COPD

First, I would like to apologize for the delay in posting this update. My emphasis for the last 9 months has been the completion of our new home. Although it is not completely finished, we have moved in and I can do the remainder at a slower pace, which gives me some time to update our COPD website and this blog.

I will tell you that the food supplement drink is Original LIMU and in January the company came out with a energy drink called BLUFrog.

Dennis is still drinking 9 ounces of Original LIMU each morning at breakfast. He also drinks a BluFrog Energy drink at noon which contains an additional 2 ounces of Original LIMU.

So....has there been any improvement? Well, yes and no. His overall health is much better, the lung infections have been less frequent and certainly less severe as he has not been hospitalized at all during this time. Also, during his visit to the pulmonary doctor in March, it was noted that his breathing tests had slightly better results (nothing to rave about but definitely better). His mental attitude is still a challenge and keeping him on track with his therapy is almost impossible. I didn't have as many excuses for not going to school when I was a kid as he does for not exercising.

There have been a few other things that are probably worth mentioning. The "fatty" cysts that he has put up with for the last 60 years seem to be disappearing. He currently has only one of any size, and two that are almost gone. For the 30+ years that we have been married, he always had six to eight and when one would "come to a head" and drain, another would pop up in a new place. When he was in the Marine Corp, the doctors tried but were unable to stop them.

Let me tell you a little about the product Dennis is drinking and why I think it is improving his health.

Limu is an all natural whole food supplement that is loaded with more than 70 essential nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, amino acids, glyconutrients, polyphenols, with Fucoidan as the most powerful nutrient.

So, what is "Fucoidan"? Fucoidan is the secret behind Limu's remarkable benefits. Importantly, it is not found in any fruit or land-based plant, vegetable, or grain. It only comes from the sea ... and Limu from Tonga is the richest source of Fucoidan in all the world. Harvested from pristine waters, Limu has been used as a staple in the Tongan daily diet and in folk medicine to treat a number of ailments. It has been viewed as their source of longevity and good health.

Besides the legends and folklore, Fucoidan has been cited in more than 800 independent, unsolicited third-party scientific studies and has been hailed in more than a dozen reputable medical journals since 1970. Much of the research can be found in the U.S. National Library of Medicine at www.pubmed.gov. Perhaps the most important of Fucoidan's many biological benefits is that of immune support. It gives your system the extra support it needs to identify and fight off harmful invaders and maintain optimal health.

Fucoidan boasts an endless list of health benefits, including:

* More restful sleep
* More energy
* Improved joint mobility
* Healthy immune function
* Healthy cell growth
* Healthy gastrointestinal function
* Healthy blood glucose levels
* Healthy cholesterol levels
* Smoother, softer skin
* Consistently good health
* Feelings of general well-being
* And many more ...

All of the above sounds great, but there is also a disclosure stating :
"These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and dietary supplements are not intended to cure, prevent or treat any illness or disease."

Since Dennis has experienced improvement in fighting off infections and because of other benefits he is receiving, we will continue with Original LIMU.

One more little tidbit: I am also drinking LIMU (3 ounces at breakfast) and a BluFrog Energy drink at lunch and would like to note that I am no longer suffering from bursitis/arthritis pain which I have endured since childhood. I also have noticed that unsightly moles that started forming in my 50's are disappearing. Some of these were quite large and are now gone. The remainder have quit itching and flaking and are slowly reducing in size. What does LIMU have to do with this change? I believe the fucoidan in LIMU has stengthened our immune system and is fighting off "whatever" has caused the creation of moles.

Read more about Original LIMUand BLUFrog

I will continue to post updates on Dennis' condition and any changes that may be related to drinking LIMU.

Keeping Dennis motivated to stick to his therapy program became impossible. His excuses ranged from "its too hot", "its too cold", "don't feel good", constipation, diarrhea, and everything else he could come up with.

In May, I talked to a cabinet maker about our cabinets for the house and when I told him about Dennis' condition, he told me about a product that had been successful in helping someone else with COPD. I asked Dennis if he would be willing to try it. He said he would try anything to get back some quality of life. I am not listing the name of the product until we see definite unquestionable proof that it has helped. However, I decided to post his progress in the form of a journal for others to see.

Our first order arrived on June 30 and Dennis began with 4 ounces a day. He continued 4 ounces a day for one month to see if there were any adverse affects. There were none. When our cabinet contractor came by to measure for the cabinets in July, he asked if Dennis could tell any difference. We told him that he had not noticed any changes. He suggested that maybe Dennis needed to drink more each day. He called the man who had seen such terrific results and found out that he had taken 8-10 ounces a day.

So, when our new order arrived on July 25th, Dennis started taking 8 ounces a day. By the middle of August, Dennis began to show more motivation toward his therapy (an increase in energy maybe?). I also noticed that there appeared to be a change in his skin texture. It was no longer paper-thin and translucent. The broken blood vessels showing horrible black & blue areas under his skin were gone and something that he had lived with all of his adult life seemed to be changing. Fatty cysts had covered his back along with horrible acne since his teenage years and nothing he had ever tried had made a difference. During a recent shower, I noticed that he currently only has 3 and that two of them seem to be reducing in size. I will watch this and report on the status again later.

I will note here that Dennis is still fighting drowsiness everyday. He just falls asleep sitting in a chair at least once every morning around 11:00 am and then again in the afternoon. This may be caused by inactivity (usually happens before and/or after his therapy session).

On August 28th I started giving Dennis 9 ounces at breakfast and 3 ounces at lunch. We will see if there is more to report in a few days.

Dennis was diagnosed with COPD in 1996. In 1999 he was forced to take medical retirement because of his COPD. In 2005, he underwent LVRS (lung volume reduction surgery) in an effort to regain his quality of life. Three days after surgery, he developed pneumonia and instead of leaving ICU in one week, he was there for one month. His stay in the hospital/rehabilitation facility lasted another 45 days. When he was released, it was with 24/7 oxygen at 4L. His diaghram was not functioning as it should and the muscles in his body were atrophied to the point he used a walker to get around the house. His inability to control the anxiety and fear was making daily therapy and exercise impossible. Simple things like taking a shower, and sleeping in a bed were not conquered until the middle of 2006. His recovery ground to a halt. He imprisoned himself in the house, tied to his oxygen concentrator. He didn't trust the portable units enough to go anywhere except to the doctor's office.

The anxiety increased when we sold our home in August 2007 and began the process of building a new home on our son's property. While the house is under construction, we are living in a 28' travel trailer with a small 12x20 building for Dennis' therapy as well as my office.

It has been an extremely slow recovery and in January 2008, the doctor indicated that his lungs had recovered from the ordeal but his body had not.

Having just been "officially" diagnosed with COPD, I found this site extremely informative and enlightening. At 62 and a life long smoker, like the vast majority of smokers I chose to ignore the warning labels, what does the government know anyway? More importantly I ignored the early warning signs my body was giving me over many, many years.

I went from playing 18 holes of golf daily, always walking and carried my bag (my "job" allowed this pleasure - 36 holes on weekends!) to today where I huff and puff when trying to do any form of physical exercise, like walking from my car to the store, forget walking through a Mall.

I just had a CAT Scan done 16 days ago here in France, where you get the results within 15-20 minutes, plus you get to keep the CD of the whole scan, which incidentally works on any PC, so when you get bored you can get a really good look at your innards

The written diagnoses from the Specialist to my Doctor (General Practice) included a one page copy of 4 pictures from the thousands of "slices" from the series of three scans performed. You do not have to be a medical specialist to see the problem. Any person and I repeat any person looking at those four pictures would know something is wrong.

Okay, I have a choice, stop smoking now or prepare for my funeral in a year or two at most. How hard is it to stop smoking knowing it will kill you in short order? I have tried darn near every patch, gum, etc. During each new attempt one of two things happens, I become a potential serial killer or I become a potential serial killer. So, I light up just one more to calm me down, and the cycle begins all over again. Three a day, five a day and soon I am back to a pack or more a day.

I make attempts to manage through this period with a bit of satirical humor, but COPD is not a joke and smoking will kill you.

My favorite quote, which fits me well, is:

"I have great faith in fools; self-confidence my friends call it." - Edgar Allan Poe

Submitted by: Robert Toy, Toulouse, France