http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/feeds/dad-first-copd-second?key=dad-first-copd-second Healthline Health Blogger Elizabeth Santeramo - Dad First, COPD Second en-us Copyright (c) 2013 Healthline, All rights reserved. en-us Copyright (c) 2013 Healthline, All rights reserved. http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/double-gratitude-thanksgiving-and-dads-birthday Next week is Thanksgiving and my father’s 84th birthday. Every few years he is lucky to have a double holiday. Personally, I feel pressure-free since it’s 84. Next year I’ll have to plan something big, but I’ll think twice. Four years ago... Fri, 16 Nov 2012 08:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/double-gratitude-thanksgiving-and-dads-birthday Elizabeth Santeramo 2012-11-16T08:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/i-volunteer-and-dads-copd-acts-up My father is quite a storyteller. Had he pursued writing, I’m sure he would have written a great collection of short stories. Over the years, we have learned to nurture our father-daughter relationship. Today, we exchange thoughts, feelings, ... Wed, 14 Nov 2012 08:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/i-volunteer-and-dads-copd-acts-up Elizabeth Santeramo 2012-11-14T08:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/dressing-dad-how-copd-takes-the-little-things Whenever we have an outing, mom gives dad an extra 20 minutes to get ready because he needs it. His COPD takes over. and even small activities like putting on clothes, socks, and shoes becomes an overwhelming task. Besides being a bit overweight... Fri, 09 Nov 2012 08:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/dressing-dad-how-copd-takes-the-little-things Elizabeth Santeramo 2012-11-09T08:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/sandy-surges-and-dads-smoking-urges When Sandy hit last Monday, we lost power at exactly 9PM. It was restored Friday at 1:30pm. It was quite a scary experience, but being prepared is priceless. I sensed my father’s worry. While he and my mother readied their medicines, flashli... Wed, 07 Nov 2012 08:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/sandy-surges-and-dads-smoking-urges Elizabeth Santeramo 2012-11-07T08:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/what-caregivers-need-to-know-about-copd I joined a new group on LinkedIn called COPD Disease Management. I asked members for topics they feel are important to share with caretakers. Here’s what they had to say. Jean shares, “I'm a patient, but…families and caretakers ought to know... Fri, 02 Nov 2012 07:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/what-caregivers-need-to-know-about-copd Elizabeth Santeramo 2012-11-02T07:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/bracing-for-hurricane-sandy As the news arrived of Sandy visiting the East Coast, and as Mayor Bloomberg and Governors Christie and Cuomo prepared us for a potential 7-10 day power outage, the first question I asked was, “Dad, do you have extra inhalers and mom, do you ha... Mon, 29 Oct 2012 07:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/bracing-for-hurricane-sandy Elizabeth Santeramo 2012-10-29T07:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/a-12-step-approach-to-kicking-the-habit Smoking is an interesting thing. Some people become addicted, like my father, and others, like my mother, used it to relieve stress during tense situations. As a child, my memories of my mother smoking were during really difficult times at h... Fri, 26 Oct 2012 07:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/a-12-step-approach-to-kicking-the-habit Elizabeth Santeramo 2012-10-26T07:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/up-all-night-with-copd Ever since I moved back home, our day dramas don’t necessarily end by the time we go to sleep. Between mom’s diabetes and dad’s COPD, sadly there are often frequent nights of midnight scares. However, lately, they have minimized – and I, we, ar... Wed, 24 Oct 2012 07:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/up-all-night-with-copd Elizabeth Santeramo 2012-10-24T07:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/from-marlboro-man-to-electronic-cigarette-man Yes, my father has really stopped smoking. I sometimes call him Carlos Contreras who is Charles Contrary with Contreras being a real Latin surname. I call him this because isn’t interesting that he has stopped smoking now that I blog about ... Fri, 19 Oct 2012 07:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/from-marlboro-man-to-electronic-cigarette-man Elizabeth Santeramo 2012-10-19T07:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/is-dad-getting-enough-oxygen-to-his-brain I don’t know if it’s old age or the effects of COPD - or both - but lately, my father seems less and less…with it, for lack of a better term. In our culture, we have a term, boludo, which is the English equivalent of being aloof. Okay, I’m b... Wed, 17 Oct 2012 07:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/is-dad-getting-enough-oxygen-to-his-brain Elizabeth Santeramo 2012-10-17T07:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/protecting-dads-lungs-from-fall-chills I’ve literally got my father’s back. It’s that time of year again when getting dad to wear warm clothing is like convincing a child to wear a hat in a snowstorm. When he was first hospitalized for pneumonia several years ago, it was summer... Fri, 12 Oct 2012 07:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/protecting-dads-lungs-from-fall-chills Elizabeth Santeramo 2012-10-12T07:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/behind-the-wheel-with-copd The other day my mother asked me to drive. I took a quick step and got into the driver’s seat. My father went with the flow, but I know he wanted to drive. Once I set up the GPS destination, he preoccupied himself by chatting with the GPS, sayi... Wed, 10 Oct 2012 07:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/behind-the-wheel-with-copd Elizabeth Santeramo 2012-10-10T07:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/why-dad-eats-like-a-child Over the past few weeks, my father has had to change his eating habits. During lunch and dinner, he was experiencing increased shortness of breath with every bite. An avid eater, he is a stickler for savoring a good dish. He tells me freque... Fri, 05 Oct 2012 07:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/why-dad-eats-like-a-child Elizabeth Santeramo 2012-10-05T07:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/smokers-denial The other day, I reconnected with John, an old friend from my grammar school – St. Bernard’s – in what is now the revamped Meatpacking District in New York’s West Village. This blog brought us closer, sharing our challenges and coups as care... Wed, 03 Oct 2012 07:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/smokers-denial Elizabeth Santeramo 2012-10-03T07:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/quitters-flu Go on, you can "aw" for my dad. I already have. The night before last, it was the second time in a week that he awoke in the middle of the night complaining of stomach pains. For my mother and I this is a major red flag. Each of his COPD hos... Sat, 29 Sep 2012 07:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/quitters-flu Elizabeth Santeramo 2012-09-29T07:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/how-my-facebook-friends-quit-smoking One of the great things about social media is how instantly we connect. It never ceases to amaze me when I receive feedback from my blog posts.The best is when you support dad and me to carry on as he struggles to be smoke-free. And so I ded... Wed, 26 Sep 2012 07:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/how-my-facebook-friends-quit-smoking Elizabeth Santeramo 2012-09-26T07:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/my-father-may-ask-you-for-a-cigarette Yup, my father was smoke-free for six days, lighting up on the seventh. The difference is that he is smoking only one cigarette a day. For him, this is big. Huge, even. As for me, I'm supportive. I’m not nagging. I’m not controlling his ... Fri, 21 Sep 2012 07:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/my-father-may-ask-you-for-a-cigarette Elizabeth Santeramo 2012-09-21T07:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/six-days-smoke-free-take-two Take two. As you read this post, dad has officially made it to six full days without smoking...again. Today he asked me, “You don’t happen to have any cigarettes hidden in your room, do ya?” “What?” I replied. I don’t smoke. He knows that. Af... Fri, 14 Sep 2012 07:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/six-days-smoke-free-take-two Elizabeth Santeramo 2012-09-14T07:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/handling-dads-out-of-breath-attacks I recently joined the National Family Caregiver Association’s group on LinkedIn. I asked which topics they’d like covered in upcoming posts, and one of the members, Jacqueline, who connects caregivers with resources in Prince George’s County, M... Wed, 12 Sep 2012 07:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/handling-dads-out-of-breath-attacks Elizabeth Santeramo 2012-09-12T07:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/keeping-up-chores-copd I always know when dad is washing dishes. In fact, so do the neighbors. A loud clanking noise emanates from the kitchen which is almost always accompanied by his just-as-loud complaining. He hates doing household chores, and with his COPD, e... Fri, 07 Sep 2012 07:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/keeping-up-chores-copd Elizabeth Santeramo 2012-09-07T07:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/old-habits-die-hard I was really hoping to break some good news to you with a ticker that read: “My father has made it to a week without smoking!” Instead, I can report that he stopped for six straight days. On the seventh, he relapsed. It’s not easy for him. I... Wed, 05 Sep 2012 07:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/old-habits-die-hard Elizabeth Santeramo 2012-09-05T07:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/dedicated-to-caregivers-take-care-of-me-day As the long holiday weekend approaches – and my birthday – it is important for me to slow down and do something fun for myself. This past summer I made a point of taking quick take-care-of-me days on sporadic summer Saturdays. Going to differ... Fri, 31 Aug 2012 07:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/dedicated-to-caregivers-take-care-of-me-day Elizabeth Santeramo 2012-08-31T07:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/getting-dad-to-the-doctor My father hates going to the doctor. I use creative ways to get him to commit. I made a deal with him to treat him to strawberry ice cream, I offer to buy him extra bananas, and my favorite, I dangle a carrot by reminding him that his doctor giv... Wed, 29 Aug 2012 07:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/getting-dad-to-the-doctor Elizabeth Santeramo 2012-08-29T07:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/getting-around-with-copd Running errands was becoming a taxing task for my father. He couldn’t walk and his cane proved insufficient. He felt pressured to keep up and while we slowed down, we worried he might collapse or worse, have an out-of-breath attack. My dad ... Fri, 24 Aug 2012 07:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/getting-around-with-copd Elizabeth Santeramo 2012-08-24T07:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/i-turn-light-on-he-turns-off-how-i-get-dad-to-exercise The other day, installers came to replace the kitchen cooktop. I noticed my father had the men “in the dark.” I immediately turned on the lights so the men “could see better.” My father took his walker and proceeded to turn off all the lights ... Thu, 23 Aug 2012 07:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/i-turn-light-on-he-turns-off-how-i-get-dad-to-exercise Elizabeth Santeramo 2012-08-23T07:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/dads-announcement-im-quitting-smoking “This is it, Lizunga,"Dad declared."I’m quitting smoking.” “Right, dad” crawled silently across my forehead. “Please, don’t quit now. I need to write this blog,” I jested. Smiling childishly, he added, “I’ll stop as soon as I’m done with my in... Fri, 17 Aug 2012 07:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/dads-announcement-im-quitting-smoking Elizabeth Santeramo 2012-08-17T07:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/dad-the-dialer When my father retired, his hobby became to call free health lines. Soon after I moved in, his early morning calls awoke me. I chuckled as I heard him explain his issue in his Argentine-Italian accent. But as his question was lost in transla... Thu, 16 Aug 2012 07:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/dad-the-dialer Elizabeth Santeramo 2012-08-16T07:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/dads-walker-a-daily-challenge When dad realized some years ago that he needed something to help him walk, he got what most seniors need: a cane. In time, that proved not to be enough. After some hearty encouragement, my mother suggested the inevitable: a walker. My fathe... Fri, 10 Aug 2012 07:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/dads-walker-a-daily-challenge Elizabeth Santeramo 2012-08-10T07:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/when-copd-comes-before-dad-challenge-of-getting-around I so wanted my dad to go with mom and I the other day to the soccer match at Yankee Stadium. “Dad, I’m buying a ticket for you to two matches – you can’t miss it – especially AC Milan vs. Real Madrid.” I figured this last part might get him sin... Wed, 08 Aug 2012 07:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/when-copd-comes-before-dad-challenge-of-getting-around Elizabeth Santeramo 2012-08-08T07:00:00Z http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/sunday-breakfast-treat My mother usually makes Sunday breakfast. But during the recent holiday, we decided to eat out. We're a small family — it’s the 3 of us and dad’s cane (that’s another blog). The older I get, the older I see my father become. He shrivels befor... Fri, 03 Aug 2012 07:00:00 GMT http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/dad-first-copd-second/sunday-breakfast-treat Elizabeth Santeramo 2012-08-03T07:00:00Z