living with copd

[johnreiddouglas]

I have severe copd ,am 70 y.o.male and have ondema, my stomach ballooned maybe 18 months ago and my ankles and even my wrists and have tried 1300/1400cals daily intake but to no avail what is wrong with me and has anybody any advice for me

[Hidden]

Would you be on steroids very often?

[annienell]

Hello John, I'm sorry to hear you are having such problems. I think this is something that you need to discuss with your GP or consultant, who would be able to examine you.

If you are in the UK you could telephone the BLF Helpline tomorrow. The nurses there are very experienced and may be able to offer some explanation/advice. The number is 03000 030 555 and I think they are open 9 to 5.

Best wishes, Annie

[Littlechoceclair]

Hi john Its quite common to have fluid retention when you suffer with COPD/Emphysema. I do myself. Its not a good thing to leave so go to your GP or Healthcare nurse . They will probably prescribe some Fluid Tablets to release it. It often happens due to your lungs/heart not pumping enough so the fluid gathers in places like hands, ankles legs. Dont leave it though as it needs to be looked into just to rule out anything bad.

[Kristicats]

Hope you can discuss this with your doctor. Meanwhile have you tried elevating the affected limbs, legs up above hip level arms up above heart level as often as you can throughout the day. Pillow under ankles in bed?

[BSA-3]

Good morning, I note that you mention your stomach 'ballooning'. Is it tight as a drum and very uncomfortable ? I ask this because as previously mentioned oedema is quite common with C.O.P.D. but fluid accumulating in the abdominal cavity is very specific to liver disease and a couple of other conditions. On the plus side, if it were to be ascites ( the name for it, ) I would expect you to have suffered with a lot of other symptoms prior to this, e.g. extreme fatigue, nausea, lack of appetite etc, as ascites is a symptom that occurs when the condition is advanced. I don't wish to be alarmist but as I suffer from cirrhosis my attention is always drawn to mention of fluid accumulation in the abdominal cavity. If the 'ballooning' is purely the result of good living, then all well and good ! 😁 Might I suggest a visit to the G.P.'s as a matter of some urgency to, at the very least, put your mind at rest. I am not a doctor but I know from experience just how bloody uncomfortable it is and if I can help someone else avoid the discomfort and the inevitable drains then I'm happy. Take care.

[BSA-3]

Hello again, I've just re-read your post and I must admit to not seeing the " ... 18 months ago ... ". Therefore, I'd like to add to my reply by saying that if you've had this 'ballooning' for that length of time then I would have thought it extremely unlikely that you are suffering with ascites. Again, I am not a doctor and I can only speak from experience but I would still recommend a G.P. visit. Sorry for any confusion. Take care.

[Ergendl]

My late husband Bob suffered from ballooning waist, which we discovered by accident was caused by cows milk. We could calm it down by using only soya milk, and then when he was back to his normal size, we could use goat and sheep milk (better taste, better calcium content) for everyday meals. You could try avoiding cows milk products for 2 week and see if your symptoms improve. And write a simple food and drink diary which includes symbols for your symptoms (eg: 0, +, ++, +++, XXX). All the best.

[donut43]

Maybe a blood pressure tablet may help. Certainly go to the GP and ask for help. There is also lots of info. on this site. There is an advice team to talk to as well. Good luck.

Dan

[Clamdigger]

Sorry to hear about what is going on.. Look up your medications and side effects.. One thing I was told the longer your on a medication the more side effects you get.. I ended up with problems and it was from a medication was on it for three years.. Went off the problem went away.... Plus talk to your Dr..