What stage 1 COPD looks like is that stage 1 COPD is the mild and earliest phase of the COPD disease.
In stage 1 COPD, lung damage has begun, but airflow is only reduced slightly.
Symptoms of stage 1 COPD are so subtle that you often dismiss them as getting older and simply being out of shape.
The common signs and symptoms of stage 1 COPD are mild shortness of breath, persistent and nagging cough and wheezing.
The mild shortness of breath with stage 1 COPD often only occurs during strenuous physical exertion, like climbing up of multiple flights of stairs or jogging.
The persistent cough in stage 1 COPD is often called a smokers cough, which can be dry or produce minor amounts of clear or white mucus and the wheezing in stage 1 COPD is a slight whistling sound that is mainly noticeable during heavy exertion.
The two daily tasks that people with COPD struggle with are household chores and bathing and showering as a result of limited energy and shortness of breath.
When a person has COPD, it can be difficult to perform household chores as activities like mopping, sweeping, vacuuming etc require bending and the use of your upper body muscles, which also restricts chest movement and makes breathing more difficult.
And bathing and showering is difficult when you have COPD as the combination of warm, heavy steam along with the physical exertion that is required to wash yourself can leave you feeling breathlessness and fatigued when you have COPD.
When you have COPD the places that it hurts are mainly your upper and lower back, chest, shoulders and your neck and it often manifests as muscle strain, rib soreness or even a generalized tightness and can often get worse during coughing fits or deep breathing exercises.
Common pain locations with COPD include.
Neck and shoulders as tension develops as accessory neck and shoulder muscles are overworked to help pull air into your lungs.
Upper and lower back, as lower back pain is most frequently reported as a musculoskeletal complaint in people with COPD, and it's often tied to overinflation of the lungs, muscle fatigue and postural changes.
And chest and rib cage pain is often experienced in people with COPD as a crushing sensation, tightness or soreness in your intercostal muscles that is caused by the persistent physical strain of heavy breathing and chronic coughing.
The causes of the COPD related pain include.
Posture and reduced activity as changes in breathing mechanics and lower daily energy expenditure often result in chronic musculoskeletal pain.
lung hyperinflation, which occurs when the lungs overinflate and lose their elasticity, which causes them to flatten the diaphragm and place structural pressure on your spine and your chest walls.
And respiratory strain, due to frequent and forceful coughing, which can easily pull your muscles or inflame the cartilage around the ribs, which is a condition called costochondritis.
Some people with COPD may also experience what is known as COPD belly, which is where a person with COPD experiences abdominal swelling and abdominal bloating.
COPD belly is commonly experienced by people that have COPD, also known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The COPD belly in people with COPD is mainly caused by hyperinflated "long" lungs that press against the diaphragm, swallowed air form shallow breathing or use of oxygen and even poor digestion.
The reason COPD belly occurs is due to hyperinflated lungs, aerophagia and even medications.
In hyperinflated lungs with COPD, the damaged lungs over time become less elastic and trap air and they expand and push down on your diaphragm and crowd your stomach.
In aerophagia with COPD, shortness of breath can cause you to swallow air without you realizing you swallowed the air, which leads to trapped gas.
And some COPD treatments and sleep apnea or CPAP machines can also lead to bloating and stomach gas, which can result in COPD belly.
To manage COPD belly, eat smaller and frequent meals and avoid large meals as large meals crowd your lungs and worsen shortness of breath.
You can also practice belly breathing, which lowers the diaphragm and can help regulate your breath.
And limit the gas producing foods that you eat and carbonated beverages as these increase gas on your stomach and intestines and can make the COPD belly worse.
If the bloating is severe, persistent or is accompanied by any acute pain you should contact your doctor immediately.
COPD is a progressive lung disease which makes breathing difficult by blocking airflow and causing inflammation.
COPD mainly includes two conditions, which include damaged air sacs or emphysema and chronic bronchitis which is inflamed airways.
The symptoms of COPD are shortness of breath, especially during physical activity, a chronic cough that produces excess mucus and wheezing and chest tightness.
The causes and risk factors of COPD include smoking, genetics and environmental factors.
Smoking is the leading cause of COPD, although even people who don't smoke can develop COPD.
Long term exposure to lung irritants like chemical fumes, dust or secondhand smoke can also cause COPD.
And a rare genetic condition called alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency can also cause COPD.
COPD is not curable, once you get it, but it's highly treatable using medications and lifestyle changes.