COPD

[SummerRain]

Could do with some advise, or reasssurance. I've been away from MN for a very long time (ex was stalking me on here when we split so had to step away) but I really need the infamous MN straight talking and wisdom right now.

I've had a cough on and off for a year and a half... It's a dry cough, no phlegm but it leaves me gasping for breath... I'll cough so hard I feel like I'm going to throw up and can't draw breathe... when the spasming stops for a second I'm so out of breathe I gasp in air like a drowning person.

Want to the doc a few weeks back with a sinus infection and mentioned the cough as it was flaring up at the time. He put me on ABs, steroids and said it was bronchitis but he was concerned that I'd been getting it on and off for so long.
Was back last week and no improvement. New ABs, more steroids and a powder inhaler. He says it appears to be COPD and I'm due back tomorrow for blood results and to be referred on to hospital.

I'm 32, a single mother to 3 kids, my dad died last month so it's just me and my mom and the kids left... I have no siblings, no boyfriend, ex is a waste of oxygen who barely even sees his children. I work and do my best to provide the kids with a decent life.

I don't know how to deal with this... I've had so much crap thrown at me the last few years and tbh the thought of a life limiting, incurable disease is just more than I can cope with atm.

I do smoke btw... not much and I'm quitting now, tried cold turkey but that didn't go well but down to 3 a day since last week (was 10) and will stop completely

[SummerRain]

Bumping for the evening crowd.

Can't go to docs tomorrow now as I've been called into work to cover for somebody so I'll have to wait til Thursday.

[Cunties]

Good luck today summer.

[Itscliffmas]

How did you get in summer?

I have just been diagnosed with this.

[SummerRain]

Thanks ☺

Doc says lungs still don't sound good. I'm on combination of inhalers for a month and he's getting x-rays done.

[SummerRain]

Hi itscliff... cross posted with you there.

How long did it take you to get a dianoses. Seems to be a case of waiting it out before I'll get referred for further tests. Doc has put me on COPD inhalers but I still don't know for sure if I have it

[daisydalrymple]

Sorry to hear you've had this worrying time, I'm hoping the news was better than you were expecting, but do update if you need support. I just wanted to say congratulations for cutting down the cigarettes so quickly too. Hope you're ok.

[Itscliffmas]

I had a spirometry test last week as my asthma was getting worse and the GP was concerned, after that I was sent for a chest X-ray (that was walk in at my local hospital) the results came in a few days later.
It's a complete shock as I thought we were looking for a lingering chest infection.
I've been given a new inhaler too and referred to a specialist.

I haven't told any of my friends or family yet. I can't face it yet. I'm a smoker too... Well was!

[GraysAnalogy]

If you do have COPD, there's support out there for you and of course people on here who you can speak to. Nebuliser therapy provides quite some relief for people with COPD - but you have itscliffmas here who can help you with that side of things. I'm a HCP who sees people with COPD and whilst some are very limited it what they can do, many are able to manage their illness very well and it doesn't have to be as life limiting as it once was.

One thing I will say is that it's a condition that seems to goes hand in hand with anxiety for many people, both which can exacerbate the others symptoms. so getting help for this if you have anxiety early on may prove helpful.

[SummerRain]

Grays... that's interesting, I do suffer from anxiety and depression. Both of which have been quite bad lately due to everything thats happened. My physical symptoms have been the worst they've ever been... I had put it down to being run down due to stress.

I have two kids with asthma so unfortunately nebulisers and steroids are part of our daily life already.

Itscliff... I've told nobody apart from my best friend either. My mom knows a bit but I've minimised it so as not to worry her too much. My dad went into hospital in February with chest problems and died 5 weeks later so it's really not a good time to be telling her the doctor thinks I have COPD

[CalleighDoodle]

My dad has copd. But he seems to be managing ok. he was diagnosed after giving up smoking. .he'd had a smokers cough for years but nothing was done / investigated.

You need to stop smoking. Theres absolutely no benefit from it. Get the help you need.

[GraysAnalogy]

There's study into the relationship between COPD and anxiety, basically managing one can help to manage the other. The main thing being that untreated and undetected anxiety and depressive symptoms may increase physical disability, morbidity, and health-care utilization Many of the people I've worked with had anxiety before diagnosis or developed it after so I thought it might be helpful to give you a heads up if you already have it so you can discuss it with your HCP, or better yet the COPD specialist you'll get to speak to if you do, unfortunately, get diagnosed.


Good on you for stopping smoking. This is so so important now. xx

[AddToBasket]

Please ask your dr to refer you for a CT scan so you can find out what is actually going on.

[WhetherOrNot]

Congratulations on cutting down on the fags - it will make one hell of a difference. If you get really desperate get a ECig - I have COPD and as soon as I went onto the ECig within a couple of weeks the cough started clearing up. I smoked roll-ups for 40 years up to 20 a day and I feel better than ever I did.

[BadTimesAtTheElRoyale]

My Mum was diagnosed with COPD in her late 50's she is now 75 and manages really well. Just her meds in the morning. Her specialist puts it down to her walking loads as she doesn't drive. It is a worrying time but not everyone with it has their lifestyle drastically limited by it. Sending best wishes .

[takenforgrantednana]

i have been diagnosed with this in sept after suffering what we thought was just bad flare ups of my asthma since april 2019. the docs are concerned tho as i am also showing signs of having heart failure too, at one point my blood pressure was 200! i have mountains of drugs here and none of which seem to have any effect to get things under control, o far i have had spirometery done, chest x rays, sleep tests (due to beng exhausted as the coughing is keeping me awake all night) waiting on a heart scan and a repeat of the spirometery

i am having so much trouble with my husband tho, which isnt helping one bit as he is putting me under so much pressure all because i smoke, and even tho i want to give up his constant nagging no matter how many times i have told him to stop it just isnt helping one bit to get me in the right place to make a serious start. all i get off him is that he waits on me hand and foot! yes he does! im not particularly happy about that, but im not in a position at the moment to do much else. yes its hard, but he should try living in my shoes for a while, i feel so damm tired and worn out, constant coughing, rib pain, c section scar / bladder muscles have been damaged and are in pain when coughing resulting in constant dribbling with the odd occassion of a full on tsunami! hardly conducive to walking around tescos is it?

tonight resulted in a first for us, after 40 years of marriage, it was the first time ever that he has had to help me while i was on the toilet! i had slowly gone up stairs, but was getting more and more out of breath doing so, i went to the loo where my breathing was getting faster and faster to the point i was concerned that it was going to result in a heart attack, i was getting back pain around my heart area! and a real feeling of fear of being able to stop this, so i shouted for his help, "what do you want me to do?" to hot" so he gets the face cloth and cold water on it and then proceeds to stick it on the top of my head!!!! WTF then pushed it into the front of my face! thankfully the tap was still running so i put my wrists under it. and concentrated on getting my breathing to slow back down.

so after that he was in a mood with me, yeah full on childish type sulking, because he believes that i had a go at him! that i was snapping one word instructions erm HELLO i couldnt breathe! i had asked him to go and get the blood pressure monitor so i could check things and see if i needed to call the emergency docs or not, remember im sat on the loo ok, so he goes down stairs and puts this thing on the table, without saying a thing to me about it being ready or not or even asking me HELLO my arm is up here! i cant help it but im really concerned for my safety, i dont feel that if i was to need him at some point say overnight that he would be awake enough to deal with it correctly enough, i doubt he would even register at what point he needs to calll 111 or 999

[Salome61]

I'm sorry you've had the shock of this diagnosis SummerRain, but it is manageable with the medication. My late husband (he died unexpectedly from cardiac arrest) had COPD and was told to stop smoking immediately. I was there when he was told, and the nurse gave him a leaflet about it. She told me it was very important not to use any form of spray in the house - air freshener, polish, shower etc. No scented candles either.

Good luck, I hope you can get the support you need from your surgery x

[hp2]

I am a COPD nurse specialist and I would be very surprised if you actually have COPD at age 32 unless you have a genetic condition or an 40 a day habit since childhood . You need spirometry to diagnose. Is there a family history of lung problems? Unfortunately people get diagnosed as COPD incorrectly all the time and it a weighty label to give someone. It is much more likely that be asthma or post infection symptoms.

[VienneseWhirligig]

@takenforgrantednana I can recommend Champix when you are in the right frame of mind to stop smoking. My late DH smoked for 50 years and managed to give up within a fortnight using them. He also had COPD and lived without serious disability from it for 10 years, only when he got cancer did he deteriorate. Good luck.

[takenforgrantednana]

[quote VienneseWhirligig]@takenforgrantednana I can recommend Champix when you are in the right frame of mind to stop smoking. My late DH smoked for 50 years and managed to give up within a fortnight using them. He also had COPD and lived without serious disability from it for 10 years, only when he got cancer did he deteriorate. Good luck.[/quote]
@VienneseWhirligig champix is not available in the country as the factory has closed down! i did contact the smoking lady about it but i wasnt particularly impressed by her to be honest

[SpittinKitten]

I've just been diagnosed with this from a spirometry test, at age 42; I have a chest xray next week to look at my lungs further. I'm another one with long term anxiety...

[idonthavetimeorhis]

My GP strongly suspects COPD after a chest X ray showed hyperinflated lungs. I am waiting for spirometry to confirm or disprove.

Does anyone know how long the waiting lists are (on average) for spirometry tests?

[Naughtyperson972]

I’ve waited about three months to be seen at my local lung function clinic @idonthavetimeorhis .