Dear Coach,

My question concerns conserving energy.  Are there books that you can recommend about how to cope with it?  I’m only 56 years old and I really enjoy a shower and shampoo, yet the exhaustion of that activity wears me out so bad it takes me 1-2 hours often to get my energy back.  It’s hard to enjoy something when it results in such debilitating fatigue.

Thanks so much for your help in this matter and the assistance you provide so many in need.

–Need to Regain My Energy

Dear Need to Regain,

The only way I know how to handle energy conservation—in addition to maintaining strength in the muscles of your arms, legs and hands—is to do things smarter.

For example, you could invest in a shower or bath chair and take your showers while seated. Use warm water as opposed to hot. Use water to get yourself wet, turn it off to lather up, and turn it on again to rinse. Have a terrycloth robe close by to dry off as opposed to using a towel. Also, many find that a hand held shower is easier to use. And if you require supplemental oxygen, wear it in the shower. Don’t worry about getting water up your nose.

From vitalitymedical.com

Another trick that works for me is that I plan each activity before I do it. For instance, if it’s something as simple as going downstairs, I think about it before doing it to make sure that during that activity I get everything I will need in one trip. A tip about climbing stairs that really works: Always do your pursed-lips breathing and climb up only as you breathe out. In addition to planning ahead, make sure you allow enough time to get where you need to go and do what you need to get done—without rushing. Being in a hurry is a big breath buster!

I also encourage you to ask your doctor about getting a referral to an Occupational Therapist who can talk with you about your biggest challenges and work with you one-on-one to teach you ways of doing everyday tasks with less shortness of breath.

We have some tips in earlier Ask the Coach letters that offer some great advice about cooking and eating with COPD. You might want to check them out! We also have some ideas on our Big Fat Reference Guide.

I don’t know how much help our answers will be to you, but we sincerely hope they will offer your some assistance or at least maybe a starting point. We will soon start a feature called COPD Tips, which will document ways to conserve energy when doing simple tasks.

Good luck, and keep us informed.

The COPD Coach

Ask the Expert is aimed at providing information for individuals with COPD to take to your doctor, and is not in any way intended to be medical advice.

If you would like to submit a question to the Coaches Corner email us atcoachescorner@copdfoundation.org. We would love to hear your questions and comments. You can address your emails to any of the following: COPD Coach, Caregiver Coach, COPD Doctor or COPD RT.