Hi my husband is having tests for his lung condition, possible mild copd, he has smoked for 30+years and vaped for 16 months. Both stopped now. He’s had a clear X-ray ct scan and echocardiogram. He has been given a salbutamol and frostair inhalers and has to measure his peak flow for two weeks. However, he has permanent chest discomfort and is scared to go for a walk because he has had recent exacerbations where he couldn’t breathe or talk whilst walking and even yesterday he went for a short walk and struggled. Does anyone else with mild COPD have permanent tight chest pain? Well, this go once he is used to the inhalers? I do worry it is partly anxiety but he disagrees and says it’s always there. Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Permanent chest pain: Hi my husband is... - Lung Conditions C...
Permanent chest pain
Hi Mishyt. Lungs actually don't have any pain receptors so he's probably having pain from muscles, joints, or other organs. It is very good indeed he is getting attention from his doctor. I had stage four lung disease and at times I did have pain. The pain was a lot from muscles in my chest because I was struggling to breathe all the time and my posture was hunched probably from trying to catch my breath. The problem with being short of breath often means patients think it is better not to move. But if anything it is very important to keep moving despite being out breath. Exercise helps increase energy levels, enhances oxygen utilization and really helps with anxiety although initially it is very alarming. If your husband can get a referral to rehabilitation that would be good too. Gentle walks daily for me are the best. Please do get advice from his doctor about exercise. In my opinion the worst thing we can do as lung disease patients is to stop moving. I hope you will write an update if you feel you can. Sending very best wishes. 🤗
P.S. Due to the nature of my disease inhalers did not help me at all so I can't help with that question. Sorry.
If your husband had a clear echo, not likely to be an Angina type pain but, always best to check.
Again if his chest pain discomort is permanent, for whatever reason best being seen and hewill be able to get relief even if it is anxiety.or muscle or nerve pain.
As Caspiana said in other post struggling to breath can cause chest muscle pain. Also if he can, keep moving as being static won't help. Good Luck
Hello, just to say it takes up to three weeks for a preventer inhaler like Fostair to fully take effect and work. The blue rescue inhaler - ventolin - is fairly instant. There are a few reasons why chest pain occurs evident respiratory so best to speak to the gp again - or you could call, the helpline (0300 222 5800 during UK office hours, choose option 3) for some professional guidance &/or suggestions
If you look up the Fostair manufacturer's website or even - YouTube you should find it helpful instructions on using your inhaler, you can just check that you're doing it correctly. Good luck
If the pain is a constant I’m wondering if it could be costochondritis? Has anyone looked into that? It’s a muscular pain and really can be quite debilitating. It makes taking deep breaths extremely painful which could affect his walking ability.
It’s usually treated with basic pain meds and hot or cold compresses.
Am just trying to think outside the box.
Thank you, that’s something to consider but he struggles to breath when outside, basically talking and walking. He’s been doing all the right things placing a scarf around his nose and mouth but can’t seem to walk a normal distance to him. He says it’s like his chest pipes are bruised.
Inhalers do take time to work anything up to a good six weeks. Plus there are many different inhalers and it’s a question of finding one that suits an individual. Too many “specialists” forget that and try to change inhalers too quickly without giving them chance to work! Hopefully the blue inhaler will give him some immediate relief and make him feel more comfortable.
One thing to consider, before I was diagnosed, my chest always felt tight but not like a band, it was as though someone was sitting on my chest whilst I tried to breathe syrup instead of air. I had a little bit of swelling in my feet & ankles so the gp ordered blood tests. Us and Es came up abnormal, my kidney function was around 64% which meant fluid was building up in my system including my lungs. They then took me off the steroids & antihistamines I'd been taking and within a couple of weeks my kidneys picked up and my breathlessness improved as they were able to filter out more water and crap from my blood which was stopping the oxygen flowing so easily in my system. I still had shortness of breath but I no longer felt the massive pressure on my chest and I started being able to toddle further. My inhalers took a couple of weeks to bring me more relief. I also found that when I was breathing better, my back, ribs & chest stopped aching so much too. I've persevered with walking more, it was scary at first but it has helped me to improve my stamina. He may have completely different issues but it could be worth looking at. Also talk to his gp or copd nurse about respiratory rehab. My friend went to it at Loughborough Uni and they showed him how far he could push his lungs and be ok. It gave him much more confidence and he's gone from housebound to getting the bus in to town for light shopping and a coffee now. Keep pushing him to do more gently, he'll feel better in the long run but he MUST discuss how he's feeling with his gp or copd nurse.
I have found walking outdoors very difficult when the weather has been really cold, even with a scarf over my mouth. Strong winds and rain don't help either. I wonder if your husband is having similar problems.
I wonder if some gentle seated exercise at home might help your husband. There are plenty of YouTube videos of physio exercises he could follow.The advantage would be that he would be in complete control and could pause or stop at any point.
If some of his pain is anxiety related and causing his muscles to tense I can imagine how frightened he would be of getting stuck, unable to walk back home. The chair exercises are gentle and might help to rebuild his confidence.
Also, when he does exercise indoors or venture out, it may help him to use his Ventolin 15 mins beforehand.
Feeling that you can't breathe is very scary and so is having chest pain. Anxiety can make both seem worse.
Don't ignore the chest pain, though, especially if it increases when exercising. We can all offer suggestions but I think another face to face consultation with his GP would be a reasonable step to take.
Keep us posted.
Xx Moy
this what happened to me age 50 copd / in hjospital for 3 mths tracky in kneck on ebuliser for rest of my life i am now 60 i just do little execrises every day all the best ghoust rider
Has any one felt like this 
Excerbation
Chest pain
Burning Lungs & Chest Pain
