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Waiting on testing

Posted , 5 users are following.

cyb
cyb

I'm a 42 y/o female. Light smoker (3 day last 2 years). Smoked 10 day for 20 years.

I went to ER in summer for a possible cracked rib and xray showed "blunting/hyper extended lungs".

I've had a cold/allergies for 6 months and have had a cough for months.

I went to ER 2 weeks back for chest xray as breathing was getting hard. I was again told I have hyperinflated lungs but this time referred for lung function testing. I did that this week and now have to wait a couple weeks for results.

Am feeling very nervous. does hyperinflated lungs mean COPD for sure?

I've read it usually is but can be asthma as well.

thank u!

0 likes, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • aitarg35939
    aitarg35939 cyb

    Posted

    COPD is not a death sentence, if that's what's worrying you. I don't know about hyperinflated lungs as the term hasn't been used around me or Himself in 22 yrs of COPD.

    I do know that coughs & colds of the durations of yours are NOT just coughs and colds. They need to be treated, so i hope that this gets you some treatment.

  • jackie87522
    jackie87522 cyb

    Posted

    I have severe copd and I have never had hyper inflated lungs given as a cause or result of copd. Not sure what hyperinflated lungs indicate.

    • alan83021
      alan83021 jackie87522

      Posted

      i think it refers to air getting trapped in the lungs and over time this overinflated the lungs. because of the restricted air passages in lungs.

  • david1942
    david1942 cyb

    Edited

    Cyb - "A possible cracked rib" indicates you have had serious coughing bouts. If so, the strain on the rib cage is pronounced and breathing becomes painful. The only solution is to stop smoking altogether. Even one cigarette a day is harmful.

    The cumulative cigarette pack years is the consequence. Undoing the damage is said by many to be irreversible. I have been working on the process for 5 years and it has been slow going. Lately there has been clear improvement but it has entailed a minimum 3 miles daily plus multiple hours of weekly physical work. In my instance -- age 78 -- several years have to be subtracted from the equation.

    Dependent on breathing difficulty, medication is a useful prop, preferably discontinued when reasonable to do so.

    Your results would be interesting to read. A suggestion of asthmatic symptoms is possible and could be a result of long-term colds, etc. Restoring immunity is a priority.

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