Frequency of doctor check-ups?
I was diagnosed with COPD at the end of May 2019. At that time the physician never informed me of what stage I was in and never scheduled a follow-up visit. All that he provided was a bronchilater medication (Ombrez Breezhaler). In later October I finally was able to meet with a respiratory/pulmonary specialist the same hospital. I found I am in stage 3. I also received a different medicine (Ultibro Breezhaler). Once I began using this I felt my condition improved dramatically. There was virtually no difference from the FEV numbers from the spirometric exam in May and October.
I had a follow-up meeting with the same specialist in January but he did not have me undergo any tests. He also told me that the hospital is very busy and he'd schedule me to see him again in one year. I responded with a WTF? reply. I now have an appointment for a CTScan and spirometric test at the end of June. I am wondering how frequently most COPD patients see their doctor for check-ups?
My FVC is 69.3%. FEV1 is 41.1%. FEV (G) is 59.9%.
Thanks for providing COPD.net.
Hi RichardLemmer, and thank you for your post.
We appreciate you providing some of your spirometry results however, you may be aware we cannot provide medical advice or diagnostics over the internet (for your own safety). I do however, want to provide you with some information.
To address your concern, I will tell you that patients see their doctors on a variety of schedules. It all depends on one's condition, activity of the illness and the extent to which monitoring, assessment, and treatment adjustment is needed. Having said that, I have seen patient's doctor visits range from monthly, to quarterly, to semi-annually, to annually. Even those schedules are not set-in-stone, but rather adjusted to the individual patient's condition.
You must be somewhat disappointed with the response from your physician, who indicated he was too busy for you. From my perspective, you should always have access to the physician providing your medical care and treatment. I'm sorry this was said to you!
If you don't feel this doctor is providing you with the attention you need, you may want to consider looking for another, more attentive and compassionate physician.
I hope this brief reply addresses your concern, Richard.
What do you think?Wishing you well,
Leon (site moderator COPD.net)Hello Leon,
I apologize for violating posting guidelines. I had read through them and thought my post was within the rules. I truly appreciate your reply about patient visiting ranges. I added the FEV numbers to try to see how often others with conditions in the same range had scheduled visits.
I neglected to state that I live in Japan where the medical situation is somewhat different. It seems that very few respiratory doctors offer any advice aside from drugs. I've asked about diet and exercise without any reply from the doctor. Most information I have received has come from my own investigation online and from books.
Thanks for you help and it is helpful knowing that I can hear about others through COPD.net.
Best regards,
RichardHi again, Richard - please, no need to apologize! I only wanted to make you aware we are unable to provide medical advice here. Otherwise, we are perfectly okay conversing back and forth about COPD and anything related to COPD. As well, others in the community may very well read your post, see your spirometry results, and then respond to you with their own anecdotal experiences.
Thanks for letting us know you are living and receiving medical care in Japan. I'm sure you are in a much better position to advise us of how that care is received and how it differs from care provided in the USA.
Perhaps you can look for American trained doctors practicing in Japan, if that is what you are looking for or prefer.
Remember, you are always welcome here in our online community. We will look forward to your continued participation.
Warm regards,
Leon (site moderator COPD.net)
HI Leon,
I appreciate your quick reply. I must have misunderstood your first message. I thought my post was in violation of the forum rules and would not be seen by anyone other than you.
Best regards,
RichardHi again, Richard - it's good to hear back from you so soon as well (especially with the geographical time difference!)
Glad this has been cleared up between the two of us - others in the community will certainly be able to see your post.If you want to increase visibility and possibly elicit more of a response, you may want to post your concerns in the Q & A section, which you can access here: https://copd.net/q-and-a/.
As well, you can always post it on our COPD Facebook pages. (the link is at the bottom of this page). Many of our members interact there continually throughout the day on a variety of topics, all related to COPD.
Stay well,
Leon (site moderator COPD.net)
