So I went for a consultant appointment...

[Gordon57]

Actually, last week, but have only just got the letter he's sent to my GP.

On the appointment letter it's for the chest clinic and has two named doctors, both of which I've seen previously. So, a bit of a surprise when a totally different one calls me in. He signs himself on the letter as an 'Associate Specialist in Respiratory Medicine'. We had a chat, went over a few points and then he sent me for blood tests.

He's asked me to stop taking vitamin D while they check my levels plus, it says here, bone profile (?) and parathormone. He told me that will be a couple of weeks before he gets the results, and he will write to me then. 4 phials, I remember there being 2 purple and one grey but didn't see the other, may have been orange? I didn't have my hospital badge on so didn't get the usual 'staff treatment' of a short explanation.

The overnight pulse oximetry, done back in March, was normal he says. Despite the previous assumption that I may have sleep apnoea he says not.

He's also noted that I was just ending a 2 week course of Docycycline, and had had a week of Prednisolone in with that, so my chest was clear when he examined me. He's concerned that I seem to have regular chest infections although he was interested to hear that D3 tablets had lessened the frequency earlier in the year, when I was taking them. I explained that I had stopped taking them about 5 weeks ago only because I had run out and couldn't afford to buy more.

He was encouraged to hear that the respiratory physiotherapy sessions had produced some positive results with my breathing pattern. Previously I had been breathing a lot quicker and not as deeply, she taught me to breath through my nose more and to breath from below the rib cage. I am concious that I've slowed down and that I am trying to breathe more deeply and regularly.

I'm referred for PR, probably starting in October now, as September was already full from what I heard. He says to keep on with current medication and they'll see me again in 6 months.

In the meantime, a week later, my legs are really aching and making it difficult to walk about. I've started with a bit of phelgm in the chest again, give it a few more days and that will no doubt develop into the start of another chest infection. I'm feeling weary most of the time, no energy, can't concentrate on things properly.

I have tried going to bed a couple of times but the biggest problem is that I tend to roll over onto my front. That causes me to have chest pain all the day after, mainly because I have the pillows up high, and now a foam wedge under the pillow. When I roll over I pull my chest tight, through my head and neck being pushed up, as I sleep through it all. I tend to stay in a chair downstairs, and that is obviously not helping my legs much.

I'm going to ask my GP to change the anti-biotics the next time I get a chest infection. I've had the Doxycyclin for several months now and think they are losing their potency. I had Amoxycillin previously, but they didn't do a lot. I'm going to see if he'll try Ampicillin (aka Penbritin).

I'd love to get rid of the recurrent chest infections if I can, but everything I read about COPD suggests these are just a way of life...