How fast has COPD progression been with you

Hi Paull00609, 

i was first diagnosed in 1992 with asthma ,,I'm now aged 69 , being diagnosed is not the end of the world ,I now have  ,Bronchietis and border emphasyma ,,it all depends on your attitude to life, if you just sit there thinking about it ,it will take over your life, my advise would be ,if you smoke ,,,,STOP NOW ,that's the first and best thing I can say ,the other is to keep active ,your young enough to not let it take over your life ,I am still the same person I was back in 1992 ,just a bit slower ,and get a bit breathless ,

for years my hubby used to say to me ,,,leave the hoovering/windows etc I'll do it it only makes you short of breath ,so I did ,,,,but that was wrong ,in 2008 I was rushed into hospital with a chest infection and pneumonia ,,,,,on being discharged I was put in the care of the copd nurses ( your father probably new about them ) ,and from then I never looked back ,yes I get short of breath ,and sometimes I have a productive cough . But I have been going to the gym since 2008 twice a week and can do 3klm on the bike ,2 Klm on the tread mill ( sometimes breaking into a slight jog haha) and 1000 meteres on the rower, 

so yes it has affected my life ,especially when I get a chest infection,personally  ,the worst thing for me was when I was told I could no longer fly abroad on holiday as even with supplementary oxygen my oxygen levels were too low ,but that's just me ,I know lots of people who still do ,and they are fine and it's only been the last 4years that that has happened , so,eat well ,exersise, and don't smoke ,and you will like your father ,,be able to do everything you want ,,,,but maybe a bit slower, I hope this is of help to you ,be positive ,,,,ask your GP for a possible referral to pulmary rehab course ,it's introducing you to exersise that are beneficial to your lungs ,and education about breathing exersises,and how to cope with a flare up or infection ,the corse is for 8 weeks at your local leasure centre and it's run by specialist copd nurses and physio's ,if there are any particular questions you want to ask ,if I can't answer it someone on here will no the answer, best wishes ,take care,

I'm in first stage, diagnosed about 3 years ago at the age of 65:  I'd given up smoking a couple of years earlier, but had smoked for most of my adult life.

I still have 70% lung function, the same now as it was when first diagnosed and I'll be doing my best to keep it that way.  I try and stay away from other people's cigarette smoke and other pollutants like car exhaust fumes;  I attended a lung rehab group where I learned heaps of valuable stuff about how to manage the emphysema - exercises, how to breathe and most importantly, not to "soldier on" when I feel discomfort beyond a certain level.

I eat healthy food and walk most days, more slowly than I used to, which annoys my energetic kelpie dog and I do stretching and breathing exercises most days.

I've had pneumonia twice, was hospitalised once because I thought the chest pain was another heart attack, but the second time managed to stay out of hospital with antibiotics and monitoring by my gp.

Stay on this forum and read back through as many posts as you can manage:  COPD seems to have a hugely wide variation in how it affects people.

There are good medications:  I use spiriva every morning and symbicort, a cortisone puffer, twice a day.  The second one in particular has made a big difference to my breathing and cut down the infuriating coughing at night.

Occasionally when I have breathing problems that wake me up, I get up and go back to sleep sitting up in a comfortable armchair because lying down is just too uncomfortable.

Good luck with it:  if you take care of yourself and especially if you can get to a rehab group and get on to medication AND what I've found to be the most positive thing, not focussing on what I can't do but only on what I can AND not beating myself up for being so stupid as to smoke all those years ... there are a lot worse conditions I could have

Take care of yourself

I was diagnosed 5 years ago. (I am now 65). I had repeated chest / flu infections and could not understand why. I never thought it could be my lungs. I was very concerned and then made a vow to do everything I could to help myself. I had not smoked for 15 years actually. I bought an exercise bike which I use most days. I walk about a mile a day at a brisk pace (a lot uphill). I try to eat healthily. Because of the walking I have lost 10lbs in weight, which I needed to lose. This has made me less breathless. I take a multivitamin each day - a high strength one. I take Q10 tablets from the health food shop. I have also visited a herbalist and take herbal medicine to help me avoid infections. I use Vick's First Defence when I know I will be in crowded places - it is to ward off colds and I swear it works. If I go to London or somewhere where there is a lot of traffic, I wear a mask. I try to avoid anywhere where there is a lot of traffic. After 5 years I actually feel better than I did before. Yes, carry on with your life as healthily as you can. My Mum was diagnosed with COPD at the age of about 80 and has just turned 90.