1. Community
  2. Chest and lungs
  3. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Help ,Moderate COPD, stage 2 results? fev1 56%

Posted , 14 users are following.

chris51153
chris51153

I am very worried about my future. Have been told I have COPD stage 2 and the tests show fev1 56% ? I have tried to look up these results and think I may be nearer severe COPD? Im 58, ex smoker, was prescribed an inhaler last year following a bad chest infection but have never felt I needed to use it afterwards. I am slim, good diet and have been fairly active all my life (less active since last October after having a minor heart attack out of the blue, just meds for this). I have started excercise again. I am worried and would like to know how rapidly COPD progresses or what I can expect/ how long before I deteriorate and at what rate. At present I only get out of breath with excercise i.e. steep hills, steep steps. Do not use inhalers only if I get a chest infection (been once per year up to yet despite vacinations). Should I be using the blue inhaler regularly even if I dont feel breathless? The information available is very 'general' and just mentions individual stages, nothing re what is the average time from one stage to another. I would like ANY advise to halt/ hold back or improve my COPD deterioration. Thanks

3 likes, 53 replies

53 Replies

Prev Next
  • jude65855
    jude65855 chris51153

    Posted

    There are no hard & fast answers with COPD so I'd stop looking for them if I were you, as it's an incredibly variable condition: severity, rate of deterioration, etc all depend on many many factors - general health; smoking history; genetic factors; how medication affects you and which ones you use; exercise; breathing techniques; mental attitude.

    If I were you I'd also stop worrying about the labels, just get yourself into rehab ASAP and learn as much as you can from that and this forum on how to manage the condition.

    What's the "blue inhaler"?  more info please .......  Have you been prescribed cortisone spray (eg symbicort) as a preventative twice a day?  

    I repeat, get into rehab as soon as you can, it's invaluable for managing the condition and slowing down its progression.   I was diagnosed with 70% lung function 3 years ago and it hasn't deteriorated, although I know that inevitably it will.

     

     

    • chris51153
      chris51153 jude65855

      Posted

      Will definately look into the rehab thanks. The blue inhaler is salbutamol, but dont want to take anything if I dont need to or if it makes things worse. 
    • jude65855
      jude65855 chris51153

      Posted

      In my opinion you're not going to be able to manage this condition without medication, it's a matter of findng what works for you and then weighing up any possible side effects against quality of life.

      For example, the Symbicort I use twice daily as a preventative can have the side effect of lowering the immune system, but before I started using it I was exhausted from coughing all night and getting hardly any sleep.  It can also cause thrush if I'm not careful about rinsing my mouth after use.

    • chris51153
      chris51153 jude65855

      Posted

      There is no rehab around my area, but there is a breatheasy group once a month will try that.
  • Linz29
    Linz29 chris51153

    Posted

    You have had some good responses as I feel that no two cases are the same.

    My husband was diagnosed 18 months ago and was sent home with a blue and a brown inhaler. We have always been walkers, but literally overnight he went from being well to being in A and E unable to breathe.

    After this we went to our GP to see if he could review the situation and perhaps change inhalers as the blue one doesn't seem to do anything. The GP said he had to see the COPD nurse practitioner, as he didn't deal with it. Could get an appt for a month.

    It is the coughing that is the most distressing as apart from being very debilitating, it is embarrassing. My husband has stopped going to the cinema because of it. He has never been told what stage he is at.

    • jude65855
      jude65855 Linz29

      Posted

      That must have been a huge shock!   I wouldn't worry about the stages if I were you, the important thing is to find out from the spirometry test what percentage of lung function he has left.

      I know I do go on about this, but it's not helpful to refer to medication by the colour of its packaging!   What medications has he been prescribed?

      Can he get to rehab?  Yeah I go on about that a lot too, but it's invaluable no matter what stage he's at.  There's a lot he can learn to do from the practice nurse and rehab, it's really worth it for maintaining some quality of life.

      If the blue one is for asthma it won't do a thing if he has emphysema related COPD - ex-smoker?  That's how I got it.   The spirometry test should include a test with ventolin, if it helps he has asthma, doesn't help me one bit with emphysema.

      Valuable bit of info from a recent post on this forum:  if there's a wheeze on inhaling it'll be ashtma, on exhaling emphysema.

    • chris51153
      chris51153 Linz29

      Posted

      Thanks for the reply. Hope all goes well. Yes it is a big shock!
  • aberdeenman
    aberdeenman chris51153

    Posted

    hi i have very severe copd and emphysema fev1 18%. i still work parttime. you just have learn what you can do and do things at a slower pace. if you smoke, stop smoking plus exercise will slow process down. if you can get on a pulmonary rehab course that helps its exercise plus education.

    tam

    • chris51153
      chris51153 aberdeenman

      Posted

      thanks tam will ask re PR course at my next appointment. Have not smoked for some time (stopped 16 day before my heart attack! september) trouble is at the moment when I get an ache in my chest Im not sure if its related to my heart or my lungs. dont get breathless unless real excersice, as many of my age but neither the spray for angina/ heart nor the inhaler(salbutamol) does anything for the ache. its not severe, probably usual for COPD or could be just another ache as in my shoulders caused from side effects of recent statins I was on.
    • jude65855
      jude65855 chris51153

      Posted

      It is so hard to tell what chest pains are!  I've had a real heart attack and called an ambulance when I thought I was having another one, but it was in fact pneumonia, a complication of COPD.   Reflux also causes almost identical pain to a heart attack.

      And as for statins ...... have I seen you on that forum?   I don't take them any more because life wasn't worth living because of the side effects.  How long have you been off them?  

    • chris51153
      chris51153 jude65855

      Posted

      Hi I did need to see my Gp re the chest pains/ aches. No infection thank god. She said it may be reflux and just wait and see as I am already on lansoprazole 30 mg to protect me against my heart tablets.
  • Seahorse
    Seahorse chris51153

    Posted

    For anyone who doesn't know, the Breathe Easy Clubs (all over UK I believe) are supported by The British Lung Foundation. In our area they meet weekly for mild exercise classes and once a month there is a talk, normally regarding health/breathing etc but not always. If you go the BLF website and type in your postcode you can find the one nearest to where you live. The clubs provide excellent support for anyone with breathing problems and you can talk to other people with problems similar to your own.
    • chris51153
      chris51153 Seahorse

      Posted

      Hi Seahorse, Thanks great advise have just been on BLF website there is a breath easy club near me I will call in next Tuesday.
Back to top
Prev Next

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.