How To Be Active in Your Treatment Journey With COPD
Gordon Stewart-Harrison recalls his first experience with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) when he was shoveling snow on his driveway. After just a few moments, he was completely out of breath and had to sit down because he feared he would fall.
“It was truly frightening,” he says.
Gordon didn’t know at the time that this episode was caused by COPD, a progressive disease that damages lungs and makes it hard to breathe.1 Looking back, he recognizes there were many missed signs prior to this flare-up, also known as a COPD exacerbation. Flare-ups are characterized by worsening COPD symptoms that require medical attention.2
Now, a decade later, Gordon is managing his condition well and says he hasn’t had a flare-up for more than a year. He can do the things he loves and credits his improved health to having a better understanding of the disease and an open line of communication with his doctor.
“You can live a very fulfilling life with COPD and don’t have to be held back by this disease,” he explains. “But being active in your treatment journey is key.”
Throughout his COPD journey, Gordon has learned a lot about his condition from personal experiences, doctors, and loved ones. As a COPD advocate, Gordon now wants to help others with the disease by sharing his insights so that other patients can live their lives to the fullest.
Recognize Ongoing Symptoms – a Sign of COPD Progression
Early warning signs of COPD include chronic and progressive labored breathing, coughing, coughing up phlegm, chest tightness, and wheezing.3 These are often mistaken as typical effects of aging. However, symptoms can progress rapidly, so it’s vital to see a healthcare provider immediately if they arise.
Gordon says he didn’t know much about COPD before being diagnosed, which led to missing symptoms and the disease progressing.
“Prior to my first flare-up, there were moments when I was out of breath,” he says. “Regular activities like being an usher or handing out programs at my church became a struggle, and washing my car took great effort, so I thought I just needed to exercise more.”
Knowing the risk factors is also important. The leading cause of COPD is smoking, something Gordon said he did for many years. However, other risk factors include experiencing respiratory infections as a child and being exposed to air pollution, secondhand smoke, chemical fumes, or dust.4
Advocate for Yourself to Get the Care and Support You Need
Following Gordon’s frightening first flare-up, his primary care provider (PCP) suspected he may have COPD and connected him with a pulmonologist, who confirmed the diagnosis.
He says his relationship with his PCP and working closely with a trusted specialist have been cornerstones in his treatment. Gordon’s pulmonologist prescribed him medications, taught him techniques to strengthen his breathing muscles, and showed him how to use an oxygen concentrator, which Gordon now keeps with him as a precautionary measure. An oxygen concentrator is a device that provides 90-95% pure oxygen for people who need it for medical reasons.5
Since COPD is a progressive disease, symptoms often evolve over time, and it’s important for patients to monitor and effectively communicate changes and the impact of symptoms to their doctor. For Gordon, this included recognizing when his treatment was not working. He tried different medications that required multiple daily doses over the years. Unfortunately, he didn’t notice a change in how he felt, and he still experienced periodic flare-ups.
“I asked my doctor what I was supposed to feel from the medication and let him know when I didn’t feel any different than before,” Gordon says.
This open line of communication led his doctor to prescribe TRELEGY ELLIPTA (fluticasone furoate 100 mcg, umeclidinium 62.5 mcg, and vilanterol 25 mcg inhalation powder), a once-daily treatment for COPD that contains three medicines in a single inhaler.
TRELEGY is a prescription medicine used long term to treat COPD, including chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or both. Not for sudden breathing problems and won't replace a rescue inhaler. Tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking. Do not take more than prescribed. May increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis. Call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain, mouth or tongue swelling, problems urinating, vision changes, or eye pain occur. Please see additional Important Safety Information below.
After that, he finally began to feel better.
“I started taking TRELEGY and within a few months, I noticed my symptoms had improved,” says Gordon. TRELEGY can help improve lung function for a full 24 hours and prevent future flare-ups, though individual results may vary.
Taken only once a day, TRELEGY contains an anti-inflammatory ICS (inhaled corticosteroid) that reduces inflammation and swelling in the lungs, a LABA (long-acting beta2-adrenergic agonist) bronchodilator that opens airways by relaxing the muscles around the airways in the lungs, and a LAMA (long-acting muscarinic antagonist) that blocks the tightening of smooth muscle around airways to help keep them open.
Advocating for yourself extends beyond doctor’s appointments. Gordon says that another key part of staying healthy is knowing his limits. When he plans to attend a sporting event, he alerts staff of his medical condition in advance to allow for closer parking and elevator access. At work, he no longer uses the stairs, and has told his colleagues about his diagnosis, so they can help him with the physically taxing tasks he no longer feels comfortable doing.
“I had to make changes to my life,” Gordon says. “But I know these are necessary in order to live the active life I want and that feels good.”
Courtesy GSK
Do the Work to Make a Positive Impact on Your Symptom Management
While prescription medication and a home oxygen concentrator play an essential role in treating his COPD, lifestyle factors have a significant impact as well, Gordon says. He is dedicated to doing the breathing exercises his doctor taught him and goes to the gym weekly, taking his oxygen machine along with him.
“Going to the gym strengthens my mental and physical health and has become a valuable part of my daily routine,” he says. In general, moderate exercise has many benefits for people with COPD as it helps improve the body's use of oxygen, energy levels, mental health, sleep, self-esteem, cardiovascular fitness, muscle strength, and shortness of breath.6 Talk to your healthcare provider about how much exercise and the types of exercise that are best for you.
Eating heart-healthy foods, having more frequent, smaller meals instead of three bigger meals, and minimizing foods that cause bloating or gas, which can make breathing more difficult, all play a vital role in COPD treatment.7
Being diagnosed with COPD has prompted Gordon to make some changes, but he emphasizes that he still lives a very full, happy life.
“You just have to be mindful that you can take control of this disease and your life,” he says. “You don’t have to give in to it.”
To find out more about COPD and TRELEGY, visit TRELEGY.com or talk with your healthcare provider.
Important Safety Information for TRELEGY
Do not use TRELEGY to relieve sudden breathing problems. Always have a rescue inhaler with you to treat sudden symptoms.
Do not use TRELEGY if you have a severe allergy to milk proteins or are allergic to any of the ingredients in TRELEGY. Ask your healthcare provider if you are not sure.
Do not use TRELEGY more often than prescribed.
Do not take TRELEGY with other medicines that contain a long-acting beta2-adrenergic agonist (LABA) or an anticholinergic for any reason. Tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions and about all the medicines you take.
Call your healthcare provider or get medical care right away if your breathing problems get worse, if you need your rescue inhaler more often than usual or it does not work as well to relieve your symptoms.
TRELEGY can cause serious side effects, including:
Common side effects of TRELEGY 100/62.5/25 mcg for COPD include: upper respiratory tract infection; pneumonia; bronchitis; thrush in your mouth or throat (rinse your mouth with water without swallowing after use to help prevent this); headache; back pain; joint pain; flu; inflammation of the sinuses; runny nose and sore throat; taste disturbance; constipation; painful and frequent urination (signs of a urinary tract infection); nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea; mouth and throat pain; cough; and hoarseness.
Please see full Prescribing Information, including Patient Information, for TRELEGY.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit http://www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
For US audiences only.
For more information, please visit trelegy.com.
Trademarks are owned by or licensed to the GSK group of companies.
©2023 GSK or licensor.
FVUADVR230003 October 2023
Produced in USA.
Sources
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. COPD - What Is COPD? | NHLBI, NIH. www.nhlbi.nih.gov. Published 2022. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/copd
What is a COPD Exacerbation? | COPD.com. Published 2019. https://www.copd.com/copd-progression/copd-exacerbations/
Agarwal AK, Raja A, Brown BD. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). National Library of Medicine. Published August 7, 2023. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559281/
COPD causes and risk factors | American Lung Association. www.lung.org. Published April 28, 2023. https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/copd/what-causes-copd
What Is an Oxygen Concentrator? | Cleveland Clinic. Published August 4, 2023. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/25183-oxygen-concentrators
Physical Activity and COPD | American Lung Association. www.lung.org. Published May 23, 2023. https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/copd/living-with-copd/physical-activity
Nutrition and COPD | American Lung Association. www.lung.org. Published May 23, 2023. https://www.lung.org/lung-health-and-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/copd/living-with-copd/nutrition.html
