I was fine one day and the next on a life support machine for three days.That's how I found out I had COPD
KOTC
I suppose it depends on what level of COPD you have.
I was diagnosed 5 years ago and carried on working until last September, only gave up because I came into some money and could do early retirement. I do acknowledge I have COPD but try not to give into it too much. I do have a very bad habit of holding my breath, don't ask why I do this because I have no idea. Bit like when people say you can't do something, you then really want to do it....................
Thank god its not just me!! I do that, I think it,s started when I was given inhalers & you hold your breath when taking them & now I do it & have to make myself breathe!!
I just woke up one morning and thought I cannot get through another day in work, felt grim.
Was given Anti depressives and thought I would be able to return. I had to, no other income but my own. Had my daughters wedding to pay for as her father gave up on her (and she does not come cheap) lol
I lost the use of my muscles, and ended up with a zimmer.
I had lost my dog a few years earlier and felt so lost.
So I rescued one, what a great move. I have to walk her, and I do, three times
a day. Muscles not so weak now. But have to take my time, but so pleased she came to my rescue as well.
xx Ros xx.
• in reply to
slade and sillywitch,
I've got asthma not COPD but I also have a very bad habit of holding my breath. I then suddenly realise I have held it for ages and have to breath consciously again.
I kept dropping hints to my heart nurse for three years, decided that, no, she didn't understand the posters all over the practice walls & decided, I,d better just go see Dr & come straight out with it!
When I had it confirmed, I wasn't surprised, but I was devastated, go figure eh?
Still ignore it unless it catches me unawares, like SOB even when I feel great otherwise & I think that,s what upsets me the most, but like you Ros I,m so glad I found everyone here when I did
Bless you all
Karen
xxxxx
I was not surprised by my diagnosis, had pneumonia and pleurisy followed by chest infections galore and then a bit more pleurisy, coughed all year even when no infection. Guessed really that something was wrong - but also was relieved to just have emphysema and asthma, had been worried it was cancer due to the fact I was so underweight and exhausted. Even though my Dad died with Emphysema and had suffered for many years, I did not know that he felt so tired. I had already been made redundant so working was not an issue for me. I am only moderate so still do nearly everything I have always done, just a bit more slowly and with a few more rests. Except when I have infection, used to just take myself to bed and stay there. PR has said that is wrong and I should get up and move. Yet to discover if I can get up and move with infection, and hopefully I wont find out too soon. I find my legs just sit me down if I get SOB. (bit embarrassing sometimes) I find the changes I've had to make harder (like no deodorant sprays or perfumes) and also the reaction of my husband to my illness has been the biggest devastation to me. So like you and Karen I'm pleased I found this site and met my friends here, they have been what keeps me from the dark.
anna xxx
• in reply to
Anna xxxx
How did your husband react that was so devastating, did he have no understanding?
It is weird how some people do while others don't, and you can't always predict who.
Million hugs xxxxxx
• in reply to
He is just a bit horrid to me koala, does not want anything to do with me anymore. He only half lives here now and when he does he sleeps downstairs - He turned back to drinking, although that seems to be settled down at the moment, and for a while he started smoking in the house, but my sons made him stop that. But I was very shocked by his coldness to me. I had been with him since youth club days when I was a girl. 35 years and it just meant nothing to him, I kind of hide in my room when he is in the house because I just cannot stand the atmosphere. He really was my world until this April and I cannot really believe what has happened to us. thank you for the hugs xxxx
I hope this doesn't offend you. Tell him to put a plastic bag over his head, go for a walk and when he runs out of air perhaps he will understand how it feels. Sadie
did not offend, but when it comes down to it, he just does not care anymore how I feel. he is selfish
xx
• in reply to
Love n hugs Anna. We are always here if you need us.His loss, silly man, he might need some one one day I think very often what goes around comes around.
Your so brave and so strong just concentrate on those sons of yours and your lovely grandson too,Take good care off yourself too
He could be having a hard time dealing with it, as it's something that is unseen, he could be pretending to himself that it's not happening to the woman he loves and maybe thinks if he ignores you and the illness it will go away. I could be wrong. Have you tried talking to him about it?. He could just be worried sick about you and very uncertain of his ability to cope and how to help you.
Why not try to persuade him to join the group and find out more about it and the limitations it puts on everyone, and how it affects each one of us in different ways.
What an awful way for you to live.Hopefully he will move out of his own accord.A woman I once worked with still lived in the same house as her husband but were effectedly seperated but he was too lazy to move out so she found him a flat and off he went she later married again.
I can understand exactly what you are going through. Mine (now very EX), when I was told I had ov cancer, dropped me off at the hospital for my op and said 'See ya' and drove off! He still decided to live at our house but also slept downstairs. Rarely spoke to me or the children, was too busy with a string of girlfriends. Eventually I managed to kick him out and divorced him. I now have a wonderful husband who knows I have COPD but wants to be with me warts-and-all!!
Hi like you it was pleurisy and pneumonia that set my chest problems off...plus I did smoke when I was young and my father did too, and I had childhood whooping cough and bronchitis
My husband complained that he was lumbered with an invalid, and now only speaks to me very rarely even though we share a house...can't afford to move as the house worth very little.
Thank goodness I just have enough pension to pay for my old car so I have some independence....I had to leave work early.
I have got used to the situation now though ...and enjoy my life most of the time...strange though it is
I was told I had copd just over 3 years ago,felt fine at first,just couldn't get rid of the cough,then the breathlessness hit all of a sudden,stopped work last year when told its pulmonary fibrosis,left lung shot to buggery,and do what I can now when I can.just a whole lot slower.i do a bit of voluntary at a disability centre monday and Wednesday,only a few hours and just filing and stuff.I get very tired quickly. Being here and listening and talking to others helps more Han anything.i love wifey to bits and wouldn't be without her,but she stills smokes,not a lot and always outside.she has seen state of my lungs and understands,but still smokes.i worry about it happening to her. Xxx
agree there isabell. my mum stepdad smoked 24 7.i was around all that as a young child,worked in cotton mills at 15 didn't start cigs till I was 20 dafty me,always was chesty wen I was young so it all ads up ,the immune system is nakered from young days,i never smoked that much,i no myself of 3 woman,1 78yrs smoked all her life 80day,2nd 91 still smokes 1 after the other 3rd smoked bad till she died at 97yr,dcs put it down to the cigs but I think its not just them ,
Hi Ros I think it is a lot to do with immune system disorders as well.
I thought I was the only one who thought that.. thanks Ros
take care everyody, Linda xxx
Psorias - i have just read the above, and I feel for you so much. I think the best thing you could have done was to join us. You aren't alone when you come here. What a shame we cant see each other and have a hug. Maybe he is just doing a "funny" in reaction, and then to come to his senses.
I don have COPD, or least i dont think I have, psorias, but I have bronchiectasis and asthma which is bad enough. Really good having a chat with you -- love Annieseed xxx
Your story rings a bell Anna. There have been several other ladies on here whose husbands haven't been able to cope with their wife's illness. Some men just run away from it. Is it fear on their part?
I think a lot of the trouble is that men are doers. See a problem, deal with it. Suddenly, they are faced with something they can't fight and it leaves them feeling helpless. They can't cope with that so they run.
Sorry I can't find better words to explain what I mean Anna.
Awe Bobby, you are one of the good ones, yes men do turn to their heels and run, well some.
Not all.
My X ran when he realised he could not cope with parenting. Sucks eh!
I do not mind facing it alone, but at times would like a hug and cuddle.
((Psorias )) I guess sometimes it is better to be alone than alone with the person you love.
xx Ros xx
Hiya Ros. I must be the exception. I knew I was heading for COPD. Because of my asthma I had an annual check with the asthma nurse. She kept telling me that unless I gave up smoking I would get COPD. A friend also with asthma was diagnosed with it about 3 years before I was. I knew it was coming.
There is not enough knowledge about COPD out there. All Govts. do is hammer on about lung cancer and no one thinks they will get that. They ignore the much more common COPD. I think if they concentrated on that instead and that about 1 in every 5 smokers gets it more would give up smoking. Of course a few people get it without smoking and there are many more lung diseases than COPD.
I'm glad to know I'm not the only one to hold my breath! Despite yoga I do it a lot. I was told I had COPD about 5 or 6 years ago. As I knew nothing about it I didn't worry too much and just assumed that as I don't have asthma and they didn't know what else it was they called it COPD. I am lucky that I have it so mildly and can ignore it most of the time. I'm very glad I found this site - I've learned a lot and seeing how similar our stories can be is so reassuring. best wishes to you all.
I gave up smoking just over 2 years ago because I was diagnosed with angina and blamed it on the fags. About 12 weeks later I found I couldn't walk 100 yards without gasping for breath. My previous doctor said I had COPD ( I'd never heard of it before ) and virtually left it at that. He was useless so I changed my doctor who sent me for a proper assessment. I was diagnosed with very sever emphysema. I still can't understand to this day why I could breath ok when I was smoking and not after giving it up. I could understand if I had moderate COPD and the smoking covered it up but to go from breathing ok to gasping for breath is rather odd.
Had the same thing, gave up smoking because they stopped smoking in pubs etc, the nurse kept asking me if I felt better for stopping, which I didn't, had chest xray and was diagnosed with COPD, only moderate but I had no symptons before, no coughing, still don't, just SOB, but I suppose if I had carried on smoking somewhere along the line I would have been diagnosed with severe COPD, who knows, think they need to do more reseach into it. Take care
I had been cycling half a mile to my doctor's surgery for about two years, arriving shattered and unable to speak for about five minutes, my GP picking up nothing from this.
Fortunately a senior partner finally spotted me in distress in the waiting room, asked to see me and immediately diagnosed COPD and arranged a hospital appointment.
These days if you went in with an axe stuck in your head but all you complained of was a cough, all you would get would be cough mixture !
i found out i had copd during a walk to town one day ,all of a sudden i could not get my breath and the phlegm started to erupt,i actually thought i was having a heart attack ,i had to get a taxi home and immediately made an appoint,ent with my doctor,several tests and a cat scan later the diagnosis was made ,copd, Ever since then its been a constant battle with chest infections ,trying not to get attacks where i cant breath and trying to stay "as best i can" fit ,i go to pulmonary rehab once a year which is great the benefits of this course is not to be underestimated ,less chest infections,less attacks were you cant breath and more being able to do daily things,i can actually do the dishes and brush up and do a clothes wash ,obviously there are many things out of reach ,even some thing as simple as enjoying a ladies perfume has gone now,i don't need to list the parts of life and yourself you lose through this illness as Im sure your aware of them but just try and retain as much of your old self as you can..
All the best for the future ,take care and stay healthy,
I was diagnosed 15yrs ago when it was very mild and I worked full-time until nearly four years ago when I was 67.It had gradually got worse so because it had been a gradual thing I think my husband and I had had time to get used to it. A year ago I had an exacerbation which put, me in hospital and I came out on oxygen which was just another progression in this condition. Perhaps I am lucky in my and my husband's disposition and mindset. Keep smiling
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Many thanks to all you lovelies on this site
need some help 
How quickly did your symptoms progress?
