Newly Diagnosed
Hey everyone, I just had an appt with a pulmonary specialist ready to talk about my test results, and he tells me I've got COPD. Wasn't expecting that.
The disappointing part was that my total spot took about 4 minutes! Not a great Dr.! So now I have so many questions.
1. I have been struggling with bad rhinitis and continuous throat clearing for several years. No Dr has been able to help. Is it possible that this is because of COPD? If yes, is it possible that an inhaler would resolve this?
2. My main issue is exercise induced shortness of breath. Is it still ok to exercise?
3. I think I'm in phase 1. Don't know, the Dr didn't say anything about it. Does knowing this change how I should be treated?
That's all for now. Thanks
Hey
!
Welcome. I just got diagnosed about A week ago. I can only speak for my own experience, I’d recommend calling your doctor for a follow up. Here’s my experience so far:
1. I’ve had ear clogging, mucus, post nasal drip for years and years as well. Doctors always said it was allergies. Turns out, according to my doctor, some people can get mucus production with COPD. In my week and a half with a daily and rescue inhaler, my mucus is much more manageable. It’s the first time in years I’ve had any amount of time without a stuffy nose or feeling like I’m gagging. Yay!
2. I’m at stage three but I’ve never smoked, and I’m quite young. For me, my doctor was saying it’s best to keep moving as much as I can and he recommended I stick to low impact exercise like swimming, yoga, walking, etc.
3. I don’t know what stage one is like, I’m assuming it was my life when I was a teenager.
Definitely give your doctor a call. Or a find another one if you can and this one feels rushed. Good luck!Thanks for the response. Misery loves company. I'm really happy to hear that there is hope in putting a stop to the snot factory! That has been a major concern of mine for years. I'm on day 3 of my Inspiolto Respimat inhaler and have not noticed any difference yet. What are you taking and how long did it take for you to start to notice a difference?
Hi
My first thought is that you need to find a doctor/healthcare team that you feel comfortable with and that should include feeling like they're spending enough time with you. You can try searching for pulmonologists that get good ratings or you can try to get a word of mouth recommendation - often the best way to go.
COPD can certainly cause issues with increased mucous that may manifest itself by feeling like you need to clear your throat and have rhinitis. However, there is help for that and you may find as soon as you're settled into a good medication routine, that you'll feel better.
Try not to worry too much about what phase you're in. The fact that you haven't had overwhelming symptoms indicates you've caught it early and can start treating it now. That's really excellent news!
I encourage you to look through this site to get some answers to your most burning questions. Here's a good place to start: https://copd.net/living/6-things-new-diagnosis
Please keep in touch.
Best,
Lyn (site moderator)Thanks Lyn. Some good advice there; I'll definitely have a look at the info in the link.
there’s definitely hope.
I think it took maybe a week before I started to notice less mucous. Though when the air pressure changes and it rains here there doesn’t seem to be any chance for my poor nose. On those days I carry around herbal cough drops and water and hope for the best.
I actually live in Japan and the medicines I have here don’t have an American equivalent. But they’re quite strong since I’m at a more advanced stage. I have a daily preventative inhaler that I take twice a day plus a rescue inhaler for when I have to climb stairs at work.
Keep your chin up! Literally. It helps the mucous drain. 🙃
