Newbie
I am 66 and I was recently diagnosed with COPD unspecified and I cough all the time. I was also diagnosed with GERD. Is this typical? I am a former smoker and grew up in a smoker’s home. I suck on Luden’s sugar free cherry cough drops which help my cough very temporarily. Any advice is welcome. Thank you so much!
I also get Short of breath easily
Well, for starters, COPD and Gerd both can cause a lot of coughing. My wife has GERD, and she was coughing all the time, especially at night. After visiting with her doctor, he prescribed some meds for her Gerd. Once it was calmed down, her coughing fits stopped.
I suggest you contact your doctor and communicate to him/her the problems you are having. If you were just diagnosed with COPD, you should be getting a breathing test in the near future. This will help determine the extent of your COPD. What stage you are. Stages run from 1-4. Stage one is considered mild, while stage 4 is considered end stage. If you do not have a pulmonologist, please ask your doctor to refer you to one. One the pulmonologist determines what stage you are, a plan of treatment will begin and should help your coughing and other symptoms. In the meantime, I suggest you search this site and online for all the information you can about COPD. Once you are more informed on COPD, the better you can understand the condition and treatment plans. You will also be able to communicate better with your doctor and your pulmonologist. Take care and God Bless.
Thank you so much! I do take medication for GERD and still I cough and get Short of breath. I have a pulmonologist.She ordered PFTs very soon. I appreciate your help and insight. God bless you as well
Hi there! Welcome to the community. This place is such a great resource, I'm glad you found us. 😀 First, try not to worry. No matter what comes from the PFT, each person is unique in terms of how they feel and what they experience. We have people here that have had stage 4 for many years, just as an example. The key is to take good care of yourself and do the best you can to stay active, eat right and follow your medication routine. Positivity and humor are also great tools. I want to share with you this article about GERD, since it seems relevant right now. GERD tends to come along with certain respiratory issues. People with asthma tend to struggle with it a lot, too.
https://copd.net/clinical/gerd-gastroesophageal-reflux-disease
You're not alone -- we are here when you have questions or even if you just want to vent and share experiences. Take it one day at a time! Let us know how your testing goes once it's finished. Thinking of you! -Melissa, copd.net team
