Id like to hear that answer, without using a dictionary or google
Few months back had a horrible bug, debating about going to hospital (typical male)but got an emergency appointment by phone to family doc. Said I needed the typical amoxicillin and prednisone. Gave me 7 days amox and 5 days 10mg pred. Called again bc was still really sick, meds ran out and needed an extension(4 days off meds now) (2 pharmacist told me most with copd need longer session on meds bc its hard for us to fight , bugs, flu etc off) Told doc I was having horrible exacerbations. He asked me to give an explanation of what an exacerbation was,,, I was WTF, am I the one who went to medical school here,,,, Well I answered wrong and he wrote me off as having normal copd symptoms. Had copd 10 years now, I know what normal is

may as well also toss in term copd attack also :)

Hi Rick,

Here's the definition of flare-up/exacerbation. A couple of things, being dehydrated causes your mucus to thicken. It is essential to at least try to get 40oz in per day. You can try Zero Pedilite; coke, coffee, and beer are not hydrating drinks, as I have been told by my Doc (LOL) 2 of my favorite drinks.

Prednisone is used to reduce inflammation to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations.
Oral dosage
Adults
40 mg PO once daily for five days is the most commonly recommended regimen. A multicenter, randomized, controlled trial confirmed that this shorter duration of low-dose prednisone is equivalent to using 40 mg of prednisone for a more extended period (i.e., 14 days). The use of systemic steroids for no more than 5 to 7 days is recommended by the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) guidelines. Data from studies indicate that systemic glucocorticoids shorten recovery time, improve lung function (FEV-1), improve oxygenation, and reduce the risk of early relapse, treatment failure, and the length of hospitalization.

Not usual to extend the original prescription, but that's not to say never. For the antibiotic, I use Z-Pak. Zithromax (azithromycin), also known as Z-Pak, is an antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections by inhibiting the growth of bacteria in the body. Penicillins, for me, have no effect, as I took them too long as a kid.

Do you have a nebulizer? If not, you should ask your doc to prescribe one. It's a lifesaver. I use it when my chest tightens, and I find breathing hard. If you go to Emergency, they will do the same thing too.

Check your air quality too. The big two are one particulate of 2.5 pm and two Ozone. If you are sick, breathing at high levels is very bad.

You are right; the doctor should know what exacerbations are. If possible, look for a pulmonologist.

Hope you are improving, take care.

@A MyCOPDTeam Member ,,,,, oh sorry, I must of explained wrong. I was on the phone, trying to get something to help me more. From reading on the net and talking to one pain doctor and 2 different pharmacist I asked if it was normal to stay on an antibiotic or prednisone longer than the average 7 days (seen up to 2 weeks) Some seemed a bit anti prednisone and from what I read 3 months plus on a high dose seemed to be danger. Plus it seemed like IMO it was worse for women.
So to him he felt I was just having what he called normal copd stuff. In his defense he was looking at a ct scan from a month ago and the one day I seen him in his office he said my chest sounded clear (last visit I showed how my throat always rattles). For pass Ten years its been mostly hacking phlegm till fall Id have an asthma attack every 2nd day for 6 weeks or so. This time ard a normal day of coughing stuff up, 2nd day of Phlegm jamming and struggle to get it up then 3rd day jammed up all day and nothing came up ,,,repeat (toss in bad nose cold on top and dehydrated). He then told me to explain what a exasperation is "told him producing more mucus than normal that would not come up, which also made it hard to breath and could go days without sleep ,,,, he said wrong answer.
so how wrong was my answer ?????

last visit I asked for daxas, thought it was working for a week till today.

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A MyCOPDT...

Great info. DSH!! Learned some things… I’m new to this game.
I just learned about Pulmanary Rehab. and I was diagnosed in 2020 after being hospitalized with severe COVID pneumonia…
Would have thought it would have been recommended then…!
The summer heat made me take my COPD/emphysema seriously.
I had a couple of episodes that were a wake up call.
Take care and breathe well!😊

The hot weather is a nightmare for me as of my last check my lung function was 37% and I really struggle in the heat, I have not yet give in to oxygen, but find it very hard to exercise as I have severe arthritis of the spine, I have injections every 6 months but they never last that long, so I do my best when I can I just try to not let it get me down a positive attitude helps so much x