I'm terrified I have COPD

I definitely don't believe the two conditions are connected, but others may have information I don't:  I also have both conditions but I really don't see how they could be connected.     

I assumed you were diagnosed via a spirometry test and if so, what's your lung percentage?   The very best thing you can do is find a pulmonary rehab group, but I'm thinking from your comment about not being able to afford to see another doctor that you're in the US and I don't think such groups are free or common there - at least that's my impression from this forum.

If you're a smoker, the COPD will advance much faster, so you really need to stop by whatever means are necessary.

I hope this gives you some hope:  my lung function is exactly the same now as it was when I was first diagnosed nearly 4 years ago:  I went to rehab, learned appropriate exercises, I walk every day and I have both Spiriva and Symbicort sprays which I use faithfully.  As much as possible I stay out of air borne polluion, including other people's cigarette smoke.

I hope you've stopped crying now!   All the best

I don't know how hold you are (I'm 70 this year and in spite of years of smoking I was quite healthy at least on the surface until about 6 years ago) but I often think of the Katherine Hepburn quote:  she said that going to the doctor when you get old is a bit like taking your old car for repairs - there's a lot of headshaking and tut-tutting and then the comment "Sorry, they don't make parts for this model any more."

I hope that cheers you up a bit ...... then there's Bette Davis, who made the famous often quoted statement that old age is no place for sissies.

Take care of yourself!

With COPD, it's essential you take responsibility for managing the COPD with slowing down when your breathless instead of trying to "soldier on" and that you learn the correct breathing techniques and other specific exercises.   Other people on this forum have advised the breathing exercises can be found on youtube and I strongly recommend you check that out if you can't get into a pulmonary rehab group.

When I was first diagnosed I panicked too until my gp told me she'd recently been to the funeral of a woman in her 80's who'd had COPD for decades and died of something else anyway.   There are a lot worse things than COPD for a smoker:   lung cancer gives you notice whatsoever and is often diagnosed when it's too late:  COPD is no fun but at least we can have some control over how it progresses and it can be slowed down for decades, depending on at what stage the diagnosis was made.

Please try not to cry so much: that can't be helping your breathing!   

On thing I found helped the coughing was to suck a cough lozenge containing menthol (I use Anticol but I don't know if that's available everywhere)  and then drink some very cold water.  Another old remedy is sipping a half and half mixture of cider vinegar and honey:  I used to have that ready made up in the fridge when I was a smoker.

If you've been using the Symbicort for a while and you're still coughing it would be good if  you could manage to see the doctor again.  All I know is that I only have night time coughing very rarely now, usually when I've been exposed to pollution, inc cigarette smoke.

Dry mouth is common with a lot of COPD medication because it dries out parts of the body other than the lungs & bronchial tubes:  Spiriva gave me a very dry mouth and cracks at the corners of my mouth for a while and then I guess my body got used to it, although I still occasionally get dryness in the corners of my mouth.

Albuterol must be quite different to the two inhalers I have, because they're used once a day (2 puffs) for the Spiriva and twice a day (1 puff) for the Symbicort.    The latter is the one which helped amazingly with the night time coughing.

Hang in there:  it's a steep learning curve I know!