recently diagnosed mild COPD after spirometry

[ToffeeBlue]

Hi I am ToffeeBlue. I am a 75 year old male who was diagnosed with Mild COPD in 2021 after 2 years with Asthma symptoms. I was very fit for my age, having ran 59 marathons up to 2019 and about 150 half marathons. This my condition was a great shock to me. I was a social smoker for about ten years but I quit completely 35 years ago. I feel very depressed with living with this condition but I am trying to keep myself as active as possible. Is there anybody elsewhere on the Forum who has a similar profile to me? Can you give me hope that I can still have an active life going forward and thus slow down the progression of this disease? Sharing experiences and support would be most welcome

[DrewNY]

Be as active as possible, take your meds as directed, breathing exercises help tremendously, I like one called Aerobika. Keep a positive attitude and fight back. Best to you!

[ToffeeBlue in reply to DrewNY]

Many thanks, Drew NY. Good advice and the key importance of keeping a positve attitude and fighting back. I have done this throughout my running career. You take care too

[Patk1 in reply to ToffeeBlue]

My son is doing his 1st marathon nxt year( london).you must be very fit.sometimes we need to move our goalposts+ lower expectations..easier said than done,at times!ea infection further damages lungs so keeping as well as possible is key.avoid people with coughs,colds,viruses etc or protect yrself as best u can - viruses can result in exacerbations + poss bacterial infections in lung disease.best to treat quickly + see if gp will give u rescue meds to keep at home x

[jackdup]

if you are 75 and your COPD is mild and you stay active it may never progress enough to change your quality of life. I was already moderate when I was diagnosed and 18 years later am still moderate although at the bottom of the moderate range. If you can stay away from getting the flu or other respiratory infections it will go a long way to slowing the progression. If it took 35 years to get to where you are, which is only mild, further progression could also be very slow. Of course there are never any guarantees but odds are good if you continue to exercise and stay active, eat nutritiously, and stay away from respiratory infections you may never get substantially worse as the progression will likely continue to be slow.

[ToffeeBlue in reply to jackdup]

Hi Jackdup.

Many, many thanks for your considered and very encouraging reply. I have found this to be very reassuring positive. I am very pleased to hear that you are managing your disease so well over a period of 18 years. As you say keeping exercising , pushing your self and eating well then I have a good chance of retaining a decent quality of life. I did, recently pick up a bad viral chest infection, the first for about 20 years. It will take time to recover from this, but my strength is coming back. Your advice of trying to avoid respiratory infections is wise council and I think that I need to be more cautious in trying to avoid these perils in going forward. You have to, of course balance this with the need to seek and retain social interaction. I do find this forum so helpful and positive and it is so good to be a member. Look after yourself too and stay well

[jackdup in reply to ToffeeBlue]

Thank you and you too and yes I agree social interaction is also important

[Mellywelly]

Crikey you must be fit running all those marathons. Getting your meds right for you is the biggest step and I'm sure someone else on this great forum can give you better advice as I am still trying to get mind right. 😉 good luck chook 👍

[ToffeeBlue in reply to Mellywelly]

Hi Melly,

Many thanks for your kind reply, and, yes, getting the right meds is the biggest step in getting on the right path, and I do hope that you will also get the appropriate meds that you need. It is very difficult to get access to this, because I live in Wales and even getting access to a GP varies massively and it is often based upon what NHS Heath Board you live under. Getting swift access to specialised consultant referrals is even more uneven.

When it comes to sport and exercise in your life, it depends on what sport/exercise is right for you. Yes, I could run long distances but when it came to sprinting, cycling, swimming etc, I was useless at.

Good luck to you too. and keep safe and well.

Best wishes

Royston

[Superzob]

The diagnosis doesn’t change who you are, it simply enables medical professionals to treat the condition. If the condition isn’t affecting you, then that won’t change with the diagnosis, but correct treatment should slow progress of COPD (and also keep the asthma under control).

The most important point to remember is that everyone’s lungs deteriorate over time, and the diagnosis of COPD is based on a comparison with the so-called 95percentile population, taking account of age, height, gender, etc; so you would expect everyone’s lungs to deteriorate as they get older. If you’ve got mild COPD then yours has probably deteriorated no more than 10% compared to the 95%tile range, and around 5% of people have normal lung function even though they are outside this range. My lung age (90) hasn’t changed in the 8 years since I was first diagnosed with moderate/severe COPD (though I never smoked and the only symptoms were incessant winter colds!), so I suspect the treatment has stabilised it (which is obviously what you want any treatment to do); my actual age (73) is gradually catching up with my lungs! So it’s entirely possible that, with the right treatment, your lungs will simply deteriorate at the same rate as everyone else’s and remain at the mild COPD level.

[ToffeeBlue in reply to Superzob]

Many thanks for such a caring and considered response, Superzob. I do take great encouragement and strength from your comments and the very wise way that you have analysed your own condition and experience. . I do hope that you too will continue to slow down the progression and the treatment continues to stabilise it. That's my aim too. Keep well and continue to engage with life

[Patk1]

I always accept diagnoses as positive,when u know what u have you can access treatments suited to u.i hope they can ease Yr symptoms + allow u to remain active xx

[ToffeeBlue]

Hi Gleninninindy

Many thanks for your kind comments and respect, but, like any other form of exercise, it is finding one that suits you. You do not have to run to keep your self active. For example I would find cycling, going to the gym very demanding. Keep yourself well.

[Ergendl]

Hi, ToffeeBlue. I was diagnosed with moderate COPD in 2015, and joined this forum around that time. People posted lots of tips on how they looked after their condition, avoided colds and flu, and got fitter, and I tried almost all . I also started running a weekly singing for lung health group which is still going.

At my last respiratory check up, my COPD had improved to mild, with FEV1 at the lower end of normal. I still have COPD, but it doesn't affect me in my day to day activities. I just have to pace myself and take care when I'm making my body work harder.

The best piece of advice I got from here was from member Toci, who said, don't commit suicide by sofa.

[ToffeeBlue in reply to Ergendl]

Hi Ergendl,

Many thanks for you reply and very encouraging comments. You are quite inspirational in how you are managing your condition and still having a good quality of life. I totally share your view about keeping very active. I will push my self with my walking and other activities, as well as keeping my brain active too. I am similar to you in being retired as a secondary head teacher, I still wok for Cambridge University in setting examination papers. I really like what you are doing re running a weekly singing for lung health group and I will see if there is a similar group near me.

Keep us informed about your progress . Indeed I will not commit suicide by sofa.

Kind regards

ToffeeBlue

[Ergendl in reply to ToffeeBlue]

If there isn't a singing for lung health group near you, ToffeeBlue, why not start one yourself? I can send you copies of my session plans and explain how to get going. Visit my singing group's website breathebettersing.uk to find out what we get up to.

Wishing you all the best.

[Kristicats]

Sensible advice on here from people in the same situation . I feel key is to not dwell on it, keep active and keep your distance from peeps with colds and chest infections to keep it at bay. Oh and try to keep your weight healthy.You may still be just mild at the end of your life if you follow the advice. Don’t google too much as usually not a true picture. Take care Christi

[ToffeeBlue in reply to Kristicats]

Hi Kristi and many thanks for taking the time to reply to me. I find this very encouraging. I did have my first major flare up six weeks ago when I visited my brother in Liverpool I have not seen him for four years. Still struggling to clear myself from it. Weight is a problem for me as I am still under-weight, despite eating very healthily.

You take care too on your path and let us know how you are getting on.