Living well with LAM includes seeing your doctor and care team for regular checkups, taking your medication as prescribed and adhering to your treatment plan. It is also important to maintain a healthy lifestyle through eating, exercise and coping with the emotional challenges of a chronic disease. Here are additional resources to help you.
Eating
Eat healthy meals that are balanced with vegetables, fruit, lean protein and calcium-rich foods. Limit sugars and fats. Your doctor will tell you if you need a special diet. It’s important to maintain a healthy weight.
Exercise
Exercise is important to maintain healthy blood pressure, cholesterol and insulin levels; decrease anxiety, depression and body fat; and improve strength, stamina, balance, coordination, bone health and self-esteem. If you don’t regularly exercise, talk with your doctor before you start. Your doctor can help recommend an exercise plan for you. More here.
Breathing Retraining
Learn new breathing techniques will help you move air into and out of your lungs. It is helpful to use effective breathing techniques with exercise to minimize shortness of breath and assure adequate oxygen to you working muscles. Coordinated breathing is also helpful to assure adequate oxygen to your working muscles and to prevent you from holding your breath. More information here.
Coping
Manage your emotional health is important to your overall well-being. It is common to feel a range of emotions after being diagnosed with a rare disease and to need help in handling stress related to your diagnosis. Communicate with your care team and your personal support system about challenges you are facing and ask how they can help you through them. More information here.
Lifestyle Changes
Quit tobacco, marijuana and drug use; sleep for seven to nine hours each night; and get the flu, pneumonia and other vaccines your care team recommends.
Clinical Trials
You may want to consider participating in clinical trials related to LAM to learn more about your disease and help contribute to the field of medicine that may help others in the future. See the current list of clinical trials at National Jewish Health here.
Additional Resources
Benefits of Staying Hydrated
Coping with Chronic Lung Disease
Exercise and Weight
Exercise, Healthy Eating and Lung Disease
Flu Vaccine
Handling Psychological and Social Issues
Healthy Eating
Healthy Snacking
Insomnia
Minimizing Shortness of Breath
On the Go with Oxygen
Pneumonia Vaccine
Shortness of Breath and Eating
Stress Management
Tips for Preventing a Cold
The LAM Foundation also offers resources including support group information.