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Routine trip to the doctor

Posted , 7 users are following.

lumz
lumz

After experienceing a sharp pain in my side everytime i sneeze [which is quite often] i decided to call 111.

They advised me to contact my doctor.

He set up a chest xray for me which was promptly done.

When i went for the follow up appointment the dr dismissed the pain as "just a pulled muscle".

He did however say my lungs are showing early signs of copd and the only advice he had for me was STOP SMOKING!!!!

Now i don't really consider myself a "smoker"!!!!! I enjoy the occasional ciggarette when i have a drink a couple of times a week.

He seemed very blase about the whole thing and didn't even sit down during the appointment.

He also never showed me the xray of my lungs

I'm 50 in a couple of weeks and cycle, swim, visit the gym and do a quite physical job and apart from being slightly overweight i consider my level of fitness quite good for an "old fella"

Can anyone please advise what i should do next?

I know smoking is a major factor in copd but then so is just normal everyday pollution.

I sometimes work in very dusty conditions

 

1 like, 24 replies

24 Replies

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  • jude65855
    jude65855 lumz

    Posted

    PS to my earlier reply:  the doctor may have appeared flippant because he knows that unless you stop smoking anything else he can do for you is pretty much useless. 

    Similarly, most hospitals here in Australia won't do liver transplants for people who are still drinking or who are assessed as likely to do so:  it's a matter of resources being used to their fullest capacity.

    I quit many many times before the final time, which was some years before my COPD showed up:  what kept me from starting again the last time may also help you.  Are you aware that in some countries where tobacco is grown child slave labour is used and if the children don't meet their quota's the punishment is rape by the supervisors?   That information, from Doctors Without Borders, made sure I would never ever ever support such a disgusting industry ever again!

  • MarJij65
    MarJij65 lumz

    Posted

    I guess u didn't understand. I smoked 3 packs trying to quit with ecig and down to half a pack.  Not bad for someone who has smoked 25 years.   I have half a pack to go before I totally quit.  Sorry, I give myself credit.  So again, when I fully quit, I want to no if anyone has heard if this treatment works!!!  I'm not having a war of words with you! You sound very hard core! And resentful!!!  I don't need that type of feedback !!!
    • jude65855
      jude65855 MarJij65

      Posted

      Not hard core, not resentful and not wanting a war of words and having smoked for nearly 40 years with many attempts to stay off the nicotine, I DO understand!   

      I've helped a lot of people to stop, especially younger family members who lived in the addicts dream world that smoking wasn't affecting their health (yet!), that they need to smoke and that cutting down will save their lives.    I didn't help them by beating around the bush and was merely passing on the same approach to you, with compassion for your addiction and attempts to quit.

      Of course you should give yourself credit for reducing your smoking and I give it to you too, but ANY pollution will speed up the decline in your lung capacity and cigarette smoke is the most common.

      This is a public forum and just like the real world, you may not always like what you hear or how it's expressed - no offence was intended, merely concern for a fellow addicct

    • Nanny1086
      Nanny1086 MarJij65

      Posted

      I smoked 20 plus from aged 15 until 45 ,,,,,,,,,,after i was rushed into ICU ,,,because I couldn't breathe,,,,,,i never had another one ,,,

      just one a day is feeding. The nicotine habbit craving ,,,,,

      SO ,,,,STOP ,,,COMPLETELY ,,,,,NOW ,

      other wise ,,,your COPD will rapidly increase,,,, and the problems you have  NOW ,,,,,,,are nothing to what they will be .

      dont waste doctors time and take up hospital beds ,,,,, and carry on the fags ,,,,,,,,you have to help your self ,,,,,before anyone can help you .

    • jude65855
      jude65855 Nanny1086

      Posted

      Hear hear Nanny, I couldn't agree more, absolutely spot on!
  • lumz
    lumz

    Posted

    Wow i neve thought my litle post would cause such a reaction

    I think i've got the message now

    If i only smoke 10 ciggies a week how hard can it be to stop?

    Right i shall REALLY try

    But after a couple of pints i know that's when the temptation will be at it's worse

    All i can do is try

    There's a good yoda saying that would come in handy here but it's too early to remember it

    Thanks again everyone for your feedback

    • Nanny1086
      Nanny1086 lumz

      Posted

      The comments I/we make on here are hopefully to pass on our experiences of copd ,sometimes they may seem harsh ,when we tell it as it is ,but they are meant with kindness and honesty ,if think there's many of us  on here that wishes they  were in your shoes right now ,with the opportunity of being diagnosed with MILD COPD , ,,,,it's too late for us ,our health issues are further down the road ,so we are hoping to guide you on the right road ,,,,to a better out come ,,,,,a better life ,,,, 

      i wsh you good luck in your endeavour to kick the habit ,don't say ,,,,

      i will do my best ,,,,,,say that's it ,,,I've now stopped ,,,when the consultant said to me " the next one will kill you " I wrote those words on a piece of paper ,,and every time I wanted a ciggerette I just read my paper ,,,,I'm aged 69 now I was diagnosed aged 46 ,,,,,I am still here to enjoy time with my beautiful grandaughter Lois ,,,,,, she is 12 years old ,,,,if I had carried on smoking ,,,,,I would have  missed out  on spending time with her ,and she has seen me on my bad days ,,,,and said don't worry nanny ,,,,,I will never smoke , if you have someone in your life that you love with all your heart,do it for them to show them how much THEY MEAN TO YOU , 

      Good luck ,good health and best wishes ,

    • jude65855
      jude65855 lumz

      Posted

      You could always give up the pints for  a while too, it is hard not to smoke after a drink if that's your addiction.   Nanny is right:  "trying" is giving yourself an out and I don't think Yoda had COPD did h/she/it?

      People have been quitting for decades without the help that's around now:  patches, gum, spray, hypnotherapy, medication .... anything that works for you.  Also I can recommend the Alan Carr Books and I believe the groups are good too.  The seventh day adventist church also run free quit groups in some places:  if you want to live longer and healthier you'll find the right method for you

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