Is There Anyway To Tell How Fast COPD/Emphysema Progresses | MyCOPDTeam

Connect with others who understand.

sign up Log in
Resources
About MyCOPDTeam
Powered By
Real members of MyCOPDTeam have posted questions and answers that support our community guidelines, and should not be taken as medical advice. Looking for the latest medically reviewed content by doctors and experts? Visit our resource section.
Is There Anyway To Tell How Fast COPD/Emphysema Progresses
A MyCOPDTeam Member asked a question πŸ’­

I have mild to moderate COPD at this time my only symptoms are some shortness of breath during the day. I use oxygen at night but because of sleep apnea not the COPD, and i tire a lot easier than i used to. I stopped smoking when i went into the hospital 10/2016 with pneumonia. I feel the doctors did not think i was going to make it. A month later i was diagnosed with COPD and started having difficulty breathing. Can anyone tell me how fast this disease progresses and what to expect next… read more

posted February 14, 2018
β€’
Be the first to like/hug
A MyCOPDTeam Member

Quit smoking as you have, start an exercise program (daily), get your weight as close to normal as possible, take your meds, stay away from people with bugs and make an action plan with your doc so you know what to do if you do get sick, and you could lead a very full and satisfying life with few problems from your COPD.

The progressive part is that everyone loses lung function as we age, and if you smoked, you lose it faster than normal. When you take a spirometry test, what you blow is measures against a normal person your age, height, weight,. sex and ethnicity and it's shown as a percentage. Everyone loses lung function every year, and after we quit smoking and a year or two have passed, we go back to losing lung function at the same rate as everyone else. Since we started with less than normal, our goal is to keep our lung function at the same percentage point. Mine's in the mid 30s, just where it was when I was diagnosed in 2000.

If you do the work of exercising, keeping your weight in a good range and all the rest, you could, with a little luck, go on without many problems from your COPD.

posted February 14, 2018
A MyCOPDTeam Member

This is fantastic advice, @A MyCOPDTeam Member, so helpful. When I was in hospital in December I was told by a consultant that they were sending me home ( minus medication) because as he put it "Theres , no point, you're not going to recover, your age is against you and your left lung is permanently damaged' I'm 76 by the way, I'm not going to say much more on that subject, but the following day I had a new doctor take over my case, he put me back on my meds and told me that he would keep tabs on me when I came home. since leaving the hospital 6 days later, I have had two follow up appointments already and there are going to be more. He had faith in me when I told him I wasn't giving up and here I am and I'm going to improve ( not fully I know, but definately better than...........)

posted February 16, 2018 (edited)
A MyCOPDTeam Member

ltooles, if you want good information that's not designed to scare you to death, go to www.copdfoundation.org and click on the learn more tab. There's lots of good information there. With an FEV1 of 57%, you could be living a very normal life and with some work on your part and a little luck, you might just sail through the rest of your life with very few problems. You should talk with your doc about beginning a daily exercise program, both aerobic exercise and strengthening exercises for the upper, lower and core muscle groups. That's probably the most important thing you need to do. It takes some work, but the results will amaze you.

As for the life expectancy thing, you have to remember that those figures are an average. So that includes people who died the day they were diagnosed and people who've lived for 30 -40 years with this chronic condition. The average life expectancy is represented by a standard bell curve, and the curve is moving to the right, so the average life expectancy is going to the right. You want to be on the far right, and exercise is one way to get there. I know I had COPD in 1985 even though I wasn't diagnosed until 2000, so I've had it for over 30 years and I'm going strong.

posted February 15, 2018
A MyCOPDTeam Member

Kathleenmarie, you go, girl! I love your attitude, and good for you for firing that guy who told you he wasn't going to give you any meds. I think that's grounds for taking his license to practice away and you should really complain formally to the hospital about that if you haven't already. That's agist, sexist and I don't think it falls in the category of "do no harm"! I'm betting you will be able to line dance before you're done and your garden will be beautiful!

ltooles, your insurance nurse might help, but it would be a great idea if your doc would refer you to a Physical Therapist who could really do a good job helping you figure out what exercises you can do that will help you and not cause any other damage. Ask about aerobic exercise and resistance/strengthening exercises.

I take Advair and Combivent and I have a rescue inhaler that I don't use much at all. I drink lots of water all the time. I always use my nasal rinse after I've been in a crowd or get to my destination when I fly. If I think I may be getting something I start the mucinex. I carry antibiotics and prednisone with me and if the color of my mucous changes, I start taking one of the antibiotics and call my doc. That's it......

posted February 17, 2018
A MyCOPDTeam Member

thanks for th info Jean,has for my elf l have had copd for many years,it's just in the last three l have been in the hospital from it.and l also lost over 20lbs.but l feel good right now.l watch what l eat but l don't exercise very much and I want to thank you for your info.

posted February 15, 2018

Related content

View All
What Complications Are Created (caused/side Effects) By Having COPD?
A MyCOPDTeam Member asked a question πŸ’­
If You Have Mild Emphysematous Changes In A Ct Scan, Would That Be Diagnosed As COPD Or Emphysema?
A MyCOPDTeam Member asked a question πŸ’­
Does Anyone Know How Fast Copd Progresses?
A MyCOPDTeam Member asked a question πŸ’­
Continue with Facebook
Continue with Google
Your privacy is our priority. By continuing, you accept our Terms of use and Privacy policy.
Already a Member? Log in