Diagnosed with copd in Dec last year in hospital two weeks then with pneumonia then again for two weeks in June again with pneumonia.
Had been incredibly stupid and carried on smoking like a fool throughout.nearly killed me.
Quit smoking it's been 3 months and I've smashed it,don't miss it and won't go back,not bad considering been smoking 40 plus a day for forty years.
Moving on have been exercising losing some weight and generally have been feeling relatively good am back at work,am a pub landlord.
Basically have been feeling better than I have done for sometime.
Went to London on Sunday to see Arsenal play and felt terrible struggled to walk from the car to the stadium and was dreading the walk back,this in turn made me really anxious and again struggled,I could taste the smog in my mouth and my chest was burning throughout,returned to the countryside were I now live and started to feel much better,but am still feeling chesty and breathing can be hard at times,have been using my ventolin a lot but am still struggling to breath and lots of gunk being coughed up.
What I'm basically worried about is the fact that I seem o have gone backwards since my trip to London on Sunday,will I return to were I was before I went?
I seemed to be doing so we'll now worried again.
Nige.
Written by
Knobby
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Knobby,Sounds like you have been doing all the right things to improve your health,With giving up the fags and extra exercise and losing a bit of weight plus your job is probably quite demanding,maybe you have just picked up a bit of infection and your recent trip to London and the environment of a footy match with crowds of people has taken its toll.I am sure you will get back to your improved healthy status.
Perhaps a trip to the docs might be a good idea just to get your chest listened to and put your mind at rest.One final word of advise become a Chelsea fan like me and watch them on the telly its safer than going to the big smoke and on occasions we win and are all relatively healthy.............................regards skis and a blue cat x
Well done on beating the tobacco. All that is needed now is to cure you of Arsenalitis!
Sounds as though the trip out in the smog was not a good idea but that on it's own should not have caused any permanent damage. If you are worried please do see your doctor.
Hi.....after a recent sightseeing trip on an open top bus in London my breathing and chest was aweful. From no cough to a hacking cough which has lasted many many weeks.
I had nearly got over this horrendous experience when I picked up a chest infection. After various medications am at last starting to get back to normal ........time wise it's been about three months since the day trip to London.
I've lived in London for over 60 years, close to Highbury and supported Arsenal for most of that time. Also had "bad chest" (as they used to say) for as far back as I can remember, always blamed on smoking by GPs. After a bad bout of pneumonia five years ago (probably not the first one), I insisted on a referral to a specialist and was finally diagnosed last year with bronchiectasis, which I've had since I was about 5 as a result of childhood TB or whooping cough and decades of the wrong treatment for recurring infections/exacerbations. A comedy of errors for decades. Maybe comedy not the right word! I remember crawling to the football at times, struggling for breath but feeling much better on the way back. Exercise is always the key, bit of singing, bit of shouting, bit of jumping up and down! The worst thing to do is to sit still.
I was there on Sunday, there has been a shift in weather here from being wet and cold for weeks so the ground's not drying up, low cloud, now persistent wind and some sun bringing a lot of damp detritus up into the air. So, there is dust, spores, more dust, more traffic fumes from those returning from hols and racing around in vehicles of all descriptions. If it's any consolation, loads of people are coughing here. (I carry antibacterial hand gel now.) Everyone has a cold. (I take First Defence now if I feel any sign of snuffles or tickles.) I sound like a foghorn at the moment. I always win the bus coughing competition and hide and seek is out of the question. (I get a sputum test now if I think I am getting a chest infection and have antibiotics to hand, no more waiting and hoping it will go away.)
Even the fit, non-smoker Teresa May has got it. Sadiq Khan has said that London has the most toxic air in ... the universe! I can feel it, I felt it on Sunday. It's easing off a bit now, no rain for four days! Holloway Road has always been poisonous but at least it's not Tottenham High Road - hell. Strangely, saying all that, it's not getting me breathless at the moment. I'm learning to adapt better now I have the proper diagnosis, it's made me manage my illness much better, I don't panic now. I play for me in goal, defence and attack, the midfield is the health system. The opposition is the bugs.
It's always busy here but September to mid October is the most intense time in London. Everyone that lives here is here, going to work, school, business or just wandering around, plus the commuters who travel here, plus the tourists for the plethora of events and attractions, plus conference season, plus universities going back, the football season, etc, etc. The air in London is always a shocker for most visitors, black snot is the usual first sign, itchy eyes, sore throat. I get a physical shock when I go to the countryside, it's like being on another planet, takes me days to adjust, sleeps, wheezy, etc! You've made a lot of changes to your lifestyle quickly, you're body is adjusting, don't worry, it takes time.
When you come to London, don't rush around, give yourself plenty of time, stop for tea, find a bit of green space (there's so many) to sit, stare or people watch. Park earlier and walk on side roads. Even it's a longer route, you'll find a lot of beauty there and might find ordinary Londoners. Breathe shallow breaths through your nose. NO deep breaths in traffic. Get an A to Z not an app and weave through, London is lovely to walk through and smaller than you think, avoid the tube, take the Overground or the bus. If you cough or wheeze or have to take it slow no-one gives a shit! Wear a mask if you want, same, no one will take any notice.
I've been following the posts on this site for a year or so and this is my first post. Had to defend Arsenal, London and ex-smokers too. Smoking is not always the cause of bad lungs.
Up the Gunners.
Hi I found London very polluted. I was sick all the time I worked there 14 years. I loved it but I am so much better since I left to countryside and fresh air..
I had a COPD exacerbation on the train going to Birmingham this week. The carriage heaters were blowing out fumes from the diesel engines. and I was sitting right by a vent. Fortunately a short journey - I was able to recover once I was out in the fresh air.
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