Take three hits off rescue inhaler 5 minutes apart, before seeking professional help.

My doctor has given me an action plan so I always have antibiotics and prednisone at home to take right away at the first signs of a flare up that way I don't have to wait any extra time for a dr's appt which would cause more lung damage. Once I use those drugs I can get a refill from the drug store to keep on hand for another flare up should it happen.

It depends on what you're calling a flare-up: if you're talking about a sudden loss of breath either spontaneous or caused by exercise or something else, using the rescue inhaler is very appropriate, and should help reduce the situation to a manageable and recoverable state. If you're talking about a flare that becomes an exacerbation and lasts for a week, starting with the rescue inhaler is fine, but it will probably require medical attention and additional medication such as antibiotics and prednisone.

I should have mentioned developing an action plan with your pulmonologist is a good idea so you know what to do if certain things change or occur. Both the COPD Foundation and the American Lung Association have excellent forms that can be printed off and taken to the pulmoologist's office and the two of you figure out exactly what you should do and in what order. Then you have a plan that your doc and you agree on that should help you manage most situations. The key to the whole thing is to catch things early before they become problems for an ICU bed. No one wants that, and it's worth doing what you need to do to avoid it.