Had my spirometery

[cales]

Well had it done today and now have to go for a ct scan as it was a bad result she said I was more than severe 😳 so they have decided to get some more information on why it is so bad when the X-ray didn’t really show that amount of damage , little bit scared now 😢

[skischool]

Lesley,i know it is easy to say but try not to worry too much,the staging of Copd is very subjective and the differences between severe and very severe,the club i currently reside in can be quite different within any group of copd sufferers and the fact that your X-rays unlike mine which are like x rated movies appear to not show extensive damage bodes well.also on the day we can all perform differently on spirometry and the measurements sometimes appear worse than the actual condition is,so hang fire until you have had that ct scan and seen your consultant again as you may be reassured somewhat.

In the meantime i suggest a glass of vino is in order.

Love Ski's and Scruff's x

[cales in reply to skischool]

Thanks mike on my 2nd glass as we speak lol if in doubt or upset drown in wine it’s been proven to make me feel chilled out until the morning then it makes me feel like a china doll that might crack at any loud noise 😂 thank you lovely you never cease to cheer me up xxxx

[skischool in reply to cales]

That's the fighting spirit we like,sending paracetamol........for the morning x

[garshe in reply to skischool]

Totally agree. My spirometry results do not match the way I am .My consultant was baffled as told me I do not look or act like someone with the result of my test. It's just numbers .x Sheila

[Hidden]

My first thought on reading your post was that someone who is daft enough to tell a patient that she is more than severe whilst at the same time saying more information is required, is daft enough to have misread the result of the spirometer test. I suspect that those machines are losing their credibility as more people are reporting that they haven’t been used on their annual reviews. Take heed of my friend skischool . 😉

[cales in reply to Hidden]

Thank you don and you do make sense , maybe she gave me too much information without enough fact 😳

[Fleurbaby in reply to Hidden]

I believe you may be right don, that could explain the shock on EVERYONES faces, wherever I went with my walking frame, & as I have mentioned many times on here, my rapidly degrading health at certain times, has worried them! Spirometry not being as perfect as they thought........well! Makes sense! They keep putting my spirometry test (2)back all the time.

[Hidden]

Was this your first time doing spirometry? I am a very strong advocate of the idea that spirometry technique is something that is learnt over time, rather than being something everyone can do brilliantly from the get-go, and that a single spirometry reading in isolation is unlikely to be accurate to the extent of lung disease. It’s one of the reasons that children with chronic lung conditions are introduced to spirometry at the age of 6, at which point it’s then done at every single clinic attended and twice a week for the duration of any admission, but the numbers aren’t ‘relied’ upon in many instances until the child is 9 or 10 and their technique is solid and absolutely consistent. Aside from variance on the day due to how tired you are generally, how anxious you might be feeling about the test, how much sputum you may have, or where it’s stuck in the lungs, there are all sorts of other things that have to be got ‘right’ to get accurate lung function: taking a properly deep breath in that inflates all available areas of lung, blowing out as long and as hard as you possibly can, not double breathing, not coughing in the middle, not unconsciously letting the effort tail off, making sure that your posture is good. Whilst it’s not true for everyone, many people know they’ve given sufficient effort at the end of a blow because they either feel faint or their head hurts; you really do have to go at it that hard. Other things that have an impact are how many blows you did, how much time you were allowed to recover between each, what machine was used, whether it was calibrated correctly, and the training, experience and understanding of the person administering the spirometry. From what you’ve said, I’m not entirely convinced of that last bit in this instance, and my personal opinion is that undertaking spirometry should be left to physiologists or physiotherapists experienced with respiratory disease, but even then that doesn’t guarantee that they will get the administration right if their training and understanding are poor. It should also be noted that whilst generally you can’t get a false high, you can absolutely get false lows, so even with ‘good’ results, sometimes it’s helpful to consider that it’s x% or higher, rather than simply a result of x%.

I hope the ct appears quickly and you get the answers you need, but I would personally advocate restraint in getting too caught up in what this person told you, particularly if you’ve not done a lot of lung function testing before.

[cales in reply to Hidden]

Wow thank you for such a detailed reply , I have only ever done one spirometry before that was at diagnosis 7 years ago I didn’t do very well at it and the nurse doing it got irritated with me because I kept doing it wrong so yesterday I was anxious before I even got to my appointment, once again I wasn’t very good at doing this test, the forced breath out and keep going I kept coughing and the long normal breath I felt panicked when she was still saying keep going as it felt like I had no more left in my lungs to breath out , I know I am worse now than when I had the first one done 7 years ago but to now send me for a ct scan because they think I might be on the wrong treatment is somewhat frustrating and more than a bit worrisome xx

[Hacienda in reply to cales]

Hi Hun, Know how you Feel, had about 4 in Total, all horrible experience's, Felt like my Head was going to explode, it was the same young man each time with no Compassion. I also had the CT Scan a few times. I was Desperate to have my Inhalers of which we can't have for so may hours before and my Oxygen which is my Life line. Each time I thought "come on Girl you can do this" but it wasn't any easier. We have to do them and I will not shy away from my Next one. All part of our Lung process for The Consultants to Figure out ! All these Replies to you are Very Good and Offer all of us a Reminder of Spirometry and how to Tackle them in the Future. Hope you get a Good Result from your CT Scan. Be Strong , Be Positive and keep the Vino going. Love n Hugs C. XXX

[challny in reply to Hidden]

I am absolutely sure I got a false high reading on a spirometry test just a few days ago. I felt awful going in and felt I could not blow very well. Was expecting a terrible result (to mirror how I feel) but the doctor showed me the readout. I'm not even going to say what the number was, but it was high enough to thrill most COPD patients. Yet I'm sicker than I've ever felt in my life. Breathing is terrible. Often feel as I'm about to pass out. Haven't eaten solid food in two days. Now it's back to something I've heard too often, from both doctors and loved ones: It's all in your head. Pleas tell my lungs that.

[Bingo88]

Please try not to worry. I too are at the start of the journey. Had a cough. That led to shortness of breath. I through the cough found i have copd. And need a pacemaker. Then had the Spiro test, They told me i had a severe obstruction. Just had a blood test to check for Alpha 1. For Hereditary connection. Then see what else they throw at me. Pacemaker is scheduled for Sept 19th. Keep taking the Vino. Hope all will be ok for you BRIAN

[stamford1234]

It is good you are to have a CT scan then you will have a proper diagnosis. Spirometry is, in my opinion, a bit hit and miss. I really don't think my results have ever really reflected how I actually feel from day to day. I was diagnosed v serious, I certainly don't feel like that. I guess you don't smoke. Look after yourself, avoid pollution and people with colds, do some exercise and eat well. Don't forget your flu jab and your pneumonia jab. Good luck with the scan, I hope you din't have to wait too long

[skischool in reply to stamford1234]

Stamford spirometry,done correctly by suitably qualified technicians in the correct hospital environment is the gold standard for the diagnosis of copd within the Nhs at this present time so it is not really hit and miss though as others have stated you can perform badly on the day and other factors may contribute to false results.

Ct scans are routinely used by consultants to get an overall snapshot of the distribution of your disease and as a tool for managing it's treatment.your other advice re exercise and healthy living is spot on and will certainly slow progression.

[stamford1234 in reply to skischool]

I agree entirely. I have had a number of spiros all carried out in differing ways. Must have got the short straw!

[tracyglenn]

my first one was 19% and i recently had the EBV valves put in my upper left lung area it will take 6 to 12 months before i will be able to tell a difference in breathing and being able to do more activity as of now i cant do much at all without short of breath and panic my pft test a few days after valves were in place was 21% so a little better praying i can get off oxygen soon and enjoy the rest of my life..