Exacerbations

Those must have been scary, . It seems every journey with COPD is different. I hope others chime in here and share their experiences. Did your treatment change after each exacerbation? If so, has it helped? Best of all wishes. - Lori (Team Member)

John in Tenn,
I am sorry you almost never feel good. I actually have more good days than bad. I don't think it is just luck. I work at it. I get daily exercise with weights, walking, squats, etc. I eat a good diet, take my meds as scheduled, and stay away from things that cause flare ups. Things such as smoke from campfires, grills, animal dander and hair, pollen, strong cooking smells, perfumes and cleaning products are some of the things that bother me. Every flare up I have had is different also. Sometimes it is coughing, sometimes excess mucus, sometimes fatigue with shortness of breath, etc. You have to find your so called "niche" in your environment. I keep my place at about 40% humidity, and temps at 70 in the winter and 76 in the summer. Cold air and hot air can be tough on your breathing. Your daily maintenance inhaler meds make a difference. I just got changed from Symbicort to Bevespi. Bevespi works great for me. The change was not because Symbicort was not working for me, it was because the availability of Symbicort for prescription assistance ended. I also do daily breathing exercises that help a lot. If you are not feeling well most of the time, you need to contact your medical team and get some help for feeling better most of the time instead of the other way around. Take care and God Bless!

I was diagnosed with emphysema in 1997. I led a very active life, worked until I retired in 2021 at 71. Since then I have traveled and felt pretty good most of the time. This past September, I had my first exacerbation in September 2023. It was mostly very heavy mucus that took until lunch to get cleared. It lasted about a week and I was ok until last month, when i had another exacerbation which was terrible. very short of breath, scary. Could barely walk across the room. Taking a shower was an ordeal. I dreaded getting out of bed. after about a week, I woke up covered in sweat, my shortness of breath was greatly improved. I don't know the reason for the sweating, but I knew immediately that I was better. The worst thing about an exacerbation is, you don't know if that is the way you are going to be from now on. But, for now, I am doing pretty good. Guess that is all you can ask for.

Hi, . I've been following this discussion and have a few more thoughts to offer. Have you felt like your doctor has done well with managing your symptoms until now? Considering you have had two exacerbations fairly recently, it might be worth it to talk with him about whether your current treatment is still a good fit. Adjustments are sometimes necessary. You might also ask to discuss what he would consider if you have an exacerbation in the future, since whatever he gave you was ineffective. And if you're not happy with your care, it's your right to seek a second (or 3rd, etc) opinion.


My other suggestion is pulmonary rehab. I can imagine that your body is still trying to recover to some degree after that one-two punch. Starting a rehab program, which is done during the daytime and includes exercise, breath work and various other coping strategies, can make a difference in how you're feeling.

Here's an article that talks more about it: https://copd.net/living-with-copd/pulmonary-rehab

I hope you can find renewed strength and comfort soon. Please keep us posted, okay? Take good care of yourself. -Melissa, copd team