Are Certain Diseases Reserved for Old People?
The past couple of years I've been given a true wake-up call and realize that what I thought were "OLD PEOPLE" diseases or conditions really aren't. I've had knee problems for years that I contributed to multiple falls. Yes, I was a klutz and very accident prone. My mom use to laugh that I was the only person she knew that could fall UP stairs. After one of my falls they said I had an old knee fracture. After that I fell numerous times and always on the same knee so it was no shock when I was having pain and swelling in that knee that would last for weeks. A few years later I twisted the other knee and after surgery the orthopedic surgeon said I

When Someone Sneezes
With all the talk about the flu and H1N1 everyone's concerned and rightly so. Yes, you can control what you do to try to prevent catching and spreading the bugs but you can't control what other's do. This is something I've always believed but an incident involving a family member the other day really got me to thinking. A cousin of mine told me how upset she was when she went grocery shopping

About Dee
Dee has a 30 year history in the healthcare industry as a Registered Respiratory Therapist and educator.  She has worked both in a hospital and home care setting instruction patients in their diseases and treatments.  In addition Dee has been part of the education team for several COPD and Asthma educational classes and support groups as well as hosting a CPAP Clinic when in homecare.  Dee has

Support Groups, Message Boards and Forums
If you have chronic illness it’s good to find a support group. You can interact with people who understand what you’re going through and how you feel. You can also share ideas with each other. If you are unable to get out of the house or if there’s no group in your area you can find many message boards and forums online. These virtual social areas can be your lifeline when you’re feeling

Asthma: Serious, But Controllable
About 15 years ago a 14 year old neighbor of mine died from an asthma attack. When I told people that Harry died I got responses like “I didn’t know you could die from asthma.” “How did he die from asthma?” I thought everybody knew asthma was a serious condition. It was then that I realized that even people with asthma didn’t realize it was serious or could be life threatening. When I was