Hello Everybody, your an inspiration!

Hi Rosalyn

Welcome here.

After reading your post I was so relieved that you say you are going back to your doctor, please accept the sick note, your doctor understands how quickly your health can deteriorate even if you or your boss do not. Really it is not worth the risk, the risk being if you neglect your lungs and health it could mean further lung damage and serious hospitalisation, both could easily result in your not being able to work at all.

Please please please, listen to your doctor.

A way you can help people become aware is to contact the British Lung Foundation, through lunguk.org, they have a helpline and you can explain you wish to make people more aware, ask if they could send you some leaflets explaining COPD that you can hand out to your boss, family and friends etc, also leave some at your doctors surgery waiting rooms if there are not any there already.

Please come back and let us all know how you are.

Take good care

Thanks for your reply.

I have a sick note and am at last taking some rest time. The Doctor was not too pleased at my bosses attitude and says he will just have to put up with it. I will still get the guilt trip when I go back though. I have more steriods and have to stay on full dose until I am alot better. I have a week but if I am still not right I have promised my hubby I will go back to the doctor again.

Thanks for the info on lunguk. I will look into getting some information for them all though if they read it will be another matter. I will leave some at the surgery to. They have posters up about most other things so why not COPD.

I had a fight with the boss about the smoking area at work, it took along time to get through to him, We have no windows in the staff areas at work and all the fresh air comes from vents above the back door, well you guessed it, they all smoked just outside the back door and couldnt understand why I and all the other non smokers were complaining. We won in the end but it was a battle.

I dont want to have to stop working, apart from the finances, I enjoy feeling useful and would miss it so much. I want to stay as healthy as possible as I have just (finally) married my son off and am looking forward to being a granny! Just hope I dont have to wait too long!!!!!

Thanks again

Hi Rosalynn

Glad you have your sick note and the doc is looking after you and also you are listening to your hubby about going back to the doctor if you are still not right.

Glad you made contact with lunguk, always good to know about the helpline to find out what help is available for you.

You might want to check with your local council environmental health about the smoking situation at your work and the staff area without windows and lack of adequate ventilation.

If you look after yourself / lungs well with a good diet, regular exercise, avoiding people with colds or flu symptoms, taking you medication as prescribed, staying in the warm when you have a lung infection, avoiding people who smoke, ie no smoking or passive smoking there is no reason why you cannot prolong your working life. Of course if you neglect any of these things there is an increased risk to your lungs, health and your ability to work.

Wishing you everything you wish for and do let us know when the patter of tiny feet are likely.

:smiley:

Take good care

Hi Rosalynn,

V is certainly talking sense in what she is saying. I worked on through 3 chest infections in the winter of 2009 and ended up unable to work and pensioned off on health grounds. Chest infections, antibiotics and steroids all take their toal on us and usually there is not much energy left for hobbies and other interests after working all day. When I was pensioned off work I found that I had energy to do some of the things that I used to love doing but hadn't the energy to do after a days work. God bless.

Hi V,

Tonight I am having my oxygen levels checked throughout the night to see if I need a C.P.A.P. unit or oxygen for night use. God bless.

Regards,

Roberts

Hello Rosalyn, I was in the same position as yourself in respect of never clearing the chest and continual chest infections, can I suggest you look up salt pipe on the internet , it does as it says , helps the lungs to clear congestion, which I think is the source of reinfection. hope you do not mind my reply.Silkie

Thanks for your replys, and silky I am glad of any suggestions thankyou. I will look into this saltpipe.

I am into my 4th week off work and have to go back to the doctor tomorrow. This infection does not want to clear. With the weather like it is I am just aiming to stay warm! Not heard from work at all, my ears burn everytime I send a note in though..... Take care folks. and thanks again.

Hi Rosalynn

Just wandering how you are getting on. I hope you doc has given you another course of anti bios and steroid meds to help clear the infection once and for all.

Definitely don't worry about going back to work until you are feeling much better.

Take good care.

Hi,I was diagnosed with severe emphysema and bronchitis 2 years ago.i had an exacerbation in jan and another in feb.my gp only gave me anti biotics on the last one,even though I had asked for steroids too.her reply was steroids are bad for you.yeah,so it this chest infection.to cut a long story short,I had the opposite problem to you as in my gp did not want to sign me off of work,but did,as I was so bad.im still off now as my chest,and breathing is pretty awful.and I'm seriously considering early retirement through I'll health.

Hope you start to feel better soon

Sorry for the late reply but I've just joined, I too am living with emphysema. Work cannot sack you for being off ill due to COPD & the chest infections that are part of it at times so don't feel that you have to struggle to work. If you don't feel well enough to go to work then DON'T because it will take you longer to get over the infection.