COPD experience?

[tammymunday]

wondered if anyone out there had any experience with this? my mum has just been diagnosed and im scared about her life expectancy - they havent said would stage she is at but her medicatino is for those in the 'moderate' category.
she is going to give up smoking and do more exercise, which is good. i have read about it on the british lung foundation website and the print out the doctor gave her, but just wondered if anyone here had any experience of it here that might be illuminating.

thanks in advance.

My BIL has this and is getting worse as he won't give up his roll ups,his poor wife is at her wits end but we have all talked to him about it and as he won't listen we have given up on the smoking.I think stopping smoking is the best thing to do and maybe she will not get much worse and it will level out at this stage.

Hi,

OP im sorry about your mum, have you heard anything else about it yet?

My mum is waiting for an appointment to test for COPD and im terrified :( Don't even know if she has it yet but from what i have read i think it is likely.

Anyone else have any experience of COPD?

My Dad was diagnosed with this a few years ago. It hasn't got any worse since he was diagnosed. He has bad episodes like in the winter when he gets a cold/cough. He has a steroid inhaler which I think he is not using at the moment as his doctor agrees he doesn't need it right now. Don't know why he has got COPD. He has never smoked, except pipes briefly. He used to work in the petrochemicals industry so I think it was caused by his working environment (the chemicals in the air used to rot their cars in the car park more quickly than otherwise). He still goes out walking and cycling regularly and he is nearly 82!

Just trying to say don't worry about the diagnosis too much. It seems to me that it doesn't necessarily mean you will go steadily downhill after being diagnosed.

I agree with snowball, try not to worry.

I am a nurse and have seen first hand that COPD affects different people in different ways, sounds like your mum is doing all the right things by stopping smoking and taking up exercise.

A specialist nurse in COPD would be an invaluable source of support, I'm not sure if every NHS Trust has one but would be worth finding out.

Hope that helps.