Help about your COPD and what stage your at

[Joward]

Can anyone help for me to understand stages my doctor does this a different way mild. medium. severe . and very severe . He said I'm the top end and he doesn't have any answers but the good thing he's ask the nurse to send me to the hospital breathing clinic I swim . walk dog . good to work . I do a lot exercise and so I'm determined to keep fit. Just not no if I doing to much or its just me but I'm tired all the time bloods are ok and so is blood pressure just feel inflated if that's the right word love jo

[Hidden]

Hi that is the normal way of describing stages. Mild is when your FEV1 (lung function) is between 80-90%, moderate is 50-79%, severe 30-49% and very severe under 30%. 90-100% is just considered a variation of the norm. If you have been told your FEV1 is at the top end it means you are mild. This is good news coz while copd is progressive, leading a healthy lifestyle can keep it from progressing much or very slowly. I am mild and my doctor told me old age would get me before copd did. x

[Joward in reply to Hidden]

Thanks he said top end of very severe my peak flow today is 230 that's not bad is this bad or good love jo

[Hidden]

All i can say is you are doing the right thing that is all you can just keep it up for as long as you can but do not over dow it as there is allways tommorow

[squady]

my doctor sad bronchiectasis would not take me out but the heart would I now have severe stage 3 copd and paf at least I have my box paid for

[rubyred777]

Hi Jo, Sounds like you're doing excellent for severe stage copd. Just keep doing what you're doing.😊 What type of work do you do? Hows your oxygen level? Maybe you need to slow down, just a wee bit. Don't know all your details, so hard to say. 😊 Rubyxx

[Joward in reply to rubyred777]

Hi Ruby this is the problem I'm having with my doctor and nurse I don't know how to do oxygen levels I'm just on my own as they don't tell me anything I work as a housekeeper for the homeless all over the city cleaning kitchens .bathroom. and T.V. rooms there are around about 40 shared houses and clean bedrooms when they become empty so new clients get clean room and fridge. And report repairs it a activity job and the homeless are not the clearest people in the world but we have around about 4 houses that you can eat your dinner of the kitchen table it's very clean most house are six or seven bedroom house so they are very big to do in one day so it's can take two or three days to do some bedsit and we have 6 one bedroom apartments that are new if this answers one question I swim most mornings and walk dog at 6.o'clock after work but last November when they changed my inhaler I stopped walking and swimming because I got to breathless I started two months ago and it's doing me good I'm getting tired a lot but I think that's worrying about to many things that once I've been doing driving lessons and trying to do the written test as well and I've decided to stop all of it as I think that's the problem that's all about me and how a 're you coping with your COPD love jo

[Hidden]

Hi Jo

I have recently been diagnosed with severe copd, and like you was very confused with the diagnosis. Firstly this site is your best help to answer all your questions. Everyone here will do their best to answer all your queries as they have mine.

I'm severe but am very fit for my age. I didn't realise I had a problem until my doctor told me. There are some people who are severe and very severe my dr told me who are unable to get out of bed in the morning and there are others like me where it dosent Impact too much on my lifestyle. And there are the many in between. This disease effects everyone very different as I've found out. And you appear to be better like me than some. So keep on doing what you do take notice of what the respiratory nurse tells you . As my doctor said to me she will treat the patient in front of her not the disease.

This site will answer all the questions you may forget to ask the dr and nurse.

Best of luck

Oysterbay

[Joward in reply to Hidden]

Hi oysterbay thanks for your message I've found it helpful and would like to keep in touch with you as I think we're alike with fitness and COPD and life style if that's ok love Jo thanks for all your support and kind words to you and all the members on this site

[2pray4us]

good afternoon Joward, its nice that you are so active in the stage that you are, yes your doctor should sit you down and explain not just the stage that you are in but the seriousness of it as well. Let you know your dos and your donts. I have stage 4 copd, which is very serious and I go to temple lung center in pa. every 3months to see my doctor, which I'm going on the list for a lung transplant soon. But it is great there and so are the doctors and they explain everything to you very well. They always make the patient the priority in their happiness. You should learn all you can about this disease, it is powerful, more then you think.

[Joward]

My doctor said top end of very severe but I'm very active but I have times when they change my inhaler that I find I can't do anything I even find it hard going to work or walking around. I wish they would do this in the summer months as they seem to change inhaler and that breathing test in the winter I've just told the doctor I'll not be doing the test and changing anything in the winter he is sending me to the COPD clinic at the hospital so hopefully they can help with inhaler because I'm the only one that that doctors he has not looked that any help for me there is a COPD clinic at a doctors 2 miles away and I'm going to see if I can go to there COPD clinic but not change doctors cross fingers hope your o.k. do you walk and exercise to keep fit I try my hardest to keep fit and healthy I need to lose weight as I know that helps last year I was 11.5 stone and they changed inhaler November and I've go up to 12.7 and is taken me two months to lose weight I'm 12.3 hope to lose weight it helps love Jo.

[lauralav in reply to Joward]

Hi Jo, I suggest that you get an oximeter to measure your blood oxygen levels. They are quite affordable online I got mine from Amazon. Then you can measure your levels under different circumstances ie resting, after exercising after a days work etc. It would give you a very good indication as to whether you are doing too much or not. I find it very useful. I was diagnosed 12 years ago and lived a fairly normal life until 3 months ago when I had to be admitted to hospital with a lung infection which had a devastating effect on my COPD and I'm now on oxygen 16 hrs a day. Hoping that changes to less next appointment. Getting better everyday and I find the oxymeter very reassuring. Hope you too are finding things easier to cope with. Good luck

Laura x

[Joward in reply to lauralav]

Thanks Laura ill look on site for that hopefully you'll be getting better soon love jo

[seyre]

Exercise is the best thing. Pulmonary rehab at the hospital is wonderful. They e plain everything and you get the chance to discuss with other people in the sa e situation. Good luck. Sue e

[Clamdigger]

I found on google the stages of COPD that might help ..

[lisajawea46]

Hi Joward, thanks for asking this. I wondered too about stages. I try not to think about it too much because Im trying to improve my "stage " all the time. It looks like you are too.😊 Tomorrow I will find out about tests last week. Wonder what stage this time 😲 Either way we keep on keepin on. Good luck to you. Keep moving, and if you an take 20 min power naps. Im not a nap person but find resting with eyes closed helps.