After reading this forum I do feel for the people suffering with different forms of Asthma/COPD.
I decided to write this thinking that when I was told I had COPD, to me it was a massive shock, and did not know what to expect, hopefully some of you might see in my post something helpful
I am almost sure I came to this site to read when I was told I had COPD / Asthma. in 2018
My story seems to be a little different to most other's, I thought I was a healthy manual worker until I got a bad cough early 2018 that I could not get rid of it together with a large amount of phlegm, the doctors said at first just a viral chest infection, I cannot remember what they give me for it, but it got worse,and after another visit to the doctor he told me it could take a while to shake off the virus, and I am not 100% sure but I think he gave me the Ventolin for the first time and said this should help the cough and the phlegm and to use it when required, in this next month my phlegm got much worse and on a morning I had the throat rattle which was blocking up, I would use the blue inhaler and it would break it up for @ 3 hours then rince and repeat.
Moving on to my next visit I saw a different doctor, he asked me how long this had been going on I said @ 4 month, he said I want you straight in for the breathing test's, I was told not to use the Ventolin before the test, I got a massive shock when the tests had finished with the words that I have COPD.
The treatment was with different coloured COPD inhalers and also keeping the ventolin for emergencies, I think this is when I got my red flow meter, which sometimes got down to low 300/350? or so on a morning and after a month or more of feeling no better at all, the nurse said she would try something different, and to stop all the different inhalers and try the Asthma treatment using only the maintenance inhaler which is Clenil Modulite and keep the blue ventolin to use if needed, after 1 month of this treatment I could feel myself getting much better, and after 3 months or so I felt like my old self, I did get one bad cold and needed the steroid tabletes Prednisolone possibly late 2018 or early 2019 and it cleared everything up.
Moving on to today 18/10/24 everything is good I have not needed the prednisolone after a cold since 2019, I still use the brown mainenance inhaler and 2 puffs in the morning and 2 at night and it must be 5 years since I used the blue, when I first started the blue I was using it 5 or 6 times a day. my old red flow readings have been steady since early 2019 and has been @ 550/575, I am 5ft 10, 12.5 stone will be 68 soon, on the odd occasions I have missed a couple of puffs from the brown inhaler and I do get a quick a reminder that this is a Chronic lung disease and it must be maintaned, as the morning throat I can feel phelgm but after a couple of days I am back on track.
I have alot to thank my COPD/Asthma nurse for and am so greatful to her for getting me through this , I also think I had this breathing test when I was very weak and after 4 months of this and holding a very heavy job down, I wonder if I had asked for the test much earlier my numbers could have been better and possibly above the COPD line, I will never know, but to this day, I dont know if I have Asthma or Copd, but I do feel well and when walking 2 mile a day its my ageing legs that let me down and not my breathing, although when walking fast and talking I do get out of breath.
I do hope when reading this post it can help some people in some way.
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