Cathy

[catherine54]

Hi i am 54 diagnosed in 06 and still smoked was at doc yesterday my sats was 86 i am mild to moderate copd dont know if thats good....i am still scared gave up cigs yesterday morn again!!...i got a job as auxilliary with nhs and to make it worse was respiritory ward...are they trying to tell me something...i dont want to see myself lying there...is it true copd gets worse or people die soon after they stop smoking i hear horror stories...

[Hidden]

Well done for giving up the coffin nails! Ive only had copd 3 years & its now queried whether it IS copd or something else, so Id better not advise, but lots of helpful people here. Dont panic! Robin

[catherine54 in reply to Hidden]

Cheers robin...have my good days etc...i managed to climb the wallace monument 2 yr ago bit of struggle but got there...not giving into this...thanx..x

[catherine54 in reply to Hidden]

Hope its not..x

[Toci]

Yes, it's true COPD appears to gets worse when you stop smoking but that is only because your body can then deal with the crap. Well done for trying to give them up. The good news is that your health will then improve as you clear your body of toxins. As to death - that is much more likely to be sooner for someone who goes on smoking. I smoked a huge amount of cigarettes and was diagnosed when I was already at the severe stage so gave up as soon as I could. That was about 8 years ago, and I am still here! Stay off the ciggies, avoid smoke, exercise, eat healthily and look around the ward to see what you will be putting off.

[Toci in reply to Toci]

Oh, and welcome!

[catherine54 in reply to Toci]

Thanks toci..8 yrs ago and your here thats great for severe...yeh seen some poor souls there my age etc...defo put me off but will share my thoughts here...makes me feel better..x

[Toci in reply to catherine54]

I know of others still here 20+ years after stopping.

Just a thought, but if you had given up in 2006, you maybe would still be mild, but I appreciate it is not easy.

[catherine54 in reply to Toci]

Hope to get it back to mild toci..x

[Hidden in reply to catherine54]

I too suffered when I first stopped my 53 year habit but I am so glad now that I did. As Toci says you do get back to normal and it is the best thing. You can do for yourself. Good luck. Joyce.

[catherine54]

Thank you.x☺

[Jjude]

Hi and welcome catherine. You may feel worse while your lungs get used to clearing the gunk, but when thats done, exercise, healthy eating, hydration and staying positive is a must.

I packed the ciggies in 14 months before diagnosis in june this year. Im better now than Ive ever been and hoping my moderate copd will creep up to mild at my next yearly test.

Good luck with things and well done for quitting the cigs, don't be afraid to ask for help with quitting if needs be. I used a Vape and Im convinced it saved my life.

xxx

[freefaller]

Welcome to the site. Just keep of the ciggies.

Sian

Xoxoxo

[catherine54 in reply to freefaller]

Thank u....i will try my best..☺

[freefaller in reply to catherine54]

Have you tried any of the tablets, or Nicolette gum to help you? Worth a go. Does your surgery run a stop smoking clinic!

[Hidden]

Hello and welcome well done with the cigs

Sally

[catherine54 in reply to Hidden]

Thank u.x

[casper99]

Hi and welcome to the site Catherine. Well done for stopping the fags. The weight stopping smoking takes off your mind, is priceless. It really is worth it. xx

[catherine54 in reply to casper99]

Been eating sweets and choc thatl pass..lol...will buy lollipops ☺ working weekend in ward so thatl keep me busy..thanx..

[Ergendl in reply to catherine54]

I ate sunflower seeds individually when I gave up thirty years ago - it mimicked the hand to mouth action but gave my body something healthy to help repair the damage. Used to have a little packet in my pocket, and a bowl on the dinner table (until my dog started eating them too).

[deni-123red_ in reply to catherine54]

Hi I'm a newbie on here too. Been asthmatic for past 15 years and diagnosed with mild copd then told I may not have it after all. I usually have a productive cough though.

I stopped smoking 6 years ago after a lifetime of the filthy weed and it's the best thing I've ever done. I feel much better for it. The only thing is my partner still smokes and I hate it. He tries to be considerate but I can always smell it on him...ugh! He also thinks it's ok to smoke by an open door but I can still smell it as any breeze blows it back in. Smokers can be selfish. I'm delighted the government are bringing in a law prosecuting smokers in cars with kids in them. Quite right!!

Anyway very well done for giving up and heed a warning from your patients!!

[Toci in reply to deni-123red_]

You can't just smell it on the breeze, you are inhaling it with him and it is damaging your lungs further.

Show him this -

youtube.com/watch?v=IhuHeI4...(Not working as expected?)

[deni-123red_ in reply to Toci]

Thank you. It's not working at present so I'll try again later

[mmzetor]

welcome to the site , cant really ad to the advise as every thing seems to be covered , only thing I would say is don't goggle to much some of information is untrue and can be really frightening , take care

[FarmerD]

There are so many different things in cigarettes to try and keep you addicted and I would,nt be a bit surprised to find out all that stuff you,ve been hearing originated with the fag companies.Stopping smoking will NOT KILL you,that is just nonsense.You might get a bit of a cough and feel a bit odd as the various different things wear off but in the long run you will feel better.Ask your GP to get you on a pulmonary rehab course they are great for information,breathing exercises and all sorts.If you don,t stop smoking your condition will just get worse until you end up like me.I have very severe emphysema,Fev1 of 23% and find everything very difficult becausevI can,t breathe.So do yourself a favour and give them up for good,best of luck! D.

[catherine54 in reply to FarmerD]

Thank u.x

[SallySSS]

I smoked 1and 1/2 packs a day for 40 years and was coughing so hard I'd wet my pants. Three days after I quit the cough was gone. It was amazing. Now, 20 years later I have copd but I'm fully aware it was my own fault. The funny part--now at 81 years, I'm hooked on the Nicorette that I used to quit smoking. But it's far better than smoking. And I've reduced them from 30 pieces a day to four.

[nordie in reply to SallySSS]

It wasn't really your fault if you were a stupid teen who began smoking and did not know better.. It was the tobacco companies who preyed on you. And because they put additives in to enhance your addiction, it was an INTENT to keep you purchasing their deadly product. And it would have been easier to quit without their deadly criminal interference.

[rubyred777]

Welcome to the site Cathy. Everyone has given you lots of good advice. I believe you put the wrong number for your sats. You have 86. Maybe you mean 96?

Do you know your fev 1? Moderate covers quite a bit. I guess with your job, you know quite a bit about lung issues.

Hope we can help you out. Again welcome to the family!

Rubyxx 😊

[catherine54 in reply to rubyred777]

Defo was 86..i just started my job last week just learningg.x

[Jessy11]

Hi & welcome. I can see the other members have given you lots of great advice. Not much I can add but your sats seem to be a bit on the low side, are you sure they are 86? Are you on any medication for your copd? Take care of yourself but most definitely stop smoking!!!!

[catherine54]

Yeh am sure...he gave me steriod tabs cant mind name begins with a d...to take a course...small white ones..x

[jimmyw123 in reply to catherine54]

welcome to the site cathy, i'm surprised you work in the respiratory ward.!! maybe that will be enough to keep you off the fags,in seeing some of the patients! . but stopping is really the best thing you can do, whatever way you do it, but as you'll see on the site it's perfectly possible , i'm an oap smoked god knows how many, up till a couple years ago, had a bad exasperation,pneumonia, collapsed lung, etc, stopped then, enough was enough, please don't go to that stage, as it will, if you smoke. frightening , blunt, but true cath.

the steroids are probably prednisone

best of luck cathie, stick in there

lots of caring love jimmy xxx

[catherine54]

Just started last week..yeh thats the name of them never had them its just one course...thank you.x

[warwickstag]

Catherine. If your sats don't improve with the pred, you should get an oxygen assessment as your major organs are at risk with sats in the mid 80's. Nothing to panic about but it needs addressing sooner rather than later.

[eastridingbigden]

Hi Cathy 54 copd does get worse has we get older has all our organs do, but stop smoking and you can live into your 80s no bother, get checked every year and try and keep away from getting chest infections. But you are only young you might not think you are, but when you think you have another 30 years ahead of you,you cans see that you are, dump the cigs hard but if you fight it you can do it I used to be on 60 a day 30 years ago before all these gadgets and help you can get do it by will power. Look at those you are looking after, that will keep you strong.All the best and have a nice christmas

[onamission]

Hi Cathy welcome to this site and well done for giving up smoking.

I was diagnosed 11 years ago and gave up smoking its the best thing I ever did, try not to read to much on COPD get your GP to send you on a PR course and take advise from them.

[snow54flake]

Hi Cathy I gave up the cigs using Champix 2012 was diagonised copd mod with onset emphysema and 58 per cent lung function in June 2013 Aug I went on a pr course for 12 weeks July 2014 I went on a passport to health in a gym for twelve weeks then continued in gym had my yearly check up June this year and my lung function has improved to 68 per cent keep on giving up the smokes love be Marian

[catherine54 in reply to snow54flake]

Brill...i am determined this time what is pr team..how do i go about it...i have been doing gym not pushing mysel....thank you for encouragment..x

[snow54flake]

Hi pr is pulmonary rehab we spent 1/2 hour excerise and 1/2 hour talking about healthy eating our medication and different aspects of copd you can get a referral from your copd nurse or your gp sometimes there is a waiting list it is very helpful and worth going to. I am 60 and smoked for 42 years also read the Allen Carr book giving up smoking very informative good luck Marian xx