I had copd for 8 years now diagnosed as diabetic

Hi Terri

I am in the UK.

I think nowadys you have to be very vigilant with what you are prescribed.  Old wives tales and older medication seem to work better than all these new wonderdrugs.

I havent much faith in doctors.  accidents and blood tests are about all they are good for - my husbands grandad used to say well they are only practising it says so on their doors.

Thanks for your reply I also wish you luck

 

yes i am going to take very slowly - I  bought vibration plate some months ago - that was a godsend - when ~I couldnt breathe a few minutes on that was a small bit of exercise. I have now bought a treadmill for gentle exercise and will gradually build up on that.   thank you for you reply

"cat" - many thanks for your reply.

Hi Brenda. 

Glad to hear your breathing is better too.  How long have you been diabetic?

My breathing was loads better.  Before i could do nothing - I used to force myself to cook the only chore I could do and would always have to bend forwards and hold onto something whilst chopping veg etc although sometimes couldnt manage that.  This week I have done some washing - bending and lifting - not done that for 2 years.  My tightness in my chest has completely gone it doesnt feel restrictive.

I had loads of trips to the toilet the first part of this week after taking metformin but it seems to have settled down.  I think it depends on what you eat as well.  Diabetes can effect your diaphragm and all other muscles so I have read. 

Thanks for your reply

Sue, that is so very interesting, regarding Metformin. The abdominal cramps associated with Metformin are horrible. I had the same experience the first couple of weeks after first taking Metformin too. Today, for some reason, possibly something I've eaten, but I am having the cramps again, but they are much more bearable. The last time I had cramps was about three months ago. 

I have been a borderline diabetic for about the last ten years, and I have controlled it by diet only, no pills. Now, my doctor has discovered, possibly due to some of my medications for lungs, that I have crossed over slightly to the diabetic side of scale. So I am a very mild diabetic. My A1C's are usually 6-7. So, I have been very mild diabetic for about one year. 

I have to struggle with my chores in my kitchen too. I have to lean forward while washing dishes, and cooking is rather difficult, but I think it is due to it being so time consuming and it wears me out. But, with cooking, I also have to lean forward and sit for chopping and cooking over the stove. I use my Walker in my kitchen for all the sitting purposes, and it greatly helps me.

I think that is so nice that you can do the things you could do several years ago...so nice! I hope it gets better too. Sometimes I wonder if the other condition (Diabetes) may have exaggerated the lung condition. I notice that after walking and upon first sitting, I get my usual SOB's, but then they are not as intense as they use to be. I still have a difficult time with working in the kitchen, doing laundry, etc...possibly it will get better in the near future. I have a PFT coming up, and am wondering what my FEV1 % will be this year. I hope it will be better!

Brenda xo

 

Forgot to ask, what type of lung condition do you have Sue? They are not sure about what I have...at first they thought it was emphysema, but after a cat scan, they found no damage or any condition in my lungs, but in the bronchial tubes there were inflammation. So, lately, I have had to visit many specialists visit, to rule out specific Interstitual lung diseases, and she has narrowed it down to either Severe Asthma, even though I have never had Asthma as a child, or, scorched bronchial tubes (I was briefly involved in a kitchen fire, stove caught fire). My last visit with her, she stated that she doesn't know how to treat me, because she is not sure what I have. My lungs on the cat scan are good, but the bronchial's are inflammed. I am taking lots of bronchial dialators. 

dunno they just pigeon hole you if you smoke, go in with sob come out with inhalers - i never took them as they make me feel sick so no treatment not that there is any - apart from antibiotics - i did have pneumonia two years ago, i cant believe how much better i feel getting better every day.-  going for a diabetes clinic on tuesday.  but 31st december going for annual spirometery - i will let you know how old my lungs are and what they say. 

are you vitamin defficient?

 Sue, I know exactly what you are saying regarding how they pigeon hole us with copd, just by telling them our history of smoking. It sounds like you are, or may be, regressing! Please update us after your annual spirometry...this is interesting, and is so nice to hear that someone is getting well from this terrible condition. 

From my blood tests, every thing comes back within normal ranges, so I am guessing I have no vitamin difficiency. I take Fish Oil get tabs every day, multi vitamin, calcium with D, every day. So far, it seems electrolytes and everything in my blood tests are within normal ranges. 

Please update us! Do little exercises every day to build up strength while you get well. 

hi brenda sorry not replied earlier but i had an anaphaltic shock on new years day and still feel a bit weak.  anyway i forgot to mention when i took metformin i sucked two high strength vit b 12 tablets and a vit d as metfornmin depletes vit b 12  - on further research on the net of course i discovered someone on this site over a year ago was diagnosed with b12 defficiency in greece well pernicious anaemia so ive been taking the vit b12 ever since and vey very slowly getting better.  anyway according to that silly test i have only managed to knock three years off my 126 year old lungs  rubbish test.  i have never been able to blow up a baloon have false teeth and find the mouthpiece a ridiculous shape.

so i am taking the vit b12 lozenges loads  of em - i still smoke.

 Sue84755, thank you so much for letting me know the importance of taking Vit b 12 lozenges, due to taking Metformin. I will go to the store and purchase a supply of them and begin taking them, at least one a day. I take two tablets of Metformin per day..they are 500 mg each. Pernicious Anaemia is something we don't want to fool around with, so is important to prevent it.  

Also, What caused your anaphalactic shock on New Years day? I hope you are okay now, and sorry you had that happen....anaphalactic shock is serious. Glad you are better now! Are you still regressing back to normal health? Is it any better? Anyhow, no matter what, it is a good thing that you are getting better.  :-)  

i know going to doctors tomorrow - i found that when i took any oil like evening primrose oil it made my lungs slightly worse - i also used to have a dehumidifier on all night - that helped.

Sue84755,

Thank you for letting me know about the dehumidifier...I have one of them, so I will hook it up and use it while sleeping at night! :-) 

Just so curious, but, have you seen the FEV1 score on your PFT climb higher in percentage? I love hearing good news like this, and I do think it is possible, and surprisingly can happen! 

Take Care, I wish you the best! 

did you know that french firemen  - i dont know about here are given lots of vit b12 before they go to a fire helps their lungs