COPD

[Loopyloo97]

My dad is 80 and has been diagnosed with copd , I think he’s had it quite a while .Recently he was admitted to hospital with a chest infection that has made the condition worse . He was sent home with antibiotics & steroids , he is still feeling unwell three weeks later and very weak
The Dr hasn’t told him how advance the copd is could the way that he is feeling be his new base line ?

He'll see some improvement as the infection and inflammation abate but the COPD is pretty much irreversible.

My mum has copd. She is 70 and has had it for about 6 years now. She manages it well with inhalers and antibiotics- she has antibiotics at home which she can take at the first sign of an infection as this helps to prevent further lung damage. It may take him a while to feel better, yes the lung damage won’t improve but there are meds to make him feel more comfortable.

I work in a community COPD team & we advise patients that it can take up to 3 months to fully recover after an exacerbation. That recovery can be back to baseline or not making it to previous baseline. If you have other questions, I'm happy to try to answer them, on here or via PM

My grandmother had this. I don't think she did herself any favours when she stopped being active later on in life. It seemed to affect her more when she stopped going out for walks etc and spent a lot of her time sitting in front of the TV. Before then she used to go to things like Breathe Easy groups which seemed to have a positive effect on her both physically and mentally in terms of meeting other people with the condition.