Has Anyone Else Quit Smoking And Felt Great For The Warmer Months, Breathing Easy Then Gone Down Hill In The Colder Months? | MyCOPDTeam

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Has Anyone Else Quit Smoking And Felt Great For The Warmer Months, Breathing Easy Then Gone Down Hill In The Colder Months?
A MyCOPDTeam Member asked a question 💭

I quite smoking in August this year. I felt great and could breathe again, walk and even jog a bit without a lot of issues. Here in NW Ohio the weather has turned cold early and stayed cold this year. I was off from my inhalers, not by choice, shortly before quitting smoking and felt I could feel even better if I were to start using the inhalers again. My Dr was able to give some samples of a new - to - me inhaler, Breztri. I went through the usual mild side effects and the weather turned cold… read more

posted November 22, 2021
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A MyCOPDTeam Member

Just out of curiosity, have you been diagnosed with lung disease? Do you have COPD? What were your inhalers for (the ones you were on before you quit smoking) and why did you stop using them? Do you have a pulmonologist and have you had a spirometry or Pulmonary Function Test? Sorry for the 20 questions, but they might help me give you a better answer if I had a little more information.

Breztri is the newest thing in what we call "triple therapy" for COPD: it's a combination of a long acting beta agonist (LABA) with a long acting muscarinic agent (LAMA) and an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS). Usually that's not prescribed until later stages of the disease, except by PCPs who don't know how to properly prescribe the meds that are available. If you were doing well on the inhalers you were using, you might go back to them.

That said, your problem with cold is pretty common. Many people find that changes in temperatures can really affect their breathing. Hot and humid is often really difficult to deal with and cold can be equally a problem, so what you're experiencing isn't at all unusual. Sometimes part of the problem with cold is that the air is dryer, so you might think about adding a humidifier to your home.

You need to see your pulmo and talk about an exercise program you can do at home, diet and weight control. Those will do more to help you feel better than anything else you could do and way more than any inhaler will do to help you.

posted November 22, 2021
A MyCOPDTeam Member

I agree. My worst is winter I try to keep on top of it with my emergency inhaler and prednisone. Helps alot. Trying to keep exercising which is best

Easy breathing

posted November 26, 2021
A MyCOPDTeam Member

@A MyCOPDTeam Member Moore: You were getting exactly the same medications when you were taking Breo and Incruse that you're getting now in the Breztri: a LABA/ICS combination with the Breo and a LAMA with the Incruse. Breztri is a LAMA/LABA/ICS combination all in one. Breo and Incruse are made by Glaxo Smith Kline while Breztri is made by Astra Zeneca. That means that while the meds are the same class of meds, the two manufacturers use different chemicals. That may very well be the difference in the effect the meds have. You might consider dumptin the Breztri and going back to the Breo and Incruse if they worked for you.

Increased mucus production, heavy lungs, wheezing, lower O2 sats are all signs of an exacerbation. The colder weather could be a trigger for you, but the thing you DON'T want is to get sick enough to not be able to do anything, so my suggestion is to get into your PCP, explain how your symptoms have worsened (the ordinary symptoms of COPD, even when you're feeling your best) and talk about a prednisone burst and possibly more antibiotics. You want to reduce the inflammation in your lungs and get back to a point where you can exercise and do the things you need to do to stay healthy. If you don't nip this in the bud, you'll be dealing with it all winter.

posted November 23, 2021
A MyCOPDTeam Member

I can imagine you were hungry!
My biggest problem with eating is no matter what I eat I bloat and that puts a lot of pressure on my diaphragm. Dairy, especially cheese/dough in pizza is much worse. So I tend to eat a very small lunch and big dinner at the end of the day when I'm done for the day.
Are you still on the diabetic diet?

posted November 23, 2021
A MyCOPDTeam Member

Speaking just for myself, quitting smoking is the very best thing I can do, but it doesn't bring miracles. Damage has been done and will not go away just because I laid down the cigarettes. There are many good reasons to stop, including the possibility of buying more time, but with or without smoking my health will fluctuate.

posted November 22, 2021

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