Early stages of copd or are they wrong?
Hi new to the group and just joined to see if anyone can give me a insight to my results as I just got told yes you have it here’s a inhaler stop smoking and come back in a few weeks to be retested.
I’m 38 years old
Female
166 cm tall
I weigh 56kg
Smoker but not smoked in 24 hrs yippee
Didn’t have the bronchodilator test as nurse didn’t seem to think I had asthma.
Only symptoms I have are breathlessness when I’m over doing it and a tight chest.
No constant cough
No phlegm
No chest infections in a long long time
No hospital stays
And currently been started on the Anoro Ellipta inhaler once a day.
Been told I’m at early stages of copd but I have a feeling or sensation of it’s worse than what it is.
Please help
Hope to hear from you soon
Kind regards Laura x
Hello
, welcome!
First of all, congratulations on your quit! That’s big and so important.
Your body is telling you something. Sometimes doctors aren’t seeing exactly what is going on. I recommend that you journal what you are going through. Note the date, time, what you were doing and what you experience. This might help your doctor diagnose other things that might be going on.
Here is a link that might help you
https://copd.net/living/questions
https://copd.net/living/new-to-staging
Know that we are here for you.
Janet (moderator/COPD.net)
Hi
. Welcome to the community! I am glad you found us. Congratulations on making it 24 hours without smoking! Are you adhering to a special program or just trying to quit on your own? You will find lots of people here who understand what a strong hold addiction can have on smokers and how difficult it is to quit. I hope you are successful this time but, if you are not, I hope you can get past it and try again.
A new diagnosis can be pretty overwhelming, especially if you are not really feeling the impact of COPD. We are not medical experts, so we can't really comment on your results. But the symptoms you describe are similar to those of stage one, the earliest stage of COPD. Here is an article that explains the stages better than I can: https://copd.net/basics/copd-stages.
Have you expressed your doubts about your stage to your doctor? It's important to feel confident in your diagnosis. If you feel deep down that your doctor might be wrong, go ahead and ask. Maybe you will find you are right or maybe your doctor will put you at ease. Never be afraid to ask questions. This is your body and your future. Self-advocacy is super important.
The good news is that you have caught your COPD super early. With a good care plan, you can slow the progression and control your symptoms for a long time to come. New treatments are always under development, so who knows what might be available to you 30 years from now?
Please know we are here for you whenever you need us. This is a very supportive community. You are among people who get it. Warmest of wishes. - Lori (Team Member)
