Emphysema and flare ups

[Poll61]

Hi I was diagnosed with emphysema and asthma September 21 so it's all still new to me , I havent smoked for 30 years but had covid bad in April 20 and already I have had 2 flare ups, the GP has given me rescue packs, my question is does anyone know why people get flare up and can I do anything to try and avoid it happening again.

TIA

[Hoobs]

Hi , Covid is enough to play havoc with even the healthiest of lungs so hopefully if you usually don't have flare ups then it will calm down after a while.

Tips to avoid flare ups - avoid people with colds etc as much as possible, a good handwashing regime, healthy eating, vitamin c & d supplements (after checking with gp) , stay away as much as possible from fumes, dust,pollen, etc, Vicks first defence or similar at the first sign of a cold (again after checking with gp) , as much exercise as possible and treat flare ups as soon as possible , which your gp seems to be doing.

[Poll61 in reply to Hoobs]

Thank you for your reply, doesn't help I suffer from hay fever aswell 🥺

[Hoobs in reply to Poll61]

No it's a bugger, along with the hot and humid weather, lots of people struggle with it. Not everybody is affected by the same things so it may take a while to work out what your triggers are.

[Poll61 in reply to Hoobs]

Thank you every bit of information helps

[corriena]

Unfortunatly we all have different triggers and it takes time to work out what yours are and they can change as time goes on. The one we find hard to avoid is atmospherical or trafic fumes ,fires ,factories and so on. If you live by a bussy road its hard to avoid. But as said looking after your general health exercise eating well and so on can all help. I hope you are feeling better soon

[Poll61 in reply to corriena]

Thankyou for your reply 🙂

[Thepainterswife]

Hi Poll61 , as everyone has said unfortunately there’s no magic formula to managing your condition . My husband has had emphysema for 17 years and we’re still learning ways of managing it ! I know it’s not what you want to hear , but if you follow the advice already given you stand the best chance of avoiding flare ups . Generally ( though not always) flare ups are caused by infection so you must take whatever steps you can to avoid infection and boost your immune system 😊

[Poll61 in reply to Thepainterswife]

Thankyou for your reply 🙂

[corriena in reply to Thepainterswife]

Sorry but not all flearups are caused by infection it can simply be a reaction to something you have unwitingly inhaled or maybe being rundown in general

[Thepainterswife in reply to corriena]

I think I did make that point in my reply ??

[corriena in reply to Thepainterswife]

Sorry i missed that bit, yes you did .

[Thepainterswife in reply to corriena]

No problem 😊