When Lungs Break, the Heart Follows

[gerald]

Excellent article. provides some symptoms to keep a watch for.


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When Lungs Break, the Heart Follows


“To breathe is to live, and without breath there is no life” is a basic principle of yoga. No one is more aware of that than those who struggle to breathe every day.

If you suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), every breath can be a struggle. COPD is a serious health condition that narrows airways and makes it hard to breathe. It gets worse over time. Once damage is done to the lungs, it can’t be undone.

Congestive heart failure is another serious condition tied to COPD. The heart and lungs are very closely connected. When healthy, they work together to make sure that every part of your body gets the oxygen it needs.

When they aren’t healthy, they can work against each other to make your health worsen quickly. Low oxygen in the blood from COPD may put excess strain on the heart, making heart failure worse. And excess fluid in the lungs from heart failure can make breathing even more difficult for someone with COPD.

You may also have other conditions that co-exist with your COPD, such as sleep apnea, depression, lung cancer, asthma and diabetes.

Sudden illness, such as flu or pneumonia, can become serious for people with COPD. Your doctor will have to monitor your medicine for all your conditions to make sure they don’t make your COPD or any of the other health problems worse.

The main cause of COPD is smoking. Quitting can help prevent complications and slow the progress of the disease.

If you smoke and find yourself having trouble breathing, talk with your doctor. You may need to be screened for COPD. You should also discuss programs and products that can help you quit.

Other factors that contribute to COPD include:

    - Indoor air pollution from burning wood in fireplaces, cleaning products or scented candles
    - Heavy exposure to dust and chemical fumes in the workplace
    - Asthma
    - Frequent respiratory infections, especially during childhood
    - Heavy or long-term exposure to secondhand smoke and other air pollutants

Try to avoid these irritants. For example, if your home is being painted or sprayed for insects, have it done while you are away for a while. When pollen counts or ozone rates are high, keep your windows closed and stay indoors.

Follow your treatments for COPD exactly as your doctor orders. It can help you breathe easier, stay more active, and avoid or manage severe symptoms.

Talk with your doctor about whether and when you should get flu and pneumonia shots. These vaccines can lower your chances of getting these illnesses. Both are major health risks for people who have COPD.

Call your doctor if you notice that your symptoms are worse or if you have signs of an infection, such as a fever. Your doctor may change or adjust your treatments to relieve and treat symptoms.

Seek emergency help if your medicine isn’t working and if:

    - It is unusually hard to walk or talk
    - Your heart is beating very fast or irregularly
    - Your lips or fingernails become gray or blue
    - Your breathing is fast and hard, even when you are using your medicine

Probably the two most important things you can do if you have COPD are to quit smoking and get ongoing medical care. Being under the care of a doctor who can track your illness will set you up for success in managing your COPD and other health conditions.

lifetimes.bcbsil.com/article/copd

[David]

I have been very lucky. I still have a good heart after having emphysema for over 30 years. For that I am grateful.

[gerald]

Problem is that you wind up with a Cardiac specialist in addition to your Pulmonary Specialist. Each of them wants to treat in isolation of the other. If you follow their recommendations exactly you will probably wind up dead!

[David]

That is so true. That's why I am Grateful for a good heart. Emphysema is enough problem for me.

[ozboy]

Well this is the dilemma I face......My Lung Function is so low my heart is working overtime to keep my oxygen circulating........As a retainer PLB cannot adequitley blow off the carbon dioxide and eventually the heart will fail...The problem is after the Echo Scan revealed only 0.9 Nodular Focus or possible Mucous Plugging or Carcinoid Tumour, Trachea extended but Pleural Spaces are clear and no Pneumothorax, to be reviewed in 4 months.

Spoke to my GP n she said there was no point seeing a cardio as i have no symptoms like chest pain to warrant a review...My Echo was defined as no serious issues detected n all my EKG's n ECG's were fine as well......With the high pulse rate she said it was expected at my stage of COPD and were not exceptionally high considering......so a resting pulse around 115 is ''fine''......Im not too sure about that ha.....bad enough it hovers around 135 when out walking...

So no idea and now I find out my oxymeter is giving inaccurate readings because of non-pulsatile blood. Poor perfusion may lead to an erratic waveform, so up chit creek i guess...aye...

Anyway all part of the excitement for a 62 year old.....At least I still got my hair....

[jim]

Hang in there Peter, I'm 72 and still trying my best to keep kicking arse.

[joany]

I guess the upside is that we are all still here - warts and all. (smile)

[higgs]

For years after going thru rehab I believed that "no pain no gain". Pushed myself on the treadmill and exercises way beyond what was comfortable. No one ever mentioned that I could be doing my heart an injustice. When my pulmonary Doc. put me on O2 I'd push myself without it believing my heart muscles would be stronger with the exercise. It wasn't until my SOB took a turn for the worse that Pat (my wife) , who was an RN, insisted I talk to my GP and he suggested a heart cath to see if there was any blockage. There wasn't thank God. The cardiovascular Doc was the one who explained that my heart was enlarged due to what I was doing, and what the consequences would be if I continued. Oh well live and learn I guess, the hard way sometimes.

[lavishgail]

Hahaha, you guy's kill me..

Peter you're going through everything I went through and still am. I was on the life support 18 days,as I was coming out of it I thought the Aliens got me no lie. going on 5 years ago, and in the hospital 2 times a year, every year after that up to today.even after the pneumonia shot too of them.
I had the nodules on my lungs, they finally went away as of 2 months ago, cat scan after cat scan, they did a lung operation where they went down my throat while I was wide awake and felt like I was drowning,putting water down me trying to get pieces of my lung as I was screaming to death, but it wasn't coming out, the meds didn't work and I was not asleep this gave me worse P.T.S.D. as I have this alteady, now it's worse. I told the doctors I never went to sleep, I passed out later when I saw all the blood coming out of me, I will not finish the rest it's bad. I don't remember the name of the procedure,but I pray to God never again. I will die first I mean it.

I now just went through the monitors for night sleeping to see what my oxygen levels are at night with no 02. Which I know when I was very sick with pneumonia in the hospital, was very bad. bc in the middle of the night the nurse's would run in and put the 02 on me and tell me I was not breathing...but again I was sick.

I already went through the heart stuff, idk y they are doing all this, if I'm told to begin with I have Emphysema, then I have Emphysema! When I do a few things around I can't breath period. Why they put me through this is beyond me. To get money from my insurance probably,that's why.
Well I wish you all the luck Peter, and hopefully you will find out what's going on.
Gail.

[gerald]

Peter, Higgs I was having similar issues. It was assumed it was all lungs until the fluid build up in the body started to catch up. It showed up in several ways including SOB. The duretics made a big difference it help eliminate a lot of SOB. I also found that extreme exercise and repeated SOB caused the fluid to build up again quickly. My pulse rate was in the 130's if I was working.

The various tests shows the heart rate was way up due to the lack of oxygen to the heart and it caused problems and the enlargement. I suspect these symptoms have been there for a while but the doctors just attributed them to the lungs (their specialty).

The cardiac specialist prescribed a beta blocker, that capped the heart rate at around 90. However, because with COPD you need the faster heart rate to get the oxygen that drug would be a major problem.

[joany]

When lungs break so much follows! Endless twists and turns. It's so disheartening to take the meds/exercise to make one thing better, and end up making something else worse. For me, I have to accept that there's a lot I just don't know; and it's not because I haven't tried to learn. There are medical specialists for every nook and cranny in the body. Clue that there's just so much and we can hope and pray that we'll get what we need.

Plus I'm not a good patient. Whatever issues I have will be gone by sun up - must be something I ate.

[gerald]

Joany, I agree. We are back at the forefront of knowledge of this area. It is just starting to be looked at and there is not too much to lean on.

However, we are fortunately that we have groups like this to share information. And hopefully, steer people around the pitfalls we have already encountered and maybe get some guidance ourselves! We also more readily accept that the medical system has it shortcomings and we need to question it for our own safety.

I found this link and it is fairly good.
www.webmd.com/lung/copd/copd-and-heart-failure

[lavishgail]

Gerald I never knew any of what you said! I raked and im dead beat, everyone yells at me to sit down, I am so stubborn. I try to do everything. I was brought up that way.
My own mother calls me Gramma, her mom. She was the same way. Never stopped. So I could be hurting myself? Gah idk?

Peter, we have more than 4 doctors here, but not pulmonary. Only 4 that I know of. . Did you think I meant 4 doctors period? Ha, might as well be.

Ok, hope my doctors figure out wth I have wrong? Like I said emphysema, I saw it. Gee.