Lee, how were you diagnosed with COPD? And who diagnosed you? If you haven't had a spirometry or Pulmonary Function Test and been seen by a pulmonologist, you may be right; you may not have COPD. If you really want to get to the bottom of this puzzle and get an answer you can trust, find yourself a Center of Excellence in COPD, get an appointment and go there for a full diagnostic workup. There are pulmonologists and other experts in lung disease who have almost certainly seen situations similar to yours and who should be able to give you a definitive answer. Posting your situation on boards like this really gets you a bunch of lay opinions for free.....and you know what those are worth!:):)

Jael,

I was diagnosed with COPD but I really only have shortness of breath which makes it difficult climbing stairs, going up hills, or exerting myself. I have had this condition for years, but it got severe following my esophagectomy. My oxygen level is always 95+%. I normally run a 130 over 60 average blood pressure and a pulse that is in the mid 40's to low 50's. There are also 2 kinds of hernia's that can cause breathing problems after my kind of surgery. I am really not trying to say the surgery caused my COPD. What I am trying to say is that I might not have COPD at all, only diagnosed with it.

Your surgery didn't cause COPD. COPD is caused by inhaling stuff into your lungs that doesn't belong there, or because you have Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency, a genetic disorder that causes both lung and liver problems. There are people who get COPD and we don't know why, but they are pretty few compared to the vast majority. What probably did happen was that your surgery involved anesthesia and general insult to the lungs (actually your whole system) and that may have triggered the COPD that had been there for many years. It's not unusual for people who have had COPD for many years but do not know it until they get some bug that really takes them down and then their lungs react. Your surgery probably was the thing that touched off your lungs. You don't just develop COPD overnight; it develops over years. So no, surgery doesn't cause it.

I am no doctor but I don't see how it could cause COPD. I do think you may have had COPD and didn't know it. Then the surgery could have somehow put added pressure on your lungs causing the worsening of the COPD. I would be interested in know the outcome of your situation.

So true @A MyCOPDTeam Member

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