copdnewsoftheday.com/?p=106...
It's worse at the mild stage they say, so if you've just been diagnosed you need to be clear with people not to come near you if they have a cold or other virus. You can't avoid everything but you can dodge a lot and keep well more often.
Very interesting O2Trees, thanks for the link. I endeavour to keep Pete as well as possible but this information is good to know.
Take care. xxxx
Thanks O2 very informative site doing a lot of research, noted some recommendations for healthy diet connected to COPD being bananas, grapefruit,cheese and fish all being part of it suggest these foods help with lung functions, always good to know anything that helps
Thanks O2.... I wish other people would understand that I am not been awkward when I try and avoid people who cough and sneeze.
someone sat behind me on Monday who was obviously poorly with a chesty cough and cold....I have been on edge ever since!
It could mean weeks of breathlessness and a deterioration in my lung function.
Take care
Hi knitter you are not being awkward. You are just being sencable. But remember you can catch a cold from someone showing no syptoms.
Yes, correct - people can be asymptomatic but infectious a day or so before a virus develops.
So what is the point of staying away from people coughing if you can catch something from someone showing no symptoms. Bit of a catch 22 . I also have a permanent cough with or without an infections am not been funny but the only way you are not going to catch something is to never go out and become a recluse
No, don't become a recluse Nottobad. Of course you can't avoid everything but the point is that you can greatly cut down your chances of getting something by being careful in all sorts of ways - hand washing, not touching public surfaces, choosing less busy times to go shopping etc, and be aware who is around you. Use assertiveness techniques to check that they are well. And most of all by educating your friends and family so not only are they careful with you but they help check what's happening around you when you're out and about, and help keep you safe. I go out to meetings, play table tennis, dance occasionally - my friends are very protective as they know how important it is.
Use hand sanitisers or tea tree oil, and First Defence up your nostrils when you think you may have been in touch with someone infectious.
Yes, it is important to be wary of coughs and colds. Please be extra careful when on a Pulmonary Rehab course too! I don't wish to be too alarmist, as they are great courses, but I did get an infection from my course last July as some people were attending when they were having chest infections and passing them around. It took 6 months for me to get it cleared up. xxx
Isn't that the pits, stillmovin. I asked my PR physios about this but they said they don't stop people from coming as its good to exercise even when you're sick if you are able to. I go to a weekly PR maintenance session on thursdays and this morning one of the regulars wasn't there because she "didn't want to give her cold to us". So that's considerate - wish everyone was like her.
How are you SM? xx
Hi there O2. I have been here, just a bit overwhelmed with various hospital appts with the Gastro specialist and had another colonoscopy last week which showed a couple of diverticular on the colon, so now I have a nice other illness to think about 'diverticular disease'! My new gastro happens to be particularly interested in Ehlers Danlos so I hope I get to the root of all these stomach problems I have been having. I do think a lot has to do with anxiety, to be honest. Hope you are keeping well. I have been reading forum posts now and then but haven't had the motivation to sit down and post anything interesting. I have lost my mojo! Still like to read the messages that come through though and hope to be back to my chatty self soon. take care xx
I also have diverticular pockets in my colon but mostly they don't seem to cause trouble. Does your gastro think its part of EDS? That would make sense, in terms of tissue laxity. Also the reflux which many of us get with copd is made worse by EDS.
I hope you get your mojo back soon SM - you need it to cope with all the stuff you have. All the best to you xxx
I am very careful at work mainly about working in a "clean2 area. I anti bac my desk, phone and keyboard every day and use anti bac hand gel. The issue is more about what you touch rather than people sneezing in your face. I carry anti bac in my pocket which may be paranoid but hey ho, it's my life 
Not paranoid diesel, just sensible protection. Your point about surfaces and touching is well made, but I have had people sneeze in my face, even when wearing my oxygen. Im sure there's a good sitcom waiting to be written about our adventures, might raise some awareness too.
I am only mild and my so called friends or the manager/deputy manager where I work never bother telling me if they have a chest infection or only after I notice them coughing a lot or something. People are so inconsiderate aren't they? I tell them how ill I get with it and they just say they do too. I ask them if they have copd. I always have the impression they think I am making it up to just get attention. The idea of being a recluse seems quite attractive at the moment. x
Finding about research
Can you still have lung problems with a normal pulmonary function test?
Bronchiestasis exacerbation
COPD Exacerbation
Lung Transplantation 
