The Top10 Things You Should Do If You Test Positive For Alpha1

  • Have A List Of Questions When You See a Doctor About Your Alpha1(If you try to remember the questions you want to ask you may forget half of them)
  • Learn To Breathe Effectively
  • Limit Or Eliminate Your Alcohol Consumption
  • Don't Be Afraid To Be Proactive About Your Alpha1
  • Get Plenty Of Rest(You will likely have a higher oxygenation level)
  • Avoid Sick People(You have a lower immune system than most people)
  • Drink Plenty Of Water
  • Eat Healthy/Avoid Processed Food(Carbonated beverages)
  • Start A Careful Exercise Program/Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program(Your muscles will become more efficient so they won't use as much oxygen and if you have surgery you will likely recover quicker as well)
  • Stop Smoking

Monday, December 29, 2008

FYI: Teeth & PSA's

Some doctors recommend that their alpha1 patients have their natural teeth removed when they have chronic lung infections. I myself am having several of mine removed. They can sometimes be great harbors for bacteria. There was a lady I had met at the Chicago Alpha1 Ed Day this last spring who I had seen the previous year at an alpha1 retreat. I stopped to visit her and commented that she looked different. Her teeth looked fine the year before. She went on to tell me she had all her teeth removed, got dentures and gained 37 pounds. She also said she no longer had chronic lung infections and was still on a transplant list.

PSA = public service announcments

The FCC requires radio & tv stations to air a certain number of psa's a month. I encourage you to contact the Alpha1 Foundation to get a copy of the three audio PSA's they have to distribute to your area radio stations. It doesn't mean they will play them but, if no one distributes an alpha1 PSA to them you are guaranteed they never will air one!

2 comments:

Anne said...

I've never heard anything like this here in Sweden! Inetresting indeed. Don't know if I've the guts to pull them all out...
I've had very little problems with my teeth and I hope it stays like this.
I do , however, have an issuse regarding lungfunction. Had a graet year, didn't get infected despite my kids having ALL kinds of different stuff going on. Yet my lung function is down by 10 % in a year. I'm now at 28 -30% and it scares the **** out of me!
Are you dropping as fast as me or is your loss more moderate? You are young too and that's why I'm asking you, aren't a lot of younger Alphas over here.

Take care and YOU're tremendous(sp??) inspiration to me
Love
Anne in Sweden

kschwabs said...

Anne,

At first I did drop. Now I am tapering off a bit. As I have said many times before every alphas story is different. What I am trying to say is there are drastically different stories. Folks with an FEV1 of 24% playing golf. Yet, others with an FEV1 of 35% in a wheelchair. Are you exercising? I.E. yoga or pilates. Do you work the most important muscles you can...the core muscles??

I know exercising is not everybody's favorite thing to do but, consider the alternative. I also an appreciate your fear of such a low FEV1. My sister is on a transplant list and has an even lower FEV1.

Sometimes they are just numbers and don't really tell us anything.
Don't give up!!