Just been diagnosed with COPD :-(

[The_Abyss]

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.

The doctor could have taken a different approach, but the responsibility is solely your own. You're responsible for choosing not to take action and give up back then, as you've done so now that a name has been given to the conditions you're experiencing. Giving up isn't easy, but it is possible for everyone and there was plenty of support available three years ago - you just had to want to ask for it or seek it out. If you take some ownership of this problem now, going right back to when you could have done something about it earlier, you're in a much better position to take ownership for your own health in the future.

My last cigarette was in February, my last vape in March. I'm 46. I've taken far too long to commit to giving up, probably for the same addiction reasons you've stated, but I chose to do so before my body began to give me signs to stop. My advice to help you get through it? Do NOT begin drinking more alcohol, as @BUDFORCE suggested. It'll dissolve your willpower. Use the support of the available programs, even medicated ones such as Champix, and develop coping mechanisms for those 2-3 minutes of craving. Begin exercising, even gentle - it'll help dull the craving. If you're tempted to replace cigarettes with food, find something healthy! I chose celery, and the only side effect was my wife being annoyed at the crunching.

You'll feel the benefits almost immediately.

 

[IvanDobskey]

The doctor could have taken a different approach, but the responsibility is solely your own. You're responsible for choosing not to take action and give up back then, as you've done so now that a name has been given to the conditions you're experiencing. Giving up isn't easy, but it is possible for everyone and there was plenty of support available three years ago - you just had to want to ask for it or seek it out. If you take some ownership of this problem now, going right back to when you could have done something about it earlier, you're in a much better position to take ownership for your own health in the future.

My last cigarette was in February, my last vape in March. I'm 46. I've taken far too long to commit to giving up, probably for the same addiction reasons you've stated, but I chose to do so before my body began to give me signs to stop. My advice to help you get through it? Do NOT begin drinking more alcohol, as @BUDFORCE suggested. It'll dissolve your willpower. Use the support of the available programs, even medicated ones such as Champix, and develop coping mechanisms for those 2-3 minutes of craving. Begin exercising, even gentle - it'll help dull the craving. If you're tempted to replace cigarettes with food, find something healthy! I chose celery, and the only side effect was my wife being annoyed at the crunching.

You'll feel the benefits almost immediately.

Very well put, some excellent advice there.

Let's hope the OP listens to it.

 

[signs]

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

 

[ethan]

Getting back to your original post you really need to await the outcome of the tests prior to jumping to untoward conclusions. You can't necessarily read to much into the spirometry either as the readings can vary and diagnosis can be refuted by the hospital.

 

[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.

 

[signs]

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.
.

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

 

[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.

 

[signs]

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

 

[FishLicker]

Do NOT begin drinking more alcohol, as @BUDFORCE suggested. It'll dissolve your willpower.

I think this is worth quoting again, as its a very important and true point!

I have smoked but never particularly heavily, but I have been an on/off social smoker for many years - i.e. only when I go out drinking, and the main reason for that is because the alcohol causes the cravings to come back stronger than ever. I have no problem whatsoever not smoking on a day to day basis, but it can sometimes be ridiculously hard to resist when you've had a few, and as said I was never a heavy smoker, so if it can do that to me, then I can only imagine what it must be like for someone who has smoked for a long time.

I'm hoping now that at 39 I've smoked my last cigarette; I bought a packet back at the beginning of last month on my holidays, in Benidorm, only to have a lightbulb moment where I realised that (a) I wasn't enjoying it at all, and (b) it's a horrendously bad habit. I gave most of the box away to someone else.

Good luck OP, try not to worry about it too much, don't google it, but DON'T for goodness sake replace it with alcohol, as that is a whole other can of worms (and something I am also still battling with at times).

 

[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

 

[tres]

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.

Yeah this rubbish is why medical advice is rightly banned in here. Load of nonsense.
Source - am doctor

 

[Destination]

Quite right too.
The chap who got ****** off three years ago his doctor told him to quit smoking and didn't, he now has COPD, and thinks he can treat cancer with CB oil.
Sweet moves.

 

[Hades]

Edit: Nevermind. OP probably doesn't need to hear it.

 

[Housey]

Yeah this rubbish is why medical advice is rightly banned in here. Load of nonsense.
Source - am doctor

Crazy isn't it.

 

[Minstadave]

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.

This is beyond stupid. I'm beginning to understand why the first doctor didn't have much time for you.

 

[Housey]

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

Well did you think to ask the doctor to explain what the 3rd of December is going to be about? Really, to my earlier point, you need to get a grip of your situation and stop passing of the responsibility to others. You have already shown you have happy ears, don't keep waiting for the next session, ask about it, establish what happens after the 3rd etc. And really, do yourself a favour with the cancer advice and stop.

 

[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.

 

[RedvGreen]

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.

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 !

I'm sorry to read of your recent diagnosis; there is a lot to take in, and you will find yourself flitting between various states of mind (anger, rage, regret, blame, hate, grief, sadness then finally acceptance). I would really encourage you to find a GP and Consultant who you trust, and follow their advice. Bounce ideas, concerns and worries off them, and listen to what they say - take notes if you must. But, please don't lash out at people either virtually on the internet or in real life (verbally etc), as you need a network to support you around you, to keep you grounded and uplift you in the dark times.

 

[Minstadave]

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.

Everything is someone else's fault.....how very novel.

If only your doctors went to express/metro medshool you'd be fine right now.

 

[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.