. Never give up hope. ๐Ÿ™3 hours ago
  • WildebeestIt's my birthday today! So I want to talk about ME!. Just kidding. And I don't have any burning questions, but my birthday present to myself was to get the RSV vaccination. We don't get it in the UK until 75 unless we pay privately, although they are now giving it at age 65 for some lung conditions. But I don't want to have to wait that long. So,  another layer of protection added. I'm pleased.2 hours ago
  • DebbieB.-Connecticut State CaptainOkay, so how old are you? ๐Ÿค” ๐Ÿ˜‚
    Seriously, I would like to wish you a very Happy Birthday!!! Age is just a number. I wish you a lovely day. You deserve it! ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿคฉ๐Ÿค—1 hour ago
Larp

Larp

Good but still donโ€™t know of substitute for Vaseline and aquaphor.  Saw dermatologist yesterday and she wasnโ€™t happy.  Aquaphor is constantly used.  My lips are a mess!

1 hour ago

DebbieB.-Connecticut State Captain

DebbieB.-Connecticut State Captaincommented onEating Well: From Debbie Bโ€™s Kitchen to Yours

Brandon, it's so easy to prepare! And, you can modify this recipe if you'd like! ๐Ÿ˜€...

3 hours ago

Coach Brandon - Community Manager

Coach Brandon - Community Managerโ˜•๐ŸŒŽ Happy International Coffee Day! ๐ŸŒŽโ˜•

Wait a minuteโ€ฆ didnโ€™t we JUST celebrate coffee a couple of days ago?

Apparently coffee is so wonderful it needs another day โ€” and this time, weโ€™re going international. Ooh la la! โ˜•๐ŸŒ

Good days, bad days, busy days, slow daysโ€ฆ somehow coffee just seems to fit.

Hot coffee. Iced coffee. Flavored coffee. Espresso! Cappuccino! Coffee in a smoothie. Coffee in a milkshake. Coffee ice cream! And then there are those brave souls who pour a hot cup, forget about it for an hour, find it sitting there somewhere between warm and coldโ€ฆand drink it anyway. You know who you are. โ˜•

Patients love it. Caregivers love it. Doctors and nurses love it. And apparently the rest of the world is pretty fond of it too โ€” hence the โ€œInternationalโ€ part!

Sometimes itโ€™s not even about the caffeine. Itโ€™s the smell of coffee brewing, that favorite mug, sitting down for a few quiet minutes, or sharing a cup and a conversation with someone you care about.

So for International Coffee Day, I want to know:

โ˜• Hot or iced?
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น Espresso or cappuccino?
๐Ÿฆ Coffee ice cream?
๐Ÿฅค Blended into something delicious?
๐Ÿซ Favorite flavor or special add-in?
๐Ÿ˜ฌ Or are you one of those mysterious people who doesnโ€™t like coffee at all?

As far as Iโ€™m concerned, there really isnโ€™t a wrong way to enjoy coffee.

So whatโ€™s in YOUR cup? โ˜•โค

4 hours ago

Coach Brandon - Community Manager

Coach Brandon - Community Managercommented onEating Well: From Debbie Bโ€™s Kitchen to Yours

Wow, itโ€™s been way too many years since weโ€™ve made this! I love the idea of doing it in the slow cooker too. We make Rotel in ours pretty often, and this would be another really nice one to have simmering away as we move into the cooler weather....

4 hours ago

DebbieB.-Connecticut State Captain

DebbieB.-Connecticut State Captaincommented onEating Well: From Debbie Bโ€™s Kitchen to Yours

SLOW COOKER SPINACH-ARTICHOKE DIP9 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and well drained14 ounces artichoke heart quarters, well drained8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature 1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese1 large clove...

5 hours ago

DebbieB.-Connecticut State Captain

DebbieB.-Connecticut State CaptainHappy Thursday, friends! Orange is such a vibrant color! It always seems to bring brightness, sunshine, and smiles into our lives! 
Enjoy every moment of this wonderful day! ๐Ÿงก๐ŸŒž๐Ÿงก

9 hours ago

Karen Deitemeyer - Florida State Captain

Karen Deitemeyer - Florida State CaptainInteresting article about a new biologic that's done well in Phase 3 clinical trials:


 "Tozorakimab Cuts COPD Exacerbations by Up to 34% in Phase 3 Trials"

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/tozorakimab-cuts-copd-exacerbations-34-phase-3-trials-2026a10010g0?ecd=wnl_edit_tpal_etid8749234&uac=153334SK&impID=8749234

Tozorakimab Reduces COPD Exacerbations

Replicate phase 3 trials show the IL-33-targeting monoclonal antibody reduces moderate and severe exacerbations regardless of blood eosinophil levels or smoking status.

17 hours ago

Mikecopdpatient55

Mikecopdpatient55answered the question Iโ€™ve just been diagnosed with hyperextended lungs, moderate Centrilobular & Paraseptal emphysema

Hi Tomo, just wanted to follow up with you from 11 months ago. Hopefully, you are still on here. Curious to hear what the doctors have said about your nodules? Hope everything went well!
DebbieB.-Connecticut State CaptainTomobrydyand 2 others also answered the question DebbieB.-Connecticut State Captainand 4 others also answered the question

18 hours ago

Jamie Jarrard (COPDF Sr. Communications Specialist)

Jamie Jarrard (COPDF Sr. Communications Specialist) created the event BronchandNTM360social Coffee Break - Thursday, October 15, 2:30pm Eastern

BronchandNTM360social Coffee Break - Thursday October 15, 2:30pm Eastern. A group for those in the bronchiectasis and NTM lung disease communities. Register here: https://copdf.co/Bronch-NTM-support **Note: We are meeting on Thursday, October 15, …

21 hours ago

Jamie Jarrard (COPDF Sr. Communications Specialist)

Jamie Jarrard (COPDF Sr. Communications Specialist) created the event OxyTalk Social Hour - Wednesday, October 14, 4pm Eastern

OxyTalk Social Hour - Wednesday, October 14, 4pm Eastern. A group for those on oxygen therapy. Send any questions ahead of time to oxygen360@copdfoundation.org. Register here: https://copdf.co/oxy-talk

21 hours ago

Jamie Jarrard (COPDF Sr. Communications Specialist)

Jamie Jarrard (COPDF Sr. Communications Specialist) created the event COPD360Social Hour & Harmonica Play-Along: Wednesday, October 7, 4pm Eastern

COPD360Social Hour & Harmonica Play-Along- Wednesday, October 7, 4pm Eastern. A group for everyone in our COPD community to make friends, catch up, and answer your most pressing questions. Bring your harmonica for a Harmonicas for Health play-along …

21 hours ago

Tomc7361

Tomc7361

Hey everyone; I hope youโ€™re doing well.
Iโ€™m concerned, and I need opinions from fellow patients. 
Please excuse any confusion, because I havenโ€™t slept well for over a week.
Iโ€™m 56, former smoker, but not for nine years. I welded and worked in dusty areas intermittently.
I try to run and walk a couple of miles every other day, but I havenโ€™t for months, because Iโ€™m working overtime.
I was vaping THC, a couple of puffs 3-4x/ day, when I caught a chest infection consistent with Covid.
It lasted a few days, with very little congestion. No more vaping.
As I got well, my chest tightened and I began having breathing difficulty at night:  Waking up with my chest tight, panicking, sweating.
I went to the ER early this morning.
BOC 99% untreated when I came in.
I was told my heart looked good even for a young man.
Then they did a chest xray. No spirometry, no exercise/O2, just a chest xray. The nurse said I have long lungs, which I knew. Context:  I donโ€™t wheeze, even during extreme exertion, my O2 levels during a run year before last were 98, and I now have almost nine years of intermittent exercise logs.
 I quit smoking after a chest infection with the same symptoms, but worse, when I was 47.
The Dr ( not a pulmonologist) came back in, looked me in the eye and said โ€œYou have COPD.โ€
I asked him if he could be mistaken, and he said no.
I looked online, and the information I found said that diagnosis of COPD during or immediately after a chest infection with inflammation is not accurate, nor are chest xrays the standard.
Iโ€™m scared and I donโ€™t feel that he should have given me a diagnosis today.
My question is, in your opinion, how likely is this to be a misdiagnosis? 
Wouldnโ€™t my BOC be lower?
Please help me; I am in shock.
Thank you in advance.



22 hours ago

David Mannino, MD (Chief Medical Officer, COPD Foundation )

David Mannino, MD (Chief Medical Officer, COPD Foundation )answered the question Is going blind worth it? (Advare experience)

Every medication has the potential for side effects. Cataracts are related to aging ( and steroid exposure, whether inhaled or systemic, increases the risk of cataracts). Cataracts are easily treatable-- you must be living somewhere this is not the case …
Dinna25Puzziedas23and 7 others also answered the question Dinna25and 9 others also answered the question

1 day ago

David Mannino, MD (Chief Medical Officer, COPD Foundation )

David Mannino, MD (Chief Medical Officer, COPD Foundation )answered the question Montelukast and mental health

Everyone is different, of course. I have used this in many people with allergic tendencies. It only seems to work 1/3- 1/2 of the time. I have not had patients complain about side effects or stop du to side effects.
Dinna25OtterJamie Jarrard (COPDF Sr. Communications Specialist)and 6 others also answered the question Dinna25and 8 others also answered the question

1 day ago

David Mannino, MD (Chief Medical Officer, COPD Foundation )

David Mannino, MD (Chief Medical Officer, COPD Foundation )answered the question Bronchial Thermoplasty

Bronchial Thermoplasty was being done for asthma in the past- but has pretty much disappeared in recent years. I can not envision how this would imrove someone with dynamic hyperinflation.
Karen Deitemeyer - Florida State Captain also answered the question Karen Deitemeyer - Florida State Captain also answered the question

1 day ago

Community Announcements

Community Announcementsadded a new article Oxygen Access For Life

This post was written by Mike Hess, MPH, RRT, RPFT.

As we approach the fourth observance of World Oxygen Day this October, we're also about 18 months out from the publication of the Lancet Global Health Commission on Medical Oxygen Security report.1 That makes this an excellent time to look around the oxygen community and take stock of what has been accomplished and what remains to be done. Unfortunately, the latter list is still far longer than the former, but that doesn't mean there aren't a few things to celebrate.

1 day ago

Coach Brandon - Community Manager

Coach Brandon - Community Manager

๐Ÿ‘‹ So Long, September! ๐Ÿ‚๐Ÿ“ธ

Itโ€™s Visit My Corner of the World Wednesday, and today weโ€™re waving goodbye to September!

No special theme. No perfect picture needed. Anything goes today!

Before we turn the calendar over to October, show us what the last day of September looks like in your corner of the world. ๐ŸŒŽ

๐Ÿ Are the leaves starting to change?
๐ŸŒป Are summer flowers still hanging on?
โ˜€ Still warm and sunny where you are?
โ˜• Maybe itโ€™s your morning coffee and the view from your favorite chair.
๐Ÿพ Or perhaps your four-legged supervisor has taken over the best spot in the house again.

It can be beautiful, ordinary, funny, peaceful, messy, colorfulโ€”or just something that caught your eye today.

One photo. One little glimpse into your world.

Letโ€™s fill the community with corners from all over and give September a proper send-off. ๐Ÿ‘‹๐Ÿ‚

So long, September! Octoberโ€ฆ weโ€™ll see you tomorrow. ๐ŸŽƒ

What does your corner of the world look like today? ๐Ÿ“ธ

1 day ago

DebbieB.-Connecticut State Captain

DebbieB.-Connecticut State Captaincommented onEating Well: From Debbie Bโ€™s Kitchen to Yours

โžก๏ธโžก๏ธโžก๏ธCOFFEE SMOOTHIEโฌ…๏ธโฌ…๏ธโฌ…๏ธ A delicious way to boost your protein!1/4 cup strong brewed coffee OR cold brew, chilled1/2 cup almond milk 1/4 cup vanilla OR plain protein powder 1 large banana, broken into chunks and frozen2 tbsp. almond butter 1...

1 day ago

DebbieB.-Connecticut State Captain

DebbieB.-Connecticut State CaptainHappy wonderful Wednesday, friends! May your day be productive and may you feel proud of your accomplishments! 

1 day ago

HIcopd - Hawaii State Captain

HIcopd - Hawaii State CaptainMary Kitlowski of RunningOnAir.org posted a great new POC chart. The link is here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eknYf2CKo6yQRRcCw2x1AbkKf6rmox1r/view?usp=sharing

1 day ago

Karen Deitemeyer - Florida State Captain

Karen Deitemeyer - Florida State Captain

Today is also Happy National Coffee Day โ˜•
https://bmacards.com/AP5CY1

1 day ago

Coach Brandon - Community Manager

Coach Brandon - Community Manager๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Today is National VFW Day โ€” a day to honor service, sacrifice, and those who have given so much.

Today we recognize the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the men and women who served our country far from home. Their service came with sacrifices that didnโ€™t always end when they returned home, and those sacrifices were often shared by the families who stood beside them.

Here in our 360social community, we know we have veterans among us, as well as spouses, caregivers, children, grandchildren, and families who are incredibly proud of someone who served.

Today gives us a chance to simply say thank you. โค

Thank you for your service. Thank you for the time away from home, the moments missed, and the sacrifices made. And thank you to the families who waited, worried, supported, welcomed home, and continued walking beside their loved ones.

If you served, or if there is a veteran in your life you would like to recognize, we would be honored to hear about them. Share a name, a branch of service, a photo, a memoryโ€”or simply leave a ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ below in their honor.

Today, we remember. We recognize. And most importantly, we say thank you. ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ

2 days ago

DebbieB.-Connecticut State Captain

DebbieB.-Connecticut State Captaincommented onEating Well: From Debbie Bโ€™s Kitchen to Yours

๐Ÿฅ„๐Ÿซ˜PINTO BEAN SOUP๐Ÿซ˜๐Ÿฅ„2 tsp. olive oil1 onion, finely diced2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp. cumin2 cups vegetable brothOne 15-ounce can diced tomatoes Two 15-ounce cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained 2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice Salt...

2 days ago

DebbieB.-Connecticut State Captain

DebbieB.-Connecticut State CaptainHappy Tuesday to all of our wonderful members! Wishing everyone a pleasant, easy breathing day! ๐Ÿ˜Š

2 days ago

Coach Brandon - Community Manager

Coach Brandon - Community ManagerI just stepped outside with Jagger, and he was quietly staring toward the front of the yard. Of course, I had to see what had caught his attention. I stepped over and spotted these little beauties! They were just so cute, and Jagger was being so quiet, almost like he knew not to disturb them, that I had to grab a quick picture to share.Just a sweet little moment from our yard that I hope brings a smile to your afternoon. 

2 days ago

JeanO53

JeanO53Our weather has held for 3 days in a row.  We've been so lucky!  Three beautiful early Autumn days.  If only there were a way to bottle this, but there isn't so I'm getting out there as much as I can. 
.. I didn't anticipate 3 nights of the Harvest Moon, but that happened.  It's messed with my sleep prep a bit but I hope to get back in rhthym tonight.  I'm finding a lot of maintaining physically and psychologically is about pacing myself, whether it's a walk around the pond or staying out later than usual.

3 days ago

Coach Brandon - Community Manager

Coach Brandon - Community Manager

๐Ÿก Happy Good Neighbor Day, 360social!

When you think about a good neighbor, who comes to mind?

Maybe itโ€™s the person who always waves when you pass by, checks in when they havenโ€™t seen you, or the one you can call and say, โ€œYou wonโ€™t believe what just happenedโ€ฆโ€ and theyโ€™ll listen.

And then there are those neighbors who notice when things are a little harder and simply ask, โ€œWhat can I do to help?โ€

I think we have a whole lot of those neighbors right here on 360social.

Being a good neighbor here can mean welcoming someone new, answering a question when youโ€™ve been through something similar, celebrating good news, or offering encouragement on a rough day.

Sometimes itโ€™s noticing someone struggling and not just scrolling past. Maybe you can say, โ€œHereโ€™s something that helped me,โ€ or suggest something they might ask their doctor about. You donโ€™t need all the answers. Sometimes stopping, listening, and sharing what youโ€™ve learned can help someone find their next step.

Itโ€™s like seeing your neighbor with a flat tire. You donโ€™t have to be a mechanic to stop and ask, โ€œHow can I help?โ€

And to those who visit and read but donโ€™t post very oftenโ€”or havenโ€™t posted yetโ€”weโ€™re your neighbors too. โค You donโ€™t need the perfect question or the perfect words. Sometimes it starts with a simple hello.

So today, letโ€™s be good neighbors.

๐Ÿ‘‹ Say hello. Welcome someone new. Check on an old friend. Share what helped you. And if you see someone struggling, donโ€™t just pass them by.

After all, 360social is a pretty big neighborhoodโ€ฆand I think weโ€™ve got some pretty great neighbors. ๐Ÿก

3 days ago

Medical Advice

It is not our intention to serve as a substitute for medical advice and any content posted should not be used for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. We make every effort to support our members, our medical professionals cannot and will not provide a diagnosis or suggest a specific medication; those decisions should be left to your personal medical team. While we encourage individuals to share their personal experiences with COPD, please consult a physician before making changes to your own COPD management plan.