newbie

Hi Debbie, Your mum's story is not dissimilar to mine - and I have no intention of dying any time soon! Stopping smoking is the best thing she can do. He spirometry test (blowing) will give her some idea of her lung function. As we frequently tell people, knowing about the condition helps enormously in fighting it. Make sure your mum sees a chest specialist. Her GP and practice nurse may be lovely but they will not be experts in her condition and she deserves someone who is. An avoidance of all cigarette smoke, a sensible diet, taking regular exercise (even at a basic level - I don't manage a lot but it is done daily and increases slightly each week), taking medications as prescribed and avoiding people with coughs and colds all help; as do flu and pneumonia jabs (ask at the surgery as they are available at about this time of year).

Read up on her condition with her and it will help you both understand what is good, what can help, what you should be asking for. This site is a good source of info so try reading through earlier posts. Ask whatever you like and the odds are someone will have something useful to say.

Bookmark the page though as we can be hard to find again, and I learned this the hard way!

Good luck

Jacee

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Hello Debbie,

I hope that you have managed to find some information on COPD. As Jacee said this site is great for general background reading and for realising that there are others going through the same emotions.

Have you seen the information about COPD here:

https://patient.info/health/Chronic-Obstructive-Pulmonary-Disease.htm

If you google it you'll find other sites but best really to stick to UK information.

I hope that once your sister has had her tests that you'll be able to help her and encourage her to do all the things that Jacee said - exercise, staying off the cigs etc. and that this in itself helps you to worry less.

Hope we hear from you again,

Ann

:oops: Gosh how embarassing!

It looks like I've done something awful but all I did was to put the link to the Patient Uk information on COPD.

:oops: Ann :oops:

I am the one that is embarrassed - so sorry to confuse yout=r mum and your sister. Put it down to my age.:oops:

Ann, all you did was name a website. They are checked by the moderator so nobody can come on here and promote a website that rips people off. etc. Yours was approved.:wink:

Jacee

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Hi again, I've replied to your lovely messages, but posted them on a new thread under newbie again! DOH!!!!!

Sorry, will get the hang of it eventually!! And I've bookmarked the page too!

Debbie xx