Hi nanadee, and thanks for posting your concern. You may be aware that we cannot provide medical advice or diagnostics over the internet (for your own safety), however, your concern certainly warrants a reply.
As for staging - a method of assessing the extent and involvement of disease is called staging. This article explains this aspect of assessment: https://copd.net/clinical/new-to-staging/. This should provide you with some insight for your concern.
Have you considered discussing all this with your physician? The doctor who provided you with the diagnosis of emphysema, will be the best health care professional to explain all this at length.
What do you think?
Leon (site moderator COPD.net)