In my last post, I mentioned that the action plan could help me tell what kind of day that I was having.  Was it a green, yellow, or red day?  Not only does the action plan help us determine what kind of day that we are having it also helps us determine what it is that we need to do.  I am sure that many of you are like me and are used to trying to “tough it out” until I feel better.  This is not a good thing for those of us with COPD to do.  I now know that the first sign of a sinus infection that I need to see my doctor because the bad stuff does not necessarily stay in my nose.  If it travels to my chest, I can have more damage done to my lungs and that is the last thing that I want to happen.

Try as I might, I could not figure out how to move a PDF file to my post, so please excuse this poor picture of the COPD Foundation Action Plan for COPD. In general, green days are good days and we proceed as to whatever is normal for you. The yellow days are days that something is just a little bit off and we proceed with caution and rest more than usual. We may have additional instructions from our doctor which we will follow on these yellow days. For instance, I have instructions that if I feel congested to take Mucinex and to call my doctor if things have not improved. I have other medications that are prescription that I need to consult my doctor when I begin taking them. These instructions will vary with patient and physician. My primary care physician and my pulmonologist both have me on a same-day call appointment schedule so that some of my red days have been avoided, I am sure.

Then we have those red days. The Action plan tells us that we must seek medical attention at this point. Red days are when we have severe shortness of breath, chest pain, blue color around lips and nails, are coughing up blood, or are disoriented. A 911 call is appropriate at this juncture.

The foundation has also developed a neat app for your phone which contains the action plan along with a bunch of other very helpful items such as videos on how to use your inhaler. The app is available free from either google or apple app stores. Go to the COPD Foundation website http://copdfoundation.org Then click on the “learn more” tab at the top of the page and then click on Download Library and then click on COPD Action Plan. Once you are there you can download a copy of the action plan and print it out if you are old school like me and like to hold the paper in your hand. You will also find the links to download the Pocket Consultant Guide to your cell phone.

My dear friend Stephanie Williams told us a wonderful account of what she used to tell her patients about cooperating with their care providers. She said that she would tell them to imagine that there were smudges on the window and they were working with their provider to clean the window. The care provider was on the outside and cleaned their portion of the window, but the smudges still remained because the patient had not cleaned their side of the window. Our journey with COPD requires cooperation between you and your doctor, pulmonologist, respiratory therapist, and anyone else who is on your care team. Remember that “teamwork makes the dream work.”