Just been diagnosed with COPD :-(

[Jamin280672]

As the title suggests, I've just been diagnosed with COPD, and to be honest, im crapping myself, everything I read is bad news, please someone, if they have any information, give me some good news.

I am an ex smoker as of diagnosis, I literally walked out of the doctors surgery and screwed up my pack of fags and threw them in the bin, that was last Thursday, not had one since, but too little too late I guess, been given an inhaler to help with my breathing, and next week I have blood tests, X-Ray and CT scan to my chest to see what's going on in there.

The crazy part is 3 years ago I went to my old doctor with breathing difficulties, who asked me if I smoked, I said yes, and he pretty much said, give up, man up, and get out of my surgery, obviously I lost faith in doctors after that, however last week I had the Flu and could hardly breathe, I told my Mrs to make an appointment at the new Doctors, obviously something wasn't right, and that's when I found out, she was disgusted at what the previous doctor did and said.

 

[Jamin280672]

The sleep apnoea question did come up actually, I don't suffer with that as far as im aware, I wouldn't know, im always asleep lol, however, my partner has told me im a very loud snorer, and on more than one occasion, she has had to come down to the living room and sleep on the sofa in order to get some sleep herself.

I recently found out its an umbrella term, she's given me an inhaler for now as when I was a child I suffered with Asthma, I kind of out grew it, but as a safety net, shes given me the inhaler just in case its rearing its ugly face again, she's not sure if its the chronic bronchitis or emphysema yet, I guess we're just waiting for the scan results, the big scare was when she told me if I carried on smoking at the rate I was going at, she'd give me 5 years to live, im 46, I at least thought id have 20 years left in me, not sure if that was a scare tactic, but on reading up on the internet about it, its the 3rd biggest killer.

 

[Jamin280672]

I totally agree, as a smoker, or can now say ex smoker, you do go through life thinking it will never happen to you, until it does, thankfully mine isn't at the serious level yet, she said mild to moderate, its a scare, its a scare and a half, there's no cure for it, you can slow its progression with exercise and changing your lifestyle, its hard to describe, I guess if other COPD sufferers get involved in this thread they could probably confirm what im about to say…….im breathing, I can feel my lungs filling up with air, and breathing out, but at the same time it doesn't feel like im getting any oxygen, almost like im partly suffocating, I have good days now and what I would consider as bad day...….some days im puffing on the inhaler 5 to 10 times a day, it only seems to clear my airways for 30mins at a time, other days like today, ive not used it at all and its only been a week of diagnosis so far.

 

[Jamin280672]

Sorry to burst the op but medical advice is probhited on this forum.

You need to seek professional medical help.

Sorry I wasn't seeking medical advice as such, I just wanted to get it out there and hopefully hear from other sufferers, I am currently getting professional help with various appointments, Hospital, local nurse and the Dr themselves.

 

[Jamin280672]

To be honest, like I already said, I have good days and bad days, I travel a lot during the week for work, different town and different cities, if I'm in Scotland for instance, I'm quite fine, if I'm in London, I'm pumping on my inhaler every half and hour, so yes although I've given up smoking, the atmosphere effects it too, everything effects it.

And yes I am blaming the doctor, he could have started treatment 3 years ago when I first complained about it instead of shrugging it off and pretty much telling me to get over myself, shockingly about a week later, headline news read that doctors were getting paid off by the government to keep people out of hospitals, my current doctor couldn't hardly believe what I was telling her when I told her about the previous doctor, the look of disgust on her face, wish I'd taken a picture.

If a doctor is quite happy shrug something like this off those years ago, then there's cause for alarm in my mind, so quite obviously, the patient, ie me, is highly likely to shrug it off too, it's easy for non smokers to say quit, it's an addiction, it's not that easy, some even say, harder to quit than heroin.

 

[Jamin280672]

You really can't blame the doc.

If you'd stopped smoking then, you may have fully recovered.

Hope you stay off the cigs and see some sort of improvement.

It's only been a week of quiting and I'm already feeling an improvement, quite surprised myself, sometimes it takes a shock to the system to give something up.

 

[Jamin280672]

hey @Jamin280672 what tests did they do on you mate to find out you have it? , did you get the camera down your throat thing ? chhers

Got blood test and X-Ray on Tuesday coming, doctor has done a breath test thing on me, and checked my oxygen levels with this thing ive never seen before on my finger, she is quite positive I have COPD from my description of the issues im having and the results so far, I also have a nurses appointment on the 3rd of December for something, not quite sure whats that's for, but something to do with it, that's the soonest they could get me in, plus need to make another doctors appointment for a weeks time for the results of the scans and blood test, never been to the Doctors so much in my life lol.

@The Abyss - Drinking wont be a problem here, im T Total, one thing my Dr does love me for, cant stand the taste of Alcohol, call me crazy, but id rather go to a bar and have a drink that I do enjoy like a coke.

And with your first line, that's exactly what im talking about, im not blaming him for me smoking at all, as others have speculated on here, I completely understand that side of things is my fault...….however before I continue, its not only smokers who get COPD, yes smoking is one the prime causes, but there are many others with it who have never touched a fag in their lives, however he certainly could have taken a different approach, like sent me for the tests that my current doctor 3 years later is doing, not just said, "give up smoking and man up" that is not a diagnosis, my mum could have told me that, not that I would have listened to my mother anyway, what I am angry at.... and whilst we are on it, my current Dr is also angry at is that he did nothing to help 3 years ago when he could have sent me for tests back then and started treatment, there no mention of what I had (COPD) back then, A typical blame everything on smoking doctor.

 

[Jamin280672]

Right good luck then , in march i had symptoms like yours, i went for a x ray then another x ray , then they found something !! so it was a CT scan , they found a growth on my lung ( at this point i was $*ting bricks , i have a young family) next was the PET scan (really in a dark place at this point. )

went for the results of the PET scan , the specialist told me they would monitor it because it was only 1.5 mm , on the way out she mentioned i should go back to my doctors as the PET scan had showed up some activity in bowl !!!! great i though !!!!!

to cut a long story short ,, and even longer waiting time for results (thats the worst bit ) i have to go back in a years time to see if the growth has grown . but i have to go for the camera down my throat end of this month to see why im still in agony with my chest

That's what my biggest fear is, that they'll find a lump like yours, get some cannabis oil, the real stuff not the hemp oil Holland & Barrett sell, 1.5mm it should easily be able to deal with it, if they find something like that in me, I don't think id bother with chemo, I personally think its 50/50 and often speeds up the development rather than curing it, the way I see it is ive lived at least 3 years with this, im not going to risk chemo and speeding it up to 6 months of survival, when naturally I could have 3 more years without treatment, I take it you've quit smoking ? im not really in any pain, its just my breathing is restricted.

Wish you the best of luck.

 

[Jamin280672]

thanks

who said i was a smoker ? ..yeah i gave up in March lol , i tried the oil , the McMillan nurse told me its a waste of time , the reason i posted was to just try to tell you not to worry until you get hard evidence and don't google your symptoms whatever you do ..

All the best

How old are you ? how long did you smoke for ?

Im 46, smoked since I was 14....stupid I know, but back then in was just to be in with the crowd at school, but you know, an addiction is an addiction and I don't care what any non smokers say, its not easy at all to give up, that's why its called an addiction, takes a very big scare or one hell of a lot of will power, if you have a stressful job, as I do, that doesn't help at all as smoking helps relieve stress.

There is a great forum that ive recently joined and can read other sufferers stories, people who have the same questions as me, who have just found out themselves etc, loads of help there too: www.healthunlocked.com

 

[Jamin280672]

https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/970361/cancer-symptoms-lung-tumour-cbd-oil-cannabidiol

Yeah right dumb hey...….and that's just one story.

Heres another: https://metro.co.uk/2018/03/25/coul...d-hes-already-spent-1-5m-on-research-7266643/

Oh yeah.....im a doctor too, easy to say hey !!!

And you idiots for one second think that gives the doctor 3 years ago to **** me off ????? I pay his god damn wages, you lot sound like a bunch of doll dossers scrounging off the government too, oh yeah, if you are, I pay your money too, never been a day out of work since I left school unless it was a booked holiday, so why the hell am I not entitled as much as the next person to health care ?????????? DICKS !

The appointment with the nurse on the 3rd is to make sure im using the inhaler correctly, nothing important to me, especially when I used one in my younger years when I had the Asthma which I outgrew.

 

[Jamin280672]

Nope just ****** the useless doctor didn't do something about it 3 years ago, even my current doctor was angry about it, if you took the time to read the thread, you'd of discovered that, COPD 3 years ago, worse COPD now.

And I do have a good doctor now, its the beginning stages of examination, and nothing can be done or taken further until ive had my scans etc on Tuesday......only should have been done 3 years ago instead of telling me something my mum could have told me, and probably given better advise than that previous doctor.

 

[Jamin280672]

What exactly did you want or expect the doctor to do? The best thing for you was to stop smoking, which he told you. You ignored his advice and carried on.

I don't understand your vitriol towards him.

You need to take a bit of responsibility for your own actions and concentrate on getting as healthy as possible now.

Yeah ok to stop smoking, but it wouldn't of cured or helped with the issue I was having would it ? and didn't offer any help either, was that a professional approach to take ?

Would you accept that from your doctor if you went to them with a serious illness ? them basically telling you to man up and get out !!! I don't think so, its not only smokers who get COPD, anyone can get it.