i went to the doctors and had an xray done as i had a very bad asthma attack and was told i would hear something off my GP. i never heard a thing and one day i got a letter through the post from my GP's surgery asking me to come in for a lung function test. Not having a clue what this was all about i went to see them and was told it probably came out because of the small signs of emphasyma that showed up on my chest x ray over 3 months ago. i burst into tears and said am i going to die, and the GP assured me that i wasn't and asked if i had any wheezing, or coughing etc ad i answered no . The GP said i should do the test and so i did and results came back as 98% and was told this was probably down to me having asthma.
im so confused now and scared that im going to die in the next couple of years as i've been looking on the internet and its says not curable etc. i have stopped smoking for the past 4weeks and don't want to die.
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wendiejam
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oh babe loads of people on here have emphasyma so stick around and they will give you some good advice as i dont have that i have other problems but one thing i can say is calm down you will be ok your just shocked ....x
Pretty sure bet, wendie that you aren't going to die for decades yet. You obviously need advice and a chat with someone. Lack of information is your problem at the moment. Best thing is to ring the BLF for further information. Tel.no. I think is at the top of the page somewhere - try the red balloon.
You hae this condition as lots of people have in this forum. You have to talk about your feeling, and also, contact your respiratory nurse at your health cetre, or another visit to the GP and tell him excatly how you feel.
You should get lots of further help from the members of this great forum .. all the best pergolaxxxx
Everyone on being told they have copd generally react as you have. You are not alone and you will have lots of friends with good and sensible advice on this site to turn to. Take care. Doreen 24.
take a deep breathe in and think of what scares you the most, mostly xrays are only done as a matter of routine to rule out things and the fact you have not heard from your doctor (or recalled to hospital) would mean that there is nothing much there to worry about. Most of all this fear is generally fear of the unknown the worst fear of all you don't know what it is you are scared of but scared you are. If your doc does not call for you in the next 2 weeks (xray results can take up to 10-14 days) then make an appointment with your GP and mention your fears to him/her
you have come to a great place for support and advice - I am waiting to have my test and folk have been great
Your right the first thing you think when you read about it is 'yikes' but you will start to come down and find here on this site loads of info to help.
I would deff make an appointment with respiratory nurse as pergola says and explain how worried you are.
Hi wendiejam nice to meet you.Bless you the internet can be a scary place, please try not to take to much notice.Coming here will help you far more as everyone has some kind off lung problem and as some have already said they have been living with their problems for many years and still going strong.You have stopped smoking which will help you enormously very very well done not an easy thing.I hoping wendiejam that if it is true and that you are at the very early stages of copd it is entirely possible to reverse at this stage! So by not smoking eating a healthy diet and plenty of exercise will help you either to reverse or keep things at bay,giving you many decades of good living.Goodluck try not to worry you are not dying not for yonks yet .Keep in touch and let us know how things are going.Be healthy and happy Janexx
Hi wendiejam and welcome to you. You have had some great support and advice on here already so hope you don't feel quite so bad about everything. It is scary but you will be fine with all the right help and treatment. Try not to panic, keep yourself fit and well and do tell your family. Keep coming on here as this is a great place to be. I am carer for my hubby and love to see how everyone is doing. People are so kind and helpful. Take care and stay strong. xxxxxxx
thankyou to everyone who has replied i never imagined anyone would bother. i had the test done about 8 month ago and coz i never heard anything i tried not to think about it. Then the docs have been sending me letters asking for me to go back for a routine lung function test as it is due. why have the docs never mentioned this emphasyma thing when i have been to see him. i only went a couple of weeks ago because i have got a nasty cough that all my family have still got and it last for over 4 weeks, my father and mother are really poorly with it coughing and choking with it and have had it for 3 weeks now. i have my cough still but hardly there now and when i went to the docs about it he never mentioned the emphasyma , he listened to my chest and said it was clear, why doesn't the doc mention it, and why are they asking for me to go do another test , my head is battered , from reading that it is not curable and some sites are saying i could have a life expectancy of 5 years , aww you are all so caring im sorry to bother you all with this xxxxx
You need to go make an appointment and have it done then write a list of questions you have and take the list with you when you see the doctors. You will drive yourself nuts with all these un answered questions you are scaring yourself
...your not bothering anyone there is loads of support here for you but there is a lot we cant answer because we dont know.
Get the test and chat with your gp then you have to tell your family but at the moment you dont have all the information you need....if someone i loved was holing something like that from me i would be so hurt....
when i had my first spiromitory test they didnt call me in for the results so like you i thought i was ok.....you need to find out whats going on and get the right treatment....there are members on here who have had emphysema for many many years
If you scored 98.% in the original lung function test this is a very good result that would generally be classed as normal or possibly very , very mild emphysema . ( most of the people on here have readings of half that or less ) . My own reading is 55% and since quitting smoking am fit and well with no symptoms at present . I am 63 years .
You mention that you have asthma so you have done the best possible thing in stopping smoking . You should be able to live a long and healthy life and not actually develop any of the symptoms of COPD/emphysema .
Don't be afraid to go back to your GP for the second routine lung test ......it sounds like your GP practice is being very thorough and caring . Either the doctor or a nurse will be able to offer you further reassurance
that there is very little to worry about .
Its cigarettes which do the damage as most of us on here know to our cost . Brilliant that you have quit at this stage .
Cheers Coastal .
Welcome to the site,& please don't panic! Many of us,have been diagnosed years ago.Good on you,for giving away the smokes,make sure you excercise & eat a healthy diet.
Do try & talk to someone whom can give you practical advice,eg.the BLF.
Hi there, welcome to the site. As you can see there's lots of support here.
It's a horrible shock but remember there are severel levels to copd. You would be level one or even borderline level one.
It's a shame it took months for you to get called back for the test (which is simple and nothing to worry about).
Really it's brilliant that you're having the test, you're in the system, you will get meds tailored to you, you will learn how important it is to keep well by: exercise, eating healthily, stick to a healthy weight, keep your asthma well controlled, avoid passive smoking and pollution, and very importantly avoid catching colds, coughs, flu (must have annual flu jab from now on).
Blooming well done you for quitting the cigs, the single best thing you could have done.
You absolutely won't die in 5 years of copd!
It seems your GP is on the ball, that's fantastic, many don't get a diagnosis for many years, have a cough for years, continue to smoke and are already at a severe level.
There is lots more advice. Give the BLF a call or email them for an information pack.
PS. GPs or the practice don't generally ring you or write to you with results of any tests. It's up to us to ring for the results. That's why it took so long. P xx
Hello Wendiejam, welcome to the site you have made the right decision for help& support. You sound scared to death. Your readings are good and many of us on this site with COPD have an element of emphysema which are airway diseases just like asthma. If you and the medics manage it well you should have a reasonable long life fairly fit too. Hope you return again with more questions for us to help you with. Adaptation and management is the key to mastering this illness. Best wishes
och wendy, please try not to be scared, ,, just wait till you see the difference on yourself simply by stopping smoking,it just takes a wee while to feel the benefits, then theres many other things you will learn on this site that will help,,diet, exercise etc etc,,, but please dear,, dont be afraid,,, you,ll live a long happy life if you pick up on on all the tips, god bless you love,,,, kindest thoughts and regards ,,,jimmy xxx
Hello Wendiejam, Please don't read any more negative information on the internet! welcome to the site, I have Emphysema since my twenties and I'm 59 now and planning on sticking around for a lot longer! Once you are diagnosed you can do a lot to slow the progress by stopping smoking which you have done, well done, brilliant! You will be offered a flu jab every year ( they really do help and seem to keep colds at bay ) and a spirometry test to keep a record of how well you are doing.
It is vital that you have good Nutrition and regular exercise and keep a positive outlook!!
Try to avoid folk with colds etc., and I'm 100% sure you will be fine! huff xxxx
* Quit Worrying about something You cannot cure. You CAN maintain with it, I Do & I have COPD emphysema. You're gonna die one day, You can't stop that but You can control how You live with the disease whether it be asthma or emphysema. Get with a Pulmonary Doc., He/She will get You started on all the meds & accessories You'll need to live a long content life till You die from something hopefully totally different.
***an added note*** Get Your Flu Shot Yearly & The Pneumonia Shot Whenever***added note***
Mad , that wasn't the answer i was looking for telling me to stop worrying about something i cannot cure, sorry but that just made me worse., i went to the GP today and wanted some answers and he has sent me for another chest x ray today and when he looked on my previous x ray it says showing some signs of mild emphasyma and he has said that i have to go back to him in a weeks time to see about the results. i am so scared i cannot stop crying im fed up and sooo unhappy , i've told my mum and husband and they are both being fantastic but my head is battered with all these thoughts of me dying , i don't wanna die i want to live im only 47 , ohh im sorry for rattling on again xx god bless everyone xx
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