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I have Stridor or COPD why is it out of control can the Doctors have the healing methods to give

Posted , 6 users are following.

eric50547
eric50547

I find myself to no longer to have a normal life do to feeling the only need to breathe and not gasp for air in everyones view. This causes severe Anxiety which has threaten my near existance but going to the hospital again and again. They can only give me temporary relief send me home just as help less as being treated with methods that have no real hope that I am am not going to finally wake up from this nightmare for nearly everyday people see me trying to breathe or swallow, either ask me are you ok can I call 911 for you, Or think that I am on some kind of illegal drugs that is ktlling me, I just want to know that There is hope for people like me who don't understand why we continue to suffer right?

0 likes, 12 replies

12 Replies

  • mary53515
    mary53515 eric50547

    Posted

    if you are struggling to breathe they should not be sending you home from Emergency they should be admitting you & finding out why you have this problem.

    Go again & tell them you want a medical evaluation & refuse to be discharged home!

    • eric50547
      eric50547 mary53515

      Posted

      Mary you could have been my hero so many times I had gone into the emergency room obviously one look at the way I was trying just to take one breath, deep down inside you would silently had commented to yourself saying he's dead. 

       I do not say this to be a jokester truely in 2012 when I was first seen at Simi Valley Hospital for for this breathing condition not knowing what was going on with me. As 3 Emergency Doctors were trying to figure why I was suffering so terribly to breath, I then had a stroke yelling at them with spit uncontolably coming out of my mouth trying to say help you idiots don't look at me like you had never seen this before, 

       For the next 2 years they did make every effort to admit me into the hospital have specialist diagnose and offer there how to fix this opinons by scoping my throat with cameras etc...

       Yet a'lot of them were saying this is anxiety related and then sent me to speech therapy due to there belief this couldn't be fixed by surgery or medicines. Even after 2 years of having Stridor I can honestly tell you as each day passed I was in a constant asthma attack. They were no longer admitting me to the hospital for treatment there excuse well your oxgen levels are to high so this is telling us you will be ok. Mary and all the wonderful people who have replied to my cry for help I can honestly tell you now 3 1/2 years later out of the 149 times I had gone to the emergency room 32 of those times they admitted me the rest just sending me home with maybe 20% relief. I had gone to 2 other hospitals in the area and once again it looked like I was either a good actor or someone that was going to be with God sooner then I had lived a full life. For they looked at me like they had never seen someone who had Stridor or even what to do. This frustrated me so badly I just refused to go to the hospital or my sweet caring Dr. for I had enough of them just giving me anti anxiety med's with no hope of me ever just having 1 day of being so relaxed my breathing would be ok and I would be able to resume my professional life as a Computer tech who was great at his job made alo't of $$ and never asking our govt. for any assitance in health issues. 

       Thankyou for offering me your words of hope for I will tell more of me to the others who ha written to me. God bless you Mary. Eric K

  • jude65855
    jude65855 eric50547

    Posted

    Do you  have stridor or COPD or both?   If you have COPD you will be breathless and there are ways of managing this condition, including daily medication.

    If it's caused by anxiety alone, or even if it's caused by COPD, meditation would be helpful.   No one needs to live with severe anxiety if they're prepared to do something about .   You only mention this happening in the presence of others, which makes me think the cause is anxiety, because such attacks when alone wuold be much more frightening I would think.

    Do you actually have a diagnosis of the cause of your breathlessness?   That's the first step you need to take and if there's no physical cause you need to focus on doing something about the anxiety, which doesn't have to be a permanent state for you if you choose otherwise.

    • eric50547
      eric50547 jude65855

      Posted

      Hi Jude thankyou so much for offering me your words of comfort. I do also have COPD. I smoked ciggs for 25 years believing I was one of those people who believed they were superman ... no way tobacco will get the best of me. Well the anti anxiety med's they have prescibed to me are not slowing this disease down enough to where I am getting out of my nut shell I had created being to embarassed to walk out into the public just to do any deeds that I needed to get to would just hide in my home. I almost had given up truely for I can not stop or slow down the constant astma attack I having everyday knowing the medical community just sees me as someone who perhaps just needs attention and they are out of ideas on how to offer me hope that one day modern medicine will look into there magic hat and come up with just knowing how to truely sow thus disease down enough to where people like myself can once again have so confidence in themselves to go out to dinner not worrying if your disturbing everones peace because I can't seem to sawllow my food or have a conversation with who ever was with me asking me politely what do you say.. tell me again.

       After reading your kind words 3 times I think you are honestly right about anxiety being the culprit here not something stuck in my throat or COPD being the primary cause. 

       At night when I am asleep I would sleep like a baby never taking one breath without making a noise or suffering like asthma was a curse over me, I will call my Dr tomorrow and ask who she can tell my insurance company who by the way had paid 100% of my medical bills costing over $250,000 that this is the next step of treatment someone who specializes in meditation.

       Yes I have been properly diagnosed by 3 different throat Doctors that I have confirmed COPD and Stridor. Once again thankyou and may God bless your life. Eric K 

    • jude65855
      jude65855 eric50547

      Posted

      It's amazing how often cause is mistaken for effect:  COPD is enough to make anyone anxious and once it was diagnosed I don't understand why you weren't given the appropriate medication for it and referred to rehab.

      That's great you're going to look for meditation but I don't know if a gp is the right place to look unless you have a very unusual gp: googling  Mindfulness Meditation & then finding it in your area would be my choice of action.  If you've meditated before you could try books:  I'd recommend "Mindfulness for LIfe" by Craig Hassed & Stephen McKenzie, also Viktor Frankl"s "Man's Search for Meaning"  which has a message that there's one choice no-one can take away from us, and that's the choice of how to respond to any given circumstance - coming from a Holocaust survivor who lost his entire family to the Nazi regime, I reckon he knows what he's talking about!   Cognitive Behavior Therapy is good too: very practical and it's now known from neuroscience that we CAN change how our brains work - check out neuro pasticity if interested, esp "The Brain that Changes itself."

      That's enough reading matter to recommend in one post - I hope you're a reader!   

      Take care of ourself, hey, and let this forum know how you get on with your new approach ....

  • terri69807
    terri69807 eric50547

    Posted

    Hi Eric:  I was in denial for a long time about having copd.  Was constantly calling 911 and ending up in the emergency room and like you, they would send me home.It was as if I had forgotten that I had been diagnosed with copd, as had my Dr. apparently; although he doesn't have hospital privileges, so never saw me on my many visits to the emergency department.  Finally, my Dr. called me into his office and put me on an inhaler that helps me.  The er Dr.'s had called  him and said something needs to be done here.  I was suffering from panic attacks constantly.  I live alone and was alone every time they happened.  Now, through breathing exercises, at times meditation, eating as healty as I can and trying not to stress, I haven't been the the emergency for, think it's about 6 months.  Now I know to reach for my inhaler, breathe and try to stay calm.  When you feel as if you can't breathe, as I did, your panic increases.  I used to feel as if I was dying. As other people have suggested, get to your Dr. and find an explanation for what is going on with you.  Good luck.
    • jude65855
      jude65855 terri69807

      Posted

      Is your COPD emphysema related?  If it is you should have inhalers to use s a preventative, not just when you're breathless.   If asthma, of course ventolin will help.

      Good on you for learning to manage it yourself: it is possible as you've described and correct breathing exercises are invaluable

    • eric50547
      eric50547 terri69807

      Posted

      Hi Terri. wow after reading your kind words I almost started to cry, I was relalting to you in ways Doctors never could. I am so happy to hear that it's been 6 months since you had no other choice excpet perhaps pass away not going down with the good fight or making every effort to which it seems you have in finding ways to get back your life never feeling embarrssed again in being in public. going back to work and then finding that someone special who sees you as someone who talks to where there words are filled of wisdom and direction in life, Not someone who is being constantly asked I didn't hear you say again??? Are you taking any med's if so which one's. Can you tell me anything else that gets me off my rear back out there in the public life with that first step saying to yourself I can go about my day not having to worry if everyone is staring at me or is talking behind my back cause Iam suffering obviously, I to are alone not knowing the blessing of ever having a better half who loves me for me not my appearance or drive a nice car with a big house. Wow I am so glad you had taken the time with the others who also have offered me words of hope and encouragement.

       Go get you a lover a best friend someone who will live out there life with you never having regrets or feeling hopeless because you once had a life filled with suffering and having no confidence to just even take your dog out for a walk becuse the neighbors are talking about my health. It sounds to me your telling them under your breath let them talk I am better I feel that I can carry on a conversation never having to be asked again what I said.

       May God continue to bless you please stay in touch Eric K

    • terri69807
      terri69807 jude65855

      Posted

      Hi Jude:  My COPD was caused from both of my parents smoking, ended up with chronic bronchitis growing up, every November I would be off school for if not the the whole month, 2 to 3 weeks.  For some unknow reason my body can't seem to tolerate meds in general, that goes for arthritis meds. (have 3 different kinds) inhalers, etc.  For well over a year the arthritis specialist tried different medications, I couldn't tolerate any of them.  Same goes for inhalers, the only one I can seem to use and that helps me is the ventolin inhaler. Even pain meds. don't work for me, they have the opposite outcome, either makes the pain worse or the drugs affects me mentally in a negative way.  Sucks.  I have spinal stenosis also and in a lot of pain most days.  Hope things are going well for you Jude.  Take care.  
    • terri69807
      terri69807 eric50547

      Posted

      Hi Eric:

      Not sure exactly what to say, uhmmm, if you read the message I just sent you Jude it explains that I can't take meds in general, not just for the COPD but for the other conditions I have.  Haven't had my morning coffee yet and am not thinking too "brightly".  Think you said you had had a couple of strokes, I to had two strokes last year, can't remember the medical term, but they were mini-strokes and thankfully wasn't left with any negative aftermath from them.  I'm quite a bit older than you Eric, 66 and now at this age I don't really care what people think of me. Although having said that, the day before yesterday we voted in a new Prime Mininster here in Canada.  I was outside the polling station and there were a lot of people.  I could feel myself starting to panic a little, then remembered to get the inhaler out of my bag, have a puff and breathe.  Did that and it helped.  A couple of people did kind of give me a sideways glance, could have been through concern though, who knows? I am past the point in my life where I will get a lover and good friend would be great, male or female.  Without sharing too much as this is supposed to be about COPD, I do have a strong faith.  Some days that is all that keeps me going, put one foot in front of the other and keep on going.  Good luck to you Eric. You are in my prayers.

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