At Pulmonary Rehab yesterday. told nurse I quit the fags 10 weeks ago. she told me quitting only delays the progression of copd! Not what the nurse told me at my GPS surgery. Apologies for the bad spelling. Feel a bit down with myself now.
Confused: At Pulmonary Rehab yesterday... - Lung Conditions C...
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What the nurse told you is rubbish, my g.p. told me if I hadn't given up smoking that I would not be here now, don't even think of starting again.
Giving up smoking is a brilliant thing to do and the nurse was wrong and not very helpful. You carry on as you are going, smoke free, and good luck to you. xx
Hi
Apart from smoking there is a lot of minor irritants which can worsen the condition.
Chest infections will leave there mark. Cleaning products will leave there mark
Plus many others.
Again it is long delay and you should be able lead a fairly normal life. You will have to make sacrifices.
Keep up the exercises, it will help.
All the replies have good advice. I am tagging onto Stone's. The "chest infections" to which he/she alludes are called "exacerbations." You know them as bouts of bronchitis. I had several per year before I quit smoking 4 years ago. Since then, I have had none. Those bouts are what cause a person to regress. Exercise is critical. Make it your top priority, along with diet and rest.
in reply to Hitchcock
ha all taken on board,breathe well,bernice
You mention cleaning products. Does anyone have problems with steam and dust?
Hi
Dust is always a problem, indeed any irritant can cause problems.
Steam is different per person?
I have problems with both dust and steam, mustcarryon, and any strong smelling cleaning products.
Hi brooke12
You did the best thing for your lungs in quitting and its a great gift to your overall health long term, so be proud of yourself and look toward a better quality of life for your future years.
Well done for staying smoke free, that's got to be some good money saved you can put toward some quality foods and health aids to help you through the winter months.
Best wishes BC
That nurse is wrong in saying that, Pamela. Unprofessional. COPD may never go away but you learn to live with it. Smoking would make it a lot worse. And dont worry about your spelling. It is the person that counts. Just believe in yourself. You are doing the right thing in doing PR as I will be next Friday. Always come for a jaw with us if you feel cheesed. Love Annie xx
in reply to
Thanks we are told so many things don't really know what to take notice of.
in reply to
Take to us, and you will form an opinion from what is said. People are honest and helpful.
Wow, huge congratulations on becoming a non-smoker! Well done you.
That remark wasn't helpful at all Brooke12, I cant believe someone could be so blunt & discouraging after all your effort in quitting.
I'm not an expert, far from it and others more knowlegeable will be along any moment. As far as my experience goes you can stop further damage and if you make a few adjustments to your lifestyle & daily living you can make big improvements. You've already made the best start possible. keep going and keep coming here for support and information. All the best, peeg
in reply to peege
Thanks she is very nice. just shocked at what she had to say. A lot of folk agree with her.
Stopping smoking is the single best thing you have ever done and will slow the disease down considerably. Many people find that it slows it so much they eventually die of something else entirely. If you had continued to smoke then the damage being caused to your lungs would have accelerated at a greater pace resulting in further problems. So the answer is that the nurse is correct, but it is a long delay. 
Hi brooke12, that was very unprofessional of the nurse in my opinion. If giving up smoking makes no difference to your outcome then what about having a better quality of life and staying as active as possible. Why do they medicate usif nothing makes any difference. Talk to dall05. He has been a fantastic role model for anyone wondering if we can affect our health once we are unwell. Keep off the cigs and prove the nurse wrong. In 1999 I was given 1/2 hour to live so I think the consultant may have been a bit previous! They are not always right and they don't take account of people's determination. Good luck. Alison
Hi Brooke
Repeating a post I made on gocats post
btw I gave up the ciggies when diagnosed and haven't smoked since
"I have moderate COPD, mainly emphysema, in July 2012 I had my annual assessment, I had been feeling quite breathless, even when sitting, on and off for a few months.
My lung capacity was down by 800ml , respiratory nurse was obviously shocked, and I was later referred for X ray to see if any other 'causes' .... none found.
I went for assessment this summer, my lung function is now nearly what it was three years ago. Respiratory nurse had no explanation, Ive had no exacerbations since diagnosed, not even a bad cold.
This is a strange and very unpredictable illness"
As far as I can tell, we all have a gradual reduction in lung function over time, whether olympic athlete or with COPD, life style choices, like smoking can change the rate of deterioration as can infections etc.
You will always have COPD, but you can to slow the rate your lungs get worse, as can anyone, whatever their health status..... dont smoke, eat sensibly, aim for a good BMI and take what exercise you can ....
Sorry .... long post ... I feel quite strongly about this
All the best, be positive, be healthy
Beth xx
I agree when the others said the nurse was unprofessional. I watched a home video of myself on holiday in Feb 2010 and the difference in me now is amazing. A couple of weeks after returning home from the holiday I was diagnosed with copd I quit smoking straight away. That is why I believe I am doing so well now.
17 years after giving up smoking I am much healthier and feel much better in my inner self.And I am still here
KOTC
your daily humour tonic
oh dear what a little ray of sunshine she sounds like,how to win friends and influence people huh.Although iam a slow learner with the smokey habit my lungy nurse told me coz i thought imight be too late to reap the benefits that it is NEVER TOO LATE.So you are going great guns and doing everything that is right , you doing fantastic.Janexx
you will find that GP's nurses etc will give you all sorts of conflicting information, stopping smoking is the best thing you have done, well it was the best thing I did from a 40 + a day man to non has kept here, I feel fitter now than I did when I stopped in 2007 and I can do more.
Just remember: "Yippee!! I'm a non-smoker!"
What a dreadful piece of "advice" from the nurse. All the non-smokers on this site, irrespective of whether they used to smoke or not, and all the people trying to join the ranks will tell you that what she said is dangerous rubbish.
Ignore it. Get on with your voyage of discovery towards all the wonderful gains which you've decided to achieve. Go for it!
(My reply to pamela67 goes on a bit longer! :)"
When i was taken into hospital 6years ago the doctor told me I was going to die. I haven't smoked since. They told me that the condition will get worse but at a much slower pace than if I continued to smoke.
Of course the deterioration of our lungs increase the older we get. But if we smoke that happens one hellova lot quicker than if we don't. That is the words of my GP and I believe her.
I stopped fifteen years ago I have COPD in a mild form. I have the lungs of a 73 yea old and I'm only 67 but if I carried on smoking if I lived I would have had the lungs of a 93 year old!!!
My respiratory nurse told me that if you give up smoking the emphysema will not get worse as the cigarette smoking will no longer affect the Alveoli. Lung function decreases over time and they should revert to that.So I'm believing her explanation !
good grief we do'nt want many nurses like that do we . the fact is very little is known about copd . they do'nt no what causes it and why some suffer all their lives with it and some dont and what that nurse told you was not helpful and i doubt wether it was true you should be chuffed that stopped smoking and so should that nurse . you stay smoke free i for am proud of you ... good on you .
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