

Echocardiogram: Heart failure, which causes fatigue, is among the complications of COPD.Chest X-ray: A chest X-ray can show signs of progressive lung disease or heart disease, as well as signs of an infection in COPD.

An ABG will show signs of severe respiratory problems, such as low oxygen or altered carbon dioxide or bicarbonate. CBC can show signs of anemia as well as infection (high white blood cells). Depending on your history, your healthcare provider may check your complete blood count (CBC) or arterial blood gas (ABG). Blood tests: Fatigue can occur as a result of issues such as anemia (low red blood cell function), infection, and low oxygen.These tests are very important in the diagnosis of COPD, so comparing your current values to previous ones is helpful in monitoring your illness and potentially identifying how your COPD relates to your fatigue. Pulmonary function tests: Your healthcare provider may have you take breathing tests, which measure your lung capacity and your ability to inspire (breath in) and expire (breath out).There are many different types of devices, such as puffers, Turbuhalers, Autohalers and tablet devices, and they each work slightly differently.

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Your physiotherapist will help with education about your condition, including how to use your COPD medication devices correctly to ensure you are getting the correct dose and cleaning the device correctly. These include musculoskeletal problems such as spinal pain, restricted chest wall, ribs or arm movement, or poor posture osteoporosis and urinary incontinence (common due to chronic coughing). Physiotherapy may also involve assessment and management of other conditions that can result from, or occur alongside, COPD. This could include continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), non-invasive positive pressure (NIV) or bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP). If you have trouble sleeping or breathing at night, your physiotherapist, in conjunction with your respiratory doctor, may prescribe a breathing machine to help you. This is particularly important for people who commonly experience high volumes of phlegm on a daily basis, or for people who are having trouble clearing their phlegm. Physiotherapy may involve breathing exercises, airway clearance techniques and inhalation therapy to help clear phlegm from the airways. A thorough assessment by your physiotherapist when you are diagnosed with COPD, and then at regular intervals, will help determine your main problems and the best treatment to assist with these. These may occur on the hospital ward while you are in hospital or, as an outpatient, if you are at home. Pulmonary rehabilitation is a great option for anyone diagnosed with COPD.ĭepending on your condition and main problems, physiotherapy may offer a number of other treatments. Speak to your doctor or physiotherapist for more information and to get a referral to your local program. The programs are located at local hospitals or community centres around Australia.

The education part of the program will help you to learn how to: understand your disease, best manage your symptoms, take medications, stop smoking and eat a healthy diet. They will teach you how to do the exercises and then supervise your group exercise training, once or twice a week for six to eight weeks. At a pulmonary rehabilitation program, your physiotherapist will measure your functional exercise capacity, your symptoms and safety for exercise. The programs are widely available throughout Australia. Joining a pulmonary rehabilitation program is the easiest way to learn about exercise and managing your disease. Pulmonary rehabilitation is a program for people with chronic lung disease, including COPD, that involves supervised group exercise training, self-management education and support.
