Andrea, this is why you need an action plan that you work out with your pulmonologist and why you need a pulmonologist. If you don't have an action plan and your pulmonologist hasn't talked about developing one, get a form (the ALA has a good one, so does the COPD Foundation) and take it with you to your next visit. If your pulmo isn't interested, find one who is. You obviously need help in recognizing when you need to seek medical attention.

I've had too many and it doesn't seem to click in my head that this is happening again. Go to the dr. Please. Two weeks is way too long.

yeah scary. i havent had a copd flareup but i have had major stuffiness of nose. i am just doing my best..

I didnt know I was having one until I needed to be hospitalized. So scared this is going to be my new normal.

An exacerbation can last for several weeks, especially if it isn't recognized quickly and medical attention sought immediately. Sometimes an antibiotic and/or prednisone is sufficient; sometimes it take two or even three rounds of antibiotics and prednisone to get rid of one and the recovery time can be up to six months or more if it is a really bad one. You want to try to catch them quickly so they don't get to the point where you're really sick and need to be hospitalized. Once you're really sick, you can have further lung damage and you can't recover from that. So if you're still sick, get back to your doc and get treated.