Could emphysema have been diagnosed earlier

[Python22]

Hi all I had an xray earlier this year which showed something on the left lung I was told it would be 7-10 days this was on a Friday, the following Monday I had a phone call from my Gp who had booked an emergency CT scan with contrast for the Tuesday morning and an appointment to see consultant that afternoon which sent bells ringing I was told negative on COPD and shadows were nodules and nothing to worry about.

Had another CT last week and seen consultant this week when it was confirmed COPD emphysema I'm just wondering if it could of been spotted at first CT.

Best wishes

Ian

[Hidden]

Yes I would have thought it should have been picked up on the first CT scan, but maybe the damaged area is very small and the GP couldn't spot it. The consultant is a lung expert don't forget though and the GP isn't.

The only other explanation I can see is that you could be borderline copd. As your lung function can vary by a few points at any given time you can slip in and out of the copd range. This happened to me sometimes when I was first diagnosed.

I would rather you didn't have it though and I bet you would too!

[Walrus22 in reply to Hidden]

Hi lil thanks for the reply hun I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy still trying to come to terms with it. It was a consultant that first told me i didn't have it, And seen a different one this time as he showed me the CT scan results thankfully I can read x-rays/scans and judging from what I saw and he described there,s definitely long term damage.

Best wishes

Ian x

[Hidden in reply to Walrus22]

You are very welcome. I know diagnosis comes as a big shock but the good news is it sounds like your copd is mild. In this stage and the moderate one it is very manageable and you will learn to cope with it.

I am mild and have been since diagnosis 9 years ago so while it is a progressive illness it is usually very slow if you lead a healthy lifestyle. The only problems I get is being out of breath (sob) more especially on hills and steps. And feeling more tired. Having said that I am sure some of it is old age!

My doctor told me that something else would get me long before the copd did ie old age. Most people these days die with copd rather than because of it.

[2greys]

It is possible. Have you actually seen your CT scan and taken a journey down through each level? They are nothing like a X Ray, perhaps a way to describe it is like a view of space with with stars relating to your Alveoli, very difficult to make a diagnosis when very mild. I have seen mine, I have severe Emphysema, from the neck down to my the base of my sternum it shows nothing just a black empty space it is not until the bottom third of my lungs that "the stars"/Alveoli start to show up.

Next time you see your consultant ask him to show it to you and you will see what I mean, the actual scan is interpreted by the Radiographer first, which then gets passed to the consultant who then decides on your treatment and sends a letter to your GP telling him/her the diagnosis and type of drugs to prescribe, to GP will then have a choice of brands of the said types to prescribe to you.