A word of encouragement for newly diagnosed COPD sufferers,I was diagnosed in 2017 after a spirometry test revealed Fev1 of 84% after several chest infections,I have never smoked and the cause was thought to be industrial,I took early retirement in 2016, I am also obese,arthritic knees,diabetic and high blood pressure.
In January 2018 my results had worsened to fev1 of 79%,gained more weight and had suffered 4 consecutive chest infections within 3 months,I was told in no uncertain terms to buck my ideas up by the practice nurse,so I decided to change the way I do things from then on.
I started breathing exercises from off you tube, follow a fairly strict 1500 calorie a day diet with no junk food,very minimal alcohol,I now swim for roughly 30-40 mins a session 3 times a week built up over 3 months and today I have just been back to the nurse, I have lost 2 stones in weight,my BP is almost acceptable but my fev1 was 89%,better than when I was first diagnosed.
The upshot of it all is things can get slightly better but never cured,it's taken a lot off effort and some harsh words from the nurse and my caring family plus lots of good advice from this forum but it's worth it in the end so please ,it's not the end of the world i have still a long way to go but we'll on the right track,hope this helps.
What I didn't know
I have COPD, no other info. Is this normal?
Always ill !! Always up docs ....another illness to add to my list !!
Symbicort
