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Hypoxic Drive
Has anyone else been told they have the hypoxic Drive part of COPD? My understanding is that about 2% of COPD sufferers have this. It was never explained to me very well. Just enough to make me even more frightened of all of this. I'm pretty certain the advanced stage of my COPD is also causing insomnia. I think subconsciously I'm afraid I won't wake up.
So am I certifiable? Or are these normal fears?
The hypoxic drive theory has been pretty well debunked by now, and generally has been for the last 25 years. If your doc is still talking about it, I would find a new doc. Current, well educated pulmonologists know that it's basically so much hooey. All of us, almost by definition, are CO2 retainers and all of us when we're sick enough to be hospitalized, have high levels of CO2 in our system. Pursed lip breathing, bi-pap and trilogy machines are all designed to help reduce the CO2. Most of us can maintain a low CO2 level once we're on the road to recovery. If we can't on our own, that's when a bi-a- or trilogy machine would be ordered for home use and are designed to help us keep the CO2 down in a manageable level.
The only places where the "hypoxic drive" has actually been seen is in people in the ER or hospital who presented with extremely high CO2 and instead of reducing the CO2, the ER gave more O2: exactly the wrong thing to do in this case. People did die, but it doesn't happen much any more because ER folks are trained to recognize CO2 issues and work to reduce the CO2 instead of giving massive amounts of O2.
The fears are normal, but they're not based on reality. Your chances of dying at home because of CO2 are pretty slim. You would recognize that things aren't right, or someone in your family would, and you'd be off to the ER long before you'd die.
@A MyCOPDTeam Member Hi! Please by all means do what ever works for you! I prefer not to injest meds for depression rather I try to deal with the lows as they come as heaven knows I swallow enough pills now! Best of luck at times a good friend beats pills !
@A MyCOPDTeam Member the problem I have is my social circle is now very small. Getting to my doctor's appointments is a major scheduling issue. Once my daughter is employed as an attorney, it will be worse. My daughter or son-in-law usually take me but I have to schedule it around their lives and the hours my doctors are available. It would have been worse if they hadn't gotten me out of California and brought me to live with them. After my husband left, I literally had no family or friends to help with anything. We hadn't lived in the area long and needless to say, I don't get out much. I was still driving there and managed to get to my appointments. But between the COPD and some medications I take, I no longer drive. I almost feel like I'm just hanging out here until I die.
Don't get me wrong, if they hadn't moved me out of Cali, I'd already be gone. But I feel very out of place here. So, I'm rarely even out of my room. I'm alive but not living if that makes any sense.
I appreciate your concern It's that just don't see anything changing.
My doc said fear and depression ect..go hand in hand with COPD...get some zoloft and klonopin thats the only way I make it thru the day
@A MyCOPDTeam Member We have a show bus that takes people to appointments and picks them up. I live in a town of 6,000. It costs $3.00 even for 25 miles out of town. Call the chamber of commerce in the town you are in and see what they have to offer. Praying for you.
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