Shallow breating

Thanks for the info.

My mother died of congestive heart/ lung failure. She was a smoker  and I am not.

What caues COPD? .

My lungs hurt......on each side parallel to my ribs. I guess it is  my lungs. Sometimes it feel like something boreing into a specific place in my side. What can I do?

I get soo tired of this and other health issues of mine.Getting older is no fun.

 

Cause depends on which condition it is;  COPD covers mainly longterm asthma, chronic bronchitis and emphysema.    What response do you get from doctors when you ask them about your symptoms?

I agree getting old is no fun, but it's at least better than the alternative!  If you do have COPD it is manageable and not curable but can be very slow in progressing.   

It's kinda scarry,because COPD is so proggresive and noncureable. But then, death of everyone is non-curable. We can all help each other until then, huh.

Like most of us, I did a huge panic when first diagnosed until my then gp told me she'd recently been to a funeral for a patient in her 80's who'd had COPD for decades.

I reckon it could be a LOT worse - eg cancer which can kill you quickly and you don't even know you have it until far too late

 

The more I learn about COPD, both on this site and elsewhere, the more I realise what a variable condition it is:  I did have central chest pain as a symptom of COPD and still get it sometimes on exertion.

I also called an ambulance believing I was having another heart attack bc it felt similar only to discover at the hospital that I had pneumonia bc of the COPD.    

Man, I feel like I have just been to the doc. Thanks for the info. You are so helpful. It sounds like I am at the first stage of CPOD.

Glad to be of help - let us know how you get on from here - all the best

Asthma isn't different to COPD:  longterm asthma is one of the conditions which comes under the COPD umbrella description.  There are however differences between say asthma and emphysema and chronic bronchitis, but they all come under COPD

In Canada/US UK and Europe Asthma has been removed from.the COPD umbrella term. From the sounds of what you are saying this is not the case in Australia. Not sure what you mean by long term asthma Jude....can you clarify? Thanks!

I've never had it but as I understand it longterm asthma can lead to emphysema - hence COPD.    I mean lifelong asthma:  people who develop it at a young age and end up with emphysema as a result.

I hope I'm making sense - I really shouldn't write replies late at nght when I'm tired ...

Thanks for the quick reply Jude. From what I've read asthma which is not well controlled can lead eventually to emphysema and asthma which is not reversible (less than 15% reversibility on the pft) is then defined as copd with an asthma component or more recently being called ACOS Asthma copd overlap syndrome...which is what I have. ..persistent asthma ( not episodic) showing only 10% reversibility post bronchodilator.

Asthma is different to COPD jude. Not all Asthmatics develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.  Asthma is not necessarily chronic but it can become so, then it becomes COPD.  People with COPD don't have asthma attacks unless they have both asthma and COPD. 

Check of BLF's page on Lung conditions, there is an A to Z list, Asthma is listed separately to COPD.

https://www.blf.org.uk/Page/conditions

or even patient UK pages will describe each I am sure.

Emis Moderator comment: Indeed we do, see link below that explains the difference between asthma and COPD.

https://patient.info/health/chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease-leaflet#nav-4

I replied similar about this to your first comment jude, its waiting approval from the moderators because I included a link. 

Vee2, I know people with lifelong asthma who've then developed emphysema and been told it was caused by the asthma.

Of course I know the difference, I don't know why you thought I didnt:  I've stated on this site on a number of occasions that ventolin doesn't do a thing for me because I have emphysema and have never had asthma.

That's exactly my understanding too Ada - thanks!

Yes its when the asthma becomes Chronic, to the point when lung damage occurs, but of course not all asthmatics will develop COPD, emphysema or chronic bronchitis, some asthma patients do but not all. Some people have been wrongly diagnosed with asthma, only to find out later they have alpha1 which can lead to emphysema ./ COPD.

You did say in reply to me above that you thought asthma isn't different to COPD, that is why I gave the link to BLF site.  Just so others / newly diagnosed don't misunderstand your comment about them being the same. We are agreed now that they are not, that's good

On its own ventolin wouldn't help me either but I do use it and find it helpful prior to exercise, when airways narrow, before evening steroid med.  I have emphysema also, no asthma.  Sometimes when our airways have already narrowed for whatever reason air pollution, cold air etc, we don't or can't always get the medicine deep enough into our lungs, to help me achieve this when using ventolin I use an aerochamber, there are a few other spacers which can help achieve the same result.  Also for years people were trying to take the ventolin breathing in quickly , its a slower longer breath intake technique recommended now in UK.

This is my last word to you on this subject and I'm only bothering because I hate being misquoted:  if you read my post properly you will see that I did NOT state that asthma and emphysema are the same thing, but that asthma and COPD aren't necessarily separate conditions.

To say that longterm asthma and COPD are entirely separate things is a bit like saying one has a malignant tumour  

...... cont'd ....

Damn these cataracts, I hit send before I'd' fiished what I was saying ...

.... AND cancer.     That's interesting that you find ventolin useful with emphysema:  I've been told from the very first spirometry test when ventolin made no difference to the readings that it's no use except for asthma.

I do not smoke and  soooooooo glad I do not.  It's just a part of getting older I guess. It really effects the golden years.  Sad but true. I don't mind if 120 but I miss things I use to do. Took a 3 mile walk.dumb huh, and by the time I got home I was in bab shape. My wife got on to me. 

Congrats on the 3 mile walk but I just want to point out that the most important thing I learned at rehab apart from the special exercises was that there's no point in "soldiering on" with COPD because it just takes longer to recover.    What's the point in pushing yourself until you're in bad shape?

Stop whatever you're doing when you get breathless, do the appropriate breathing exercises and then continue.   Good luck!

You are right. I will not try that again. If for no other reason my wife will bang me on the head.

Funny!  If she's reading this tell her she sounds like a woman after my own heart ... not that I have a partner to bang on the head, but I do understand that frustration when someone you care about isn't taking care of him/herself.

Keep your lungs AND your head as healthy as possible, ehj?

jude I think you should read what I said and what you said again. 

I never said you said what you said I said :D

But no matter we will leave it at that.

Have a good breathing day.

You too!