Something that's been bugging me - I sometimes wonder if it is a good thing to know that ones got COPD. It seems to me that one start to worry once you know. The more you worry the faster you deteriorate. I'm not talking about those who still smoke - their Dr. should tell them that that their lungs are not well and they should stop immediately. I think there are many people quietly dying at a ripe old age that never knew they had it. Stats say anyway that only half the people who's got it, are diagnosed. Maybe the Dr should just say "your lungs are getting older and you should start to use a bit of medicine for that and please come for regular vaccinations as prescribed."
Once you hear the word emphysema you Google. When I Googled I ran down the street to arrange my funeral and did not stop worrying since.
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Pietba
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Yes unfortunately we don't have anything like that in South Africa - I'm now trying to motivate myself and I am borderline stage 1/2 I believe. Do anyone know where one can get a write up of what they do with the Pulmonary rehab?
Thank you will find them. I did ask around a while ago at hospitals but the only answer I got was that there is not enough people to start such a rehab group.
Being told when you are 'borderline stage 1/2' is a helpful wake-up call, Pietba. It gives you plenty of time to alter your lifestyle to keep yourself as well and stable as possible.
Hopefully, you won't need to make those funeral arrangements for a good while yet.
My wife is a gerontologist and she laughed at my fears - Her comment was that she has seen many very old people with COPD that lived way longer than other old people - Her comment was everyone has to die of something - These medical people don't have a lot of sympathy you know . I did however stop with the funeral arrangements - lol - Must just get my mind right because I still get these mini panic attacks.
I'm delighted you cancelled the funeral arrangements, Pietba! Plenty of time before you need worry...just keep out of the way of traffic, etc!!
Most medics seem to be divided into two camps when it comes to their families....over protective or completely offhand! Probably easier to live with the second 😄
We all cope with it as best we can but I think we are better knowing what ails us. I used to get regular but brief excruciating chest pain; I seldom get it now but when I do; I have an idea of what it is & for me that helps me to manage it. X
To be honest i know i copd and a few things els as well but i do not worry over it st might live 20 more years or my be 1 year just like if i did not have it who knows noburdy knows so i live for today and tommoero will look after irs self have anice day and do not worry as no good for you .take care all
-I know you are right David and I feel exactly the same way. I know we all have to leave here one day as a result of something so I live for today because that is the only sure thing we have and am not a worrier but I might be if I get so I have a very difficult time breathing--that is the day when the oxygen will be attached to me.
Not perhaps the best person to respond, I always like to know EVERYTHING. My problem was the other way round: I knew there was something seriously wrong in my chest and was endlessly being fobbed off by patronising doctors, in the end I was right and they were wrong. By then I knew so much that the dx could hold no horrors for me.
Hello. I'm not into stoning people. 😮 You know I'm pretty sure my nan had COPD. She was a smoker for at least six decades. Eventually, the doctors persuaded my dad to make her stop smoking. I knew it was bad for her but I felt so sad for her because she was so miserable. She was never diagnosed. But they just said ciggies were bad for her heart. She lived to be 86.
The best thing to do is not let your COPD control your life. Do what you can when you can. At a slow pace. And enjoy life. You can live to a good old age.. If you take your medication eat healthly and exercise.
What wonderful advice Nottobad-- Life is too short to ruin what we have left worrying all the time so I work away at a slow pace and make the best with what I have to work with. We all know we're going to be gone a very long time so enjoy now and enjoy it as best we can.
Hi of course you need to know if you have a chronic illness because you need to learn to look after your lungs. If you didn't know you would be in a far worse situation as you wouldn't know to lead a healthy lifestyle would you and get exacerbations attended to immediately.
The mistake you made was googling indiscriminately so just stick to recognised sites such as this one and the NHS.
Oh and I am sure every smoker these days knows all about the damage smoking can cause without being told they will make their lungs worse by a medical professional. That would be very patronising unless it was said to a very young or a stupid person! x
Pietba. I was diagnosed with COPD four years ago. Like you I thought my days must be numbered, but here I am with the right medication and living a fairly normal life. In SA you might not have the internet advantages we have here, but you do have the benefit of a warm, sunny climate. That is a great blessing for lung sufferers.
I viewed my COPD diagnosis as a relief! This is because for a number of years I had "undiagnosed breathing issues". To not have any understanding by myself or others what was going on I found soul destroying. So to get a diagnosis and have things start to make sense has really helped me.
But everyone is different and I understand that for some people the diagnosis itself can be frightening.
I know what you mean Pietbe, I often think that too, but, we need to be told, or else we ignore it and carry on smoking.I wasn't told I had it after a Spiro I had at least twelve years ago. The nurse at the time told me my results were only slightly lower than expected for my age.
I was just told by my Docter that I had to stop smoking because, if I didn't, my breathing would get so bad, I could end up virtually helpless and needing looking after.
It scared me enough to stop smoking for two years but, because I was obviously in the very mild stage at the time of the Spiro, and I didn't know I actually had emphysema, I slowly forgot about it and got back on the cigs.
A scan, six years later, revealed the Emphysema with Fev of 68%
So, although being told feels carp, at least it gives us the opportunity to slow down/halt the damage. xx
Hopefully halt / seen guys on here that says they are now the same as 12 years ago
I cant exercise too much as I had a hip replacement and don't want another op in 10 years or so. I walk the dog up a hill with a fairly steep incline and the total track is about 4 km (2.8 Miles)
Yes thank you - Your story much similar than mine - Had a Spiro when I was 50 - Dr then said my lungs was 97% of expected - When they now tested me at 58 my fev1 varied between 67%- 76% in 4 blows - The pulmonologist did extra blows because my results varied so much. He gave that round purple inhaler with cortisone. Can work a whole day in the garden over weekends so I suppose I'm not too bad. Did find however if I carry very heavy things like a bag of cement from the Patrol to the backyard I get out of breath. Walking the dog is fine. Normal gardening is fine. Going up a 1.9 Km (1.2 Miles hill) sometimes make me rest when its cloudy. No problem when its not cloudy.
So, so love the typo. Feeling 'carp' is brilliant. Shall adopt it for constant use. Nothing like feeling like a big stupid fish when we are down. Sing Ho for predictive text. Any others while we are it?
Yes, we were similar with diagnosis. I'm not as fit as you,mainly down to other conditions that limit my exercise capacity. Walking up the slightest incline has me in agony with leg pain which, then makes me more breathless. Well, I think it does.
I have the carrying heavy things problem too, only I put it down to the same other conditions. It's the silly things that catch me out, like when I grabbed my ten year old grandson's legs to drag him off the sofa, I was gasping for breath in seconds. It's quite alarming really, heaven knows how people further on in the disease cope.
Your doing good and keeping fit and that's all that matters once we dump the cigs. xx
Used to play table tennis at a fairly high level - Must take a rest now after every round for about a minute if my competitor stretch me - so to finish a game takes me 5 minutes longer as we always play best out of 5. But we should not complain we are maybe blessed for still be able to play.
Thank you every one for all your replies- I feel way better than this morning - And the good Lord willing we will all live till the day we die as full as possible.
A diagnosis of COPD is not very helpful because there are several types: some are very aggressive and rapidly debilitating and may need urgent treatment (e.g. with steroids), others progress steadily but most mainly cause mild breathlessness which can be controlled with pulmonary rehab help and just put you at higher risk from pneumonia if you get 'flu' (so make sure you get the jab) but don't necessarily shorten your life.
The main thing is to stay as active as you can for as long as you can – and then let your computer do the walking...
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CAN ANYONE GIVE ME SOME ADVICE PLEASE
The bottom half of both of my lungs are "dead", can anybody please give me any advice?
heartfelt thanks
