COPD + central heating

[adapting]

Hi All,

I have mild COPD, I don't tolerate any medication and to be honest I stopped doing any of the breathing exercises some time ago. In summer it gets really bad in hot weather, now as it gets a bit chilly and I have turned the central heating on, I can on tolerate letting the place warm up a bit before it's affecting my breathing so I have to turn it off, wondering how I am going to cope in the winter.

Does anyone else have similar issues, or know why this happens?

I never had a CT scan, I was diagnosed by spiro, and lung x-ray showed they were enlarged. I don't know if I have asthma but pollution and things like perfume affect me

[Troilus]

Hi adapting!I have a Dyson air purifier I use more or less all year round. In the summer months for pollens etc and during the winter months it cools the room and makes it easier to breathe when the heating is on. It is useful because it has a temperature display which helps you to work out which is the best temperature for you. For me, that is no more than 22-23 degrees, which is plenty warm enough!

I’m also susceptible to perfumes etc and it has this nice added feature when running on auto - it detects the chemicals in the perfume and kicks of big time!

You mention you were diagnosed by spirometry and x-ray. Did they test for asthma by any chance?

[adapting in reply to Troilus]

No, I didn't know there was a separate test for asthma?

[Troilus in reply to adapting]

It is sort of the same test. Once you have done all of the tests ( Spirometry), they give you a couple of puffs off a blue inhaler. You wait a little while, then do a couple more blows into the spirometry machine.If your results (fev1 to be precise) increases by more than 200 ml or 12%, it is classed as asthma.

[ck101]

I like you am mild, I don’t tolerate most inhaled meds either. I find however a puff of Becotide a few times a day calms the inflation and makes my lungs less twitchy. I find a humidifier works well when the heatings on. Dyson do a good one but it’s expensive.

[B0xermad in reply to ck101]

Hi it may seem daft but I put the heating on and open a window slightly to help with any dust it may blow up from radiators to keep the air better,I am also a believer in the breathing exercises as they help me level myself

[anng18]

I get affected by the central heating being on. Although this sounds a bit mad, I open windows to help me. Not all over the house, as my husband would freeze, but in a room I'm sitting in.However, having said this, the humidity has been so high in the lst few days, I've put the heating on to try and adjust the humidity. Really need to get a de-humidifier or even better - climate control!

[adapting in reply to anng18]

I know I do the same, heating on and windows open