As you will see by the title I'm new to this community having been diagnosed with COPD ( EMPHYSEMA ) yesterday. This diagnosis came as something of a relief as I thought I had IPF, which I believe has a worse prognosis. I don't know what stage I am at but ,judging by my mildish symptoms, I'm not too advanced. Consultant is arranging for spirometry etc . so I will soon know.
Like others I was previously only able to find American sites which, whilst informative, covered some inapplicable subjects.
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ElTope
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Hi welcome to the site I should say ditto as I have copd/emps buy also asthma not sure where I am waiting to go to pumolary rehab there's a lot of support and caring on this site hope your results are good ones take care x
Welcome from me too Eltope. This is a great place to be for help, advice and everything lung related I should think. Everyone speaks from the heart.
Welcome to you and hope you find lots of info on this great site. People are very kind and supportive. Xxx
Hi nice to meet you. I'll bet it was a relief to have copd rather than IPF. This is a horrible disease with a much worse prognosis than copd.
If you are mild or even high moderate then don't worry too much please. As long as you are aware that you have a chronic condition it is very controllable and doesn't usually progress quickly. I was diagnosed mild at the age of 56 and now at 62 I am still mild. My doctor told me not to worry because the chances are something else would get me first ie old age x
It's a scary diagnosis ( I have all 3 aspects of copd) but there's a lot you can do to help yourself which is the best way of managing the condition if you have it.
Get as much inforamtion and support from respiratory nurses and/or the COPD team as you can and take their advice on all matters. If you're not satisfied with your meds or aren't sure what they're for, the nurses are the best people to discuss with. They seem to have more time than GPs
Another great help is Pulmonary Rehabilitation which the nurses or GP can refer you for
A further good source of help and information is the British Lung Foundation
Welcome EITope. I was 79 when I was diagnosed with COPD. I think it might be an advantage to be so much older because of the fact that your metabolism slows up and stops the disease from rushing on too quickly. Just a thought. Good luck to you.
Welcome to the site. We are all here to support you. Please ask if you have any questions cus someone on here will have an answer for you. Let us know when you've had your test done and know what stage your at. Take care x
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Joan is a Newby
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