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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 Excercise
- Cleanliness
- Keep a diary
- Avoid Bad Air
- Cough Productively
- Avoid Smoke
- Participate in Respiratory Therapies
- Practice Breathing Techniques
- Participate in Pulmonary Rehabilitation
- Follow Your Doctor’s Instructions
Food, Rest, and Exercise
Taking care of your body will help you breath easier
- Eat healthy foods, including lots of fruits and vegetables. Good eating habits help maintain muscle mass and body functions.
- Limit your salt intake.
- Drink lots of fluids—at least six glasses of water daily, unless your doctor tells you differently.
- Sleep 7 to 8 hours every night.
- Take several short rests during the day. Conserve your energy and avoid getting too tired.
- Exercise to increase the strength and endurance of your heart and lungs.
- Wash your hands often to lower your risk of colds and flu.
- Wash your hands before taking your medication or handling your oxygen equipment.
- Avoid situations, like large crowds, that might expose you to respiratory infections.
- Get flu and pneumonia shots every year (offered between September and December). To protect your health, caregivers and all household members also should get shots.
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.
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When air pollution and pollen counts are high, stay inside. An air-filtering machine can improve the indoor air quality.
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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).
- In cold weather, breathe through your nose. Cover your mouth and nose with a scarf.
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.
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Stay away from smoke and smokers.
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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.
- If you smoke, a structured stop smoking program may help you kick the habit. The use of nicotine patches and antidepressants along with counseling may also be helpful.
Participate in Respiratory Therapies
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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.
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You might also learn postural drainage; the positioning of a person to drain and remove secretions from particular areas of the lungs.
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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:
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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.
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Completely air dry all cleaned devices before putting them back together. Moisture trapped in the devices can allow bacteria, viruses, and fungi to grow.
- All ventilator filters should be cleaned and changed as often as the manufacturer recommends.
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:
- Pursed-lip breathing: Pursed-lip breathing will slow down your breathing so that it is more efficient (breathing fast only worsens shortness of breath). You can do this kind of breathing anywhere.
- Breathe in slowly through your nose. Hold your breath for 3 seconds.
- Purse your lips as if you are going to whistle.
- Breathe out slowly through your pursed lips for 6 seconds.
- Abdominal/diaphragm breathing: Abdominal breathing also slows down your breathing and helps relax your entire body.
- Lie on your back in a comfortable position with a pillow under your head and knees.
- Rest one hand on your abdomen just below your rib cage. Rest the other hand your chest.
- Slowly breathe in and out through your nose using your abdominal muscles. The hand resting on your abdomen will rise when you breathe in and fall when you breathe out. The hand on your chest should be almost still. Repeat three or four times before resting.
- Active Cycle of Breathing Technique (ACBT): ACBT is a series of breathing techniques that help clear secretions and improve air delivery to your lungs. ACBT can be done sitting up. This technique combines breathing exercises with the “huff” cough and has three components in a set cycle. The huff cough involves holding a deep breath for a few seconds and then exhaling forcefully. The cycle is repeated until the huff becomes dry or nonproductive, or when 20 minutes have passed. Ask your doctor for guidance and instructions on this therapy.
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:
- make breathing easier,
- improve pulmonary function,
- ease shortness of breath,
- increase efficiency of energy use,
- correct nutrition deficiencies,
- improve exercise performance and daily activities,
- restore a positive outlook,
- improve emotional state,
- decrease health-related costs, and
- improve survival.
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
- Follow your doctor’s instructions on taking your medicines, oxygen therapy, and chest physiotherapy.
- Make an effort to prevent infection. People with asbestosis may require aggressive medical care, including frequent use of antibiotics when warranted, for any respiratory infection.
- Do not try to treat yourself. Over-the-counter cold remedies might worsen the problem. Do not use them unless your doctor tells you it is okay.
- Get regular chest x-rays to help screen for cancers associated with asbestos exposure.
- Call your doctor if any of the following signs occur:
- Fever;
- Increased wheezing, persistent coughing, or difficulty breathing;
- Changes in mucus (mucus is thicker; either more or less mucus is present than usual; mucus has a foul odor; or mucus is green, yellow, brown, pink, or red);
- Stuffy nose, sneezing, or sore throat;
- Increased fatigue or weakness;
- Weight gain or loss of more than 6 pounds within a week; or
- Swollen ankles or feet
This page last updated on December 04, 2007
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 1825 Century Blvd, Atlanta, GA 30345
Contact CDC: 800-232-4636 / TTY: 888-232-6348
