Rookie seeks knowledge

Thanks Carmie, I'm always open to learning anything that will be of benefit. I'd like to know, as an American, is this a UK site primarily. Hope that makes little difference to the pursuit of knowledge. Insurance Co.'s differences come to mind first. . 

It's a UK site but with a number of Americans. There are more differences than just insurance. Many drugs are the same but have different names -- just google.

You will also hear about emergency packs of some antibiotics & maybe some prednisone, which folks get to have at home and decide on their own if they need them. Very sensible and almost unheard of here. They also get sent to pulmonary rehab after every illness, perhaps on the theory that a return to as much good health as possible is both healthier, cheaper, and better for the country. Here in the US, you're not going to PR until your lungs drop below about 35% function, unless of course you've filthy rich and can bypass insurance/Medicare rules.

Also, what we call specialists are called consultants in the UK.

You asked about weight. I just read recently that one of the most imporyant aspects of losing weight is expelling all CO2 from the lungs. If you've got COPD, you pretty much never manage to get all the CO2 out. So practice good breathing routines, exhaling a couple of counts longer than your inhale if you can. Walking is good and so is lifting 1 - 3 lb weights if you can do that. Doing anything, even walking in place while holding onto the back of a chair, is better than nothing.

Forgive the typos. Also, if you smoke, quit now. If you live with a smoker, they can't smoke indoors or in the car with you & shouldn't smoke close enough to the door that all their smoke comes in when the door opens.