Motivation

I believe the amount of oxygen supplied to people

 with COPD motivates them to become less active.

“In summary, exercise training as part of a comprehensive pulmonary rehabilitation programme, can make a profound difference in the lives of patients with COPD. Indeed, exercise training reduces daily symptoms of dyspnoea and fatigue, improves physical fitness, reduces symptoms of anxiety/depression and improves quality of life in patients with COPD.” [1]

 

“Low motivation is a frequently reported factor for the reduced physical activity (PA) levels observed in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). [2]

 

Optimizing physical activity (PA) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major goal, as this population is highly inactive in daily life, and low physical activity (PA) levels are related to poor health outcomes (e.g., acute exacerbations, increased risk of hospitalizations and death).

Low (or lack of) motivation is one of the most frequently reported factors for reduced PA levels in patients with COPD, in addition to the impact of symptoms such as dyspnoea on exertion and fatigue.[3] 

 

Personal experience leads me to believe that getting patients with COPD the oxygen they need will give them the ability and motivate them to stay physically active, healthier, and out of the hospital.  It will also help lessen urinary incontinence.

 

Urinary incontinence (UI) is defined as a loss of bladder control and is characterized by the complaint of any involuntary leakage of urine. Evidence suggests that the prevalence of UI is higher in subjects with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) than in age-matched controls in both sexes. UI is classified as stress, urge, and mixed, and has a considerable impact on quality of life. However, the prevalence of UI in individuals with COPD is mostly unexplored in clinical research and often underestimated in clinical practice.[4]

The last sentence is important and needs to be repeated for medical professionals, “However, the prevalence of UI in individuals with COPD is mostly unexplored in clinical research and often underestimated in clinical practice.”

Research is scarce, but those who deal with COPD in the real world know there is a problem and learn to live with it.  One solution is never to leave the house.  Below are two sites where individuals with COPD tell their stories about COPD and incontinence.

https://www.copdfoundation.org/COPD360social/Community/COPD-Digest/Article/573/Too-Embarrassed-to-Ask.aspx

https://copd.net/living/an-embarrassing-situation

I was needing to rush to the bathroom years before starting supplemental oxygen.  To start with, it was when playing tennis and now when my blood oxygen level to low with too much in my bladder.  I am not willing to tell my experiences but will say I have had some embarrassing experiences. 

Getting the oxygen I need and what I have learned through experience has made a huge difference with incontinence.   I still watch my liquids and don’t pass up a bathroom unless I know where the next is.  My awareness is higher as well.  Twelve to fourteen years ago, I would need to rush to the bathroom.  Now I play pickleball, and rushing to the bathroom is unnecessary.  I still have some problems, but it is usually when I am trying to conserve oxygen or need to fill my LOX reservoir.

Today I can turn my oxygen up to 10 or 15 LPM for several minutes, and the intense need to find a bathroom goes away.  Out of caution, I still find a bathroom, but in a more leisurely way.

Liquid Oxygen is the reason I was able to visit Fort Bridger State Historic Site(6,674 ft elevation) and Devils Tower National Monument(The visitors center located at the base of the tower is at an elevation of 4,250 feet above sea level. The tower itself rises 865 feet above this point.)  Liquid Oxygen allows me to travel, visit museums and parks, shop, and so much more.

I don’t know that Liquid Oxygen motivates me, but what it allows me to do does.

A Study showing LOX may actually save money:  “Benefits of physical activity on COPD hospitalisation depend on intensity:  “In conclusion, a greater quantity of low-intensity physical activity reduces the risk of COPD hospitalisation. The observation that high-intensity daily-life physical activity does not generate additional protective effects in the most severe COPD patients will require replication.” From https://erj.ersjournals.com/content/46/5/1281