Hi to all on the site. my name is Gill (Jill ) i have stage 3 emphysemia i was diagnosed ten years ago and at that time gave up smoking ., i am due to see a consulant on the 23rd of this month i get very breathless when im active and my oxygen stats are reading 85 and under when i have been active, so i can't wait to see the doctor as my quality of life is being affected due to this breathlesness .
I am a member of the Wigan and Leigh Breath easy group and if anyone from the area wants details please ask i will only to happy to help. i am looking forward to making new online friends here and passing on anything i have learned about COPD, i am of course willing to listen to any offers of help .
xx Gill
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I was very similar to you I wanted to loose weight but could not exercise because i was so breathless . When i saw my consultant he suggested i use oxygen for ambulatory purposes.This enabled me to exercise and lose weight. they then sent me on to Pulmonary Rehabilitation which is the best thing since sliced bread for people with COPD. where you learn how to control your breathlessness Ask your doctor to recommend you for a course
Hi Hawkeye thankyou for your kind comment, i have been on rehab once before but at that time i wasn't so breathless, i feel i need some oxygen to help me get through another rehab, it might sound daft but im hoping the consulant gives me some then i can at least get some quality of life back .
Hi Gill. My sats sometimes go down to 79% when exercising. And are often below 85% when exercising. The best way to go is exercise Doing the ones you learned on rehab three times a week half hour a day is fine. Getting breathless is a way of life with us with emphysema and there is no getting away from that. But by getting in the exercise and taking our times we can learn to control it.
Thanks DerryLynne i excersise i hate sitting down and doing nothing its just that i have entered server stage 3 and the breathless now is giving me pain and a tightness in my chest that i have never experinced before, i had what i thought was an angina attack last june was admiitedto hospital and sent to a cardioligist, he sent me for all sorts of test, when i saw him again he refered me to the thoratic consulant, he said your reading on your lungs are bad and i think oxygen is needed, so hurry up the 23rd of this month .
Hi Gill I also have early stage emphysemia, not having to much trouble with my breathing just when I do to much but I do get down about whats to come, I try not to think about it some days are better than others I am trying to join a COPD club here in Peterborough where I live but have not had time to go to see them but will when the weather gets better. Hope you get better when you have see your doctor x
Thank you Nancy, stay strong and fight, try to excersise i dont want to sound crude but it brings the fluid off your lungs and you will feel better, do you mean a breath easy group in your area ? if so you must join i have made some wonderfull friends by joining mine, don't let anyone tell your life will be short with the correct treatment it can last a lot longer than people think , i know people on oxygen in their 70s who go to Malta twice a year for weeks on end, stay postive Nancy .
xx Gill
Welcome Jill
Pleased to see you here. So sorry you are experiencing these difficulties, I hope when you see the consultant he/she can help improve things for you and you will soon be able to regain some quality of life.
Its great you can maintain contact with your local breathe easy, any extra support is always great.
Wishing you a good visit with your consultant, Jill, let us know how you get on.
Auntymary x
PS I wonder if your sats still drop with chair based exercise in the mean time Jill?
Thankyou Tru1 for your kind words , losing my quality of life is the most frustating thing for me in all this i have always been a fighter and have fought like a tiger these last two years when its seems my COPD got a whole lot worse and at the moment i feel like it is starting to get the better of me though i won't give up never ever .
I have not tried chair base excersise and will do later and let you know how i go with it, menwhile here for everyone is a very helpfull site started by a brave man who suffered so much and fought so hard .
Ok Tru i have just done 2 mins of sit down excersise my stats dropped to 61 then went up to 87 , i then had a rest and did some step exercises i was taught at rehab once again my Stats dropped to 82 .
Sorry your having such a rough time. If your sats are below 92 at rest you need oxygen assesment. Do you have a respiratory nurse you could contact for advice until you see your consultant?
I do but im going to stick it out till i see the consultant he has e mailed and said he is over run but if he gets a cancelation he will put me in , until then i will sit it out 21 days to go .
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