Anne Murphy, from Dublin, suffers from COPD, but is determined not to let the illness control her life.
WHEN Anne Murphy was told at the age of 45 that she had the respiratory disease COPD, she was completely in the dark about what it was.
“I hadn’t a clue what it was – it could have been X, Y and Z,” she says. “I didn’t know anybody else that had it and at the time I didn’t have the internet so it’s not like now when you can tap in and find out any information.
“I was in shock when I found out I had COPD – the letters didn’t mean anything to me but now I know exactly what they mean.”
Anne, who lives in Chapelizod in Dublin, found out she had COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) when she fractured a bone in her foot.
She had had bronchitis and bronchial asthma at different times in her life but hadn’t been informed that she had COPD.
“I was being seen about the fracture and my chart was there – the doctor said he saw that I had COPD. I rang my own GP and he hadn’t been informed either that I had the condition.”
COPD is an umbrella term for many conditions, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis, which cause the lungs’ airways to become blocked, making it difficult for air to move in and out of the lungs.
Anne, who is now 56, found out she had the disease 11 years ago.
“I was very upset and I was quite scared because you’d see people with the condition who were on portable oxygen and were embarrassed to go out in public, mostly because people stare.
“I didn’t know how quickly you’d get to that stage. There were just these little snippets of information and there wasn’t very much awareness out there of how it could affect you.
“It was only when I joined a local support group and went to a COPD rehab clinic in St James’s that I really understood about the condition.
“At the support group, we always said you’re not dying of COPD, you’re living with it.”
Anne has had breathing problems since she was a teenager. She regularly had chest infections and bronchitis during the winter and then that spread to other times during the year too. She developed bronchial asthma in her 20s.
“I was regularly on antibiotics and I started on the inhalers and tablets. As the years have gone by, the medication has increased. There’s a bigger bag from the chemist now, that’s for sure!”
More recently, Anne was told that her COPD now also incorporates a touch of emphysema in one of her lungs.
On a day to day basis, her breathing can be affected and can stop her doing things she wants to do.
“When you can’t breathe, you have to try to control the breathing because the last thing you want is for panic to set in.
“I often describe it’s like an elephant sitting on your chest – you go to take that breath and your chest won’t rise and fall. If you take a fit of coughing, you can lose your breath very easily.
“If I don’t feel well, I’d do as little as I can and just try to rest. I can’t go for long walks anymore but I do as much as I can.
“I’ve also found that aqua aerobics is really good for me – I go twice a week with a friend I met on the COPD rehab course. At the start, I was really bunched when I went but I find it great now.”
Anne’s husband Shay is a great support. “Shay is brilliant – he’ll do the dinner or whatever needs to be done.
“But we try to get the balance right because the last thing you want is to feel helpless and that you can’t do anything.
“I think families can sometimes end up trying to wrap their relative up in cotton wool but they need to be able to do what they can and then ask for help if they need it.”
Anne has been on steroids for her condition for many years and will likely have to remain on them. While they’ve undoubtedly helped her COPD, they have had effects on her health too.
They’ve contributed to weight gain, which in turn has a negative effect when Anne is trying to exercise for her COPD.
They’ve also caused damage to her bones (Anne now has osteoporosis) and that’s what caused the fracture 11 years ago.
She’s also been diagnosed with steroid-induced Type-2 diabetes and has glaucoma.
“I actually got glaucoma because of the nebuliser mask that I used to have – the powder came out at the sides and went into my eyes.
“Now I don’t think they realised this in the hospital at the time and now they use a pipe nebuliser so all of that doesn’t come out.”
Anne is involved in youth work in her local area and is also part of the new patient organisation, COPD Support Ireland, that’s just been launched.
She thinks it’s important that people who aren’t yet diagnosed get the help that they need and that there is more information out there for people with the condition.
“As I say, the COPD is here beside you and you just have to get on with it and do your best.
“And not let yourself get into that rut that you lie down and feel hopeless because it’s harder to get back up every time.”
World COPD Day takes place this Wednesday. A screening bus will visit locations around the country beginning on November 18 – Dublin (Mon), Sligo (Tues), Mayo (Wed), Waterford (Thurs) and Cork (Fri). For full details visit www.copd.ie
Irish Independent