If you have an asbestos-related disease, the following self-care tips and techniques will help you take care of yourself and live more comfortably:
Food, Rest, and Exercise
Taking care of your body will help you breath easier
Keep a diary of when you have trouble breathing. Note how often you have trouble, how bad it is, and what you were doing that may have triggered the trouble. The diary will help you recognize and avoid events that trigger breathing trouble.
When air pollution and pollen counts are high, stay inside. An air-filtering machine can improve the indoor air quality.
Avoid breathing pollutants that can trigger shortness of breath. This includes traffic fumes, smog, aerosol sprays, and chemical vapors (from products such as paint, kerosene, and cleaning agents).
People with chronic lung diseases are more at risk for respiratory infections because their lungs are already damaged. One of the most important preventive measures is a “productive” cough. This is a cough that is moist and brings up mucus from the lungs and air passageways. This helps clear the air passages.
An unproductive cough reduces airflow and causes respiratory muscle fatigue. If mucus and other foreign bodies remain in the respiratory tract, they can pool in the airways. This makes it difficult to expel bacteria and increases the risk of infection.
Very dry air increases shortness of breath and thickens the mucus in your lungs. Your doctor may recommend a humidifier, breathing therapies, and chest percussion (pounding or clapping the chest to loosen secretions). These steps loosen and thin out bronchial secretions, allowing them to be expelled by the cough.
Stay away from smoke and smokers.
If you smoke, now is a good time to quit. Smoking can increase the rate at which a disease gets worse. It can also increase the risk of lung cancer. Even if you have been smoking for years—or you already have lung disease—quitting smoking now will greatly improve your health. Your blood vessels will relax, allowing the blood to flow normally; your heart will not have to work as hard. Your lung tissue will become healthier and you will breathe easier.
Participate in Respiratory Therapies
Participate in respiratory therapies (such as bronchial drainage) as recommended by your doctor. Your doctor might recommend using an ultrasonic mist humidifier to help clear secretions from your lungs.
You might also learn postural drainage; the positioning of a person to drain and remove secretions from particular areas of the lungs.
Clean and maintain respiratory therapy devices to limit their risk of causing infection. Though you may need proper training to do that, the following are general recommendations:
Clean all reusable respiratory therapy equipment twice a week. That includes ventilator circuitry, nebulizers, aerosol tubing, and peak flow meters. Consult your provider about cleansing routines for respiratory equipment.
Completely air dry all cleaned devices before putting them back together. Moisture trapped in the devices can allow bacteria, viruses, and fungi to grow.
Breathing techniques can help you control your respiratory rate and breathing pattern. That will help you breathe easier and more efficiently, and make you feel like enough air is getting into your lungs. Breathing techniques and correct posture also can improve the function of respiratory muscles and effectiveness of coughs.
You can also do exercises to help you breathe more easily. Practice the exercises daily so that when shortness of breath occurs, you will do them naturally and not panic. Some of the exercises are the following:
Participate in Pulmonary Rehabilitation
Talk to your doctor about taking part in a pulmonary rehabilitation program. Pulmonary rehabilitation uses different therapies for persons with pulmonary disease. The goal of pulmonary rehabilitation is to help patients reach and maintain their maximum level of independence and ability to function in the community.
Pulmonary rehabilitation is becoming a crucial part of therapy for many patients. It offers the best treatment option for patients with chronic respiratory illnesses. It helps people increase their exercise capacity and endurance and improves their health-related quality of life. The treatment also helps people breathe easier and results in fewer hospital admissions, even among patients with the most severe degree of lung disease.
Patients with advanced lung disease may have emotional disorders, mainly depression and anxiety. In addition to appropriate medical therapy for these disorders, exercise as part of a pulmonary rehabilitation program can help lessen these feelings.
The goals of a pulmonary rehabilitation program are to:
If you are interested in pulmonary rehabilitation, ask your doctor to help you design a program that will work for you.
Follow Your Doctor’s Instructions
This page last updated on December 04, 2007