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confused

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yvonne28362
yvonne28362

I am a 58 year old female, smoked for many years but gave up 23 years ago.  I had a bad episode with my breathing after having tonsillitus in Feb this year. My doctor has told me i have asthma!  I have had a spyrometry test done, results were all normal. i had previously had an xray showing my lungs were larger than normal but otherwise clear.  Although my breathing and chest have eased a lot over the months i still have a crackle on inhaliing and a wheeze (sort of) when exhaling.  My lungs feel as though the last third has been cut off, just cant exhale as i used to. I do get out of breath slightly when walkiing. I have a blue inhaler and to be honest i don't kknow if it helps.  Should i ask for further tests?  i am beginning to get get worried over not being diagnosed properly and not getting the correct treatment which can slow down copd.

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  • jude65855
    jude65855 yvonne28362

    Posted

    Are you sure he didn't say that once you have COPD you can't get rid of it?  And just how are you supposed to "watch it" and what are you watching?

    If he meant to regularly monitor yr blood oxygen levels that'd make sense but nothing he said as you've described makes any sense at all to me.

    I'm fortunate that my oxygen blood levels are still at normal and that there's a practice nurse with pulmonary qualifications who works with my gp and can do spirometry tests regularly, which so far have shown no deterioration.

    If I were you I'd forget everything that doctor said and focus on pulmonry nurses or physio's, they know heaps more

    • ck101
      ck101 jude65855

      Posted

      if you have very early COPD that affects just the small airways there can be an improvement on smoking cessation.
    • hypercat
      hypercat ck101

      Posted

      Thats a bit worrying ck101.  Does that mean if it is not early copd etc. that there won't be an improvement when stopping smoking?  Would the disease get worse if you stop?   bev x

       

    • ck101
      ck101 hypercat

      Posted

      I would say everyone breathing improves on quitting smoking marginally. The question is whether any disease process is reversible, the longer you smoke the less reversibility. The damage is done so to speak. Continue smoking and it gets worse very very quickly.

      Time is of the essence.

    • jude65855
      jude65855 hypercat

      Posted

      It gets worse eventually whether or not you smoke, it just gets worse quicker with smoking
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