Can anyone help me plz

[Mesha1111]

Can anyone explain ..l went to the COPD clinic this week as l am now really struggling to breathe when doing very little.l am at the severe end of the spectrum,l asked about having oxygen at home but he said my oxygen levels were good and that l have the oxygen in my body but now my lungs are severely damaged and oxygen won,t help.I don't understand how my readings are good and yet I'm constantly struggling to breathe.Can anyone explain please thankyou

[Pantani]

The thing with COPD is that Oxygen levels can be fine, this is due to the gas exchange rate. Shortage of Breath is because it is difficult to expel air from the lungs. Because of this you ant get air in. You need to try pursed lip breathing. Inhale through the nose for a count of of 4 and exhale through pursed lips for a count of 8. This should help you control your breathing better.

[LORBIC]

Copd can cause heart problems and for some of us it can also cause pulmonary hypertension, this makes the breathing worst. It's hard to tell which one is flaring as the symptoms are all the same, if your doctor hasn't done a heart check up, I suggest one be done. Maybe your inhalers have stopped working and you need different ones. Don't give up.

[Hidden]

Hi oxygen doesn't help you breathe but can do as a side effect. It is only given to protect your other organs from damage due to low oxygen rates. If your level regularly falls into the mid 80's and below then oxygen could be needed. I would guess yours doesn't.

Having too much oxygen can be a problem as well if you are CO2 retainer. This can do more harm than good.

I hope this is clearer now. x

[valeriejean]

I also am very severe. The only thing that helped me was to go to pulmonary rehab and get educated. They tell you how to breathe, exercise, nutrition. Get your self a pulse oximeter and when your saturation levels fall below 88 stop what you are doing and do some Purse Lip Breathing to expell the old stale air to allow the new clean air in. There are all kinds of lung disease but emphesya excuse spelling does not allow you to breathe out. You must do it on your own, I also moved to sea level where there was clean air. please check out Pulm rehab. good luck when breathing out do it from your belly and blow gently for as long as you can. hold it for a bit then breathe into your belly.

[AngM77]

I understand the confusion! I was told the same thing and I didn’t need oxygen until 10 years after my copd diagnosis.