Got the diagnosis

[Jessy1599]

Hiya everyone so I have been given some results and they say that I am GOLD STAGE 3 COPD. This is from my PR outcome. It makes some sense but not much I am going to do more research and look at what this actually means.

So here is some of the info:

SPIROMETRY: FEV1: 0.87

FVC: 2.94

FEV1/FVC: 0.38

I think its always more easy to accept things when you can really understand them these results show something but i need to understand them better and will let the community know once I know

I got really ill 2 weeks ago with a chest infection my last one was last year February so this one really rocked me. Contacted the AIR team who are our local lung specialists and they came to the rescue with an immediate response, nurses arrived started doing all there things like listening to my chest taking bloods and mucus samples and giving me some reassurance that I will get through this.

So I was prescribed the rescue pack and done the one week course which made a little difference but not what I wanted, so the nurses put me on a virtual ward and gave me some other antibiotics which I am currently taking and have noticed how the colour of my mucus has changed from a green/yellow to now a clear/white mucus which shows that the tablets are fighting the infection. I always have this image of a war going on inside my lungs and its like cartoon vision difficult to explain but those who understand know exactly what I mean.

Well i know i am on the mend and my prayers and sympathy go out to everyone who is in there own space thankyou for reading and thankyou for any replies.

[Patk1]

Always gd to research a diagnosis.hope you have some treatment to help aluk website is good for accurate info + they have helpline 0300 222 5800 + WhatsApp line

[Bevvy in reply to Patk1]

I agree it’s good to research a diagnosis but people need to be so careful that they use reliable sites! Dr Google can take you from minor headache to brain tumour is a couple of clicks!! As a result I am extremely careful which sites I look at to ensure that I get an accurate picture. Sites for COPD are notorious for incorrect information, especially around life span! If they were accurate then I should have died 3X by now! In fact because I have avoided any chest infections for over 2 years now (probably due to no longer being in the work place) my COPD is the best it’s been for years!

[Jessy1599 in reply to Bevvy]

Hiya thanks for your advice and i think you are right nobody knows our bodies like us. I am going to keep doing regular exercise and am doing some computer coding courses to look at getting a job in the I.T maybe in AI or something as i would be able to remote work. I am very artistic and like doing paper mash models and designing things which are or can be useful that's a hobby of a sort. Anyway thanks for the comments hope to catch up soon.

[leo60]

Hi Jessy, I am so glad you are on the road to recovery.

To be honest, I never look at numbers or "labels". I find they confuse matters, for me at least! I go by the way I feel, what helps and what doesn't! We are all different, I get the feeling that numbers and understanding them gives you reassurance but they would just worry me!

I hope you continue to feel better xx

[Bevvy]

Hi Jessy1599.

I have been looking at your previous posts. Am pleased that you attended PR and hope that you got a lot out of it. I was in my mid forties when I was first diagnosed so understand when you mentioned how much older everyone was than you. I am now in my mid fifties and am getting on ok from a COPD perspective.

What I found difficult was that after PR there seemed to be no follow up and that wasn’t very helpful. However this group is excellent. It’s extremely supportive and people respond to questions, far more than in other groups that I belong to!

[PaperQueen in reply to Bevvy]

Hi Bevvy, just thought I'd mention that my PR team that delivered the course I went on about 2 years ago, have started home visits. I've had two so far, 2-3 months apart. It's basically going over what we learned in PR, without the physical exercises, but it does give me the opportunity to discuss things in more depth and ask questions. Apparently it's something new they are doing in this area (Cornwall), might we worth contacting your PR team to see if they can offer you anything like that. x

[Patk1 in reply to PaperQueen]

That sounds gd PaperQueen x

[kev60]

Hi, glad to hear your recovering. Like Leo60 I don’t go with numbers my spirometry always seems to be low or no result , a few times I have been told that I don’t have emphysema then I have to remind them of the oncologist letter with my diagnosis and my imaging which now shows holes in top, bottom and rear of lungs (started just top) . I am lucky I don’t cough and in 7 years only used rescue pack 3 times. As others have mentioned only use trusted sites to educate yourself or ask a question on here you will get a lot of help and advice. Glad you’re feeling better. Kevin

[Patk1 in reply to kev60]

It's not good kev60 having a confirmed diagnosis disputed <( it's gd that u have proof, & are keeping well x

[Numptybrain]

I know what you mean about the war going on inside your lungs, I don’t have COPD but I have ra attacking my lungs my fev was very similar to yours but I have fluid around the lungs and a partially collapsed lung. It’s awful when you know that infection has come and you’re just hoping the antibiotics work. They try their best to keep me out of hospital due to my immune system being compromised.

We all soldier on , love the warm days when we can sit in the garden but we have to accept life is a slower pace for us now but still a happy one with our loved ones.

Take care

Wendy xx

[Alberta56]

Glad you're looking positively to the future.