Yes You Can - Fourth Edition - 26

Keeping Your Lungs Healthy Stop smoking. Smoking increases secretions and your likelihood of getting infections. Do breathing exercises regularly if you have a cervical or high-thoracic level of injury and if the exercises have been recommended to you. If you have an incentive spirometer, use it at least two or three times a day. If you don’t have one, take as deep a breath as you can. Hold it for a count of three; then push all the air out. Do that 5–10 times at least two or three times a day. Learn “frog breathing” [glossopharyngeal breathing] to help you increase the amount of air in your lungs. This breathing exercise is usually taught by a speech therapist. Try to stay away from pollutants, such as smoke, dust, and dangerous chemicals. If you get a cold or sore throat, do more breathing exercises. If you have bronchitis or a cold and have secretions in your lungs, do quad coughing two or three times a day. This should help prevent the buildup of secretions and the risk of pneumonia. Take it seriously. If a cold or sore throat doesn’t go away in 5–10 days, contact your SCI clinic or your doctor for further instructions. An abdominal binder can increase respiratory capacity by substituting for a paralyzed abdominal wall. Use one while you’re seated in your wheelchair if it’s recommended by your health-care provider. The only way to prevent the harmful eﬀects of nicotine is to stop using it in any form. Medication is available to help with nicotine craving. Stopsmoking classes are available. Contact your health-care provider for help. Strategies to help with quitting include these: Set a quit date, ideally within two weeks. Get support from your family, friends, and co-workers. Review any past attempts to quit—what helped and what led to relapse. Anticipate challenges, including nicotine withdrawal, especially during the ﬁrst two weeks. Write down your reasons for quitting and the beneﬁts of quitting. Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW for additional information. If you continue to smoke, use a cigarette holder if you have impaired use of your hands. Knock the ashes oﬀ into an ashtray frequently. Hold the cigarette away from your body. Never smoke in bed. Drape a ﬁre-retardant cloth over your lap to keep ashes from burning you and your clothes. Install and maintain a smoke alarm in your home. RESOURCES Publication Respiratory Management Following Spinal Cord Injury: A Clinical Practice Guideline for Health-Care Professionals www.pva.org/CPGs Websites For information on the use of the CoughAssist mechanical insufflator-exsufflator for lung secretions, go to www.coughassist.com. For information on managing breathing problems with various nerve and muscle diseases, including SCI, go to www.doctorbach.com. Smoking The nicotine in tobacco products causes the blood vessels to constrict, and smaller blood vessels reduce the amount of blood, oxygen, and nutrients that gets into the tissues of the body, including the skin. Lack of oxygen and nutrients increases the likelihood of skin breakdown. In addition, hot ashes from cigarettes can fall on your skin and burn you. [ 26 ] | Yes, You Can!

http://www.pva.org/CPGs http://www.coughassist.com http://www.doctorbach.com

Yes You Can - Fourth Edition

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Yes You Can - Fourth Edition