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Did anyone else experience early fluctuations in their symptoms

My own COPD hit suddenly, after experiencing heat stroke at work. During the first month my physical function and health crashed but then I gradually began to experience occasional days when my level of function was almost normal. I would experience two or three days of impaired function before each day of normal function. I have tried to find anything similar in either medical research or anecdotal mentions but have been unsuccessful.


  1. Hi Baz, and thanks for your post. While I'm hopeful others in the community will see your post/inquiry and respond by sharing their own personal anecdotal experiences managing this condition, I do have something to say as well.
    Fluctuations in one's medical condition, especially when speaking of COPD, can certainly come and go from day to day. One day, a patient might feel quite well, and yet, the next day, may not be doing quite as well. This can vary considerably from patient to patient, and even from day to day for the same patient.
    I do remember reading several posts, right here on our COPD.net website, that speak to just this issue but, cannot seem to locate them now. (Perhaps other moderators / team members will have better luck using the search function for this particular topic).
    My suggestion Baz, would be to discuss this at length with your diagnosing physician. Perhaps there is a connection (in your case), between the heat stroke and the onset of COPD. Perhaps you are in the early stages of the disease. I would think your physician would be able to provide you with some additional insight for your genuine concern.
    What do you think?
    Leon (site moderator COPD.net)


    1. Thanks Leon, A big part of the problem with discussing these things with physicians is that I was accused by them of faking my disability and illness for a number of years. The worse my condition became the worse their accusations became. Events occurred which eventually permitted/required me to go through my medical records and I found a sympathetic GP who was willing to help me to prove that there really was something wrong with me. Although I have now been diagnosed with multiple significant health issues, and my current physicians have acknowledged multiple toxic work exposures as well as all of the evidence that I suffer from two major health issues, I am still waiting for them to actually name those two major health issues. My GP has hinted that am likely to be diagnosed with some form of COPD (as I have not only tested as having severe obstructive sleep apnoea but also 'failed my pulmonary function tests, with an FEV1 of 42%) but isn't an expert the field so can't state it outright, so I have to wait until the hospital decides to provide me with it. I have also tested positive for PL-7 antibodies, indicative of myositis/anti-synthetase syndrome, but they again haven't named the condition.


      The issue is just so political, as the hospitals management also operates the hospital which commenced the accusations against me, regarding me faking my conditions, so they recognise that they are legally liable once they do acknowledge the condition. Since they denied me any form of support or compensation for the injuries which resulted in this condition people have described it as a, criminal, form of discrimination and abuse so they are keeping all of their cards very close to their chest. Prior physicians have been trying to cover up their actions and my current physicians are actively handing me my test results, emphasizing their level of importance to me, but making it clear that they are under significant pressure from management not to say too much. I would attend another hospital but the Australian government currently only permits people to attend our local hospitals unless traveling and I lack the physical function to travel. I've compared it with being forced to be treated by a physician who has raped you; a comparison which has probably upset them even more.


      Since I am the only person who has any idea of exactly what did happen to me, over the years following collapsing at work and onset of symptoms, the physicians have been completely reliant upon my own research and version of events. They had hoped that their clinical investigations would find flaws in that version but they haven't. Although I may have misidentified some conditions every symptom of disability and illness, which I have claimed to experience, has been proven to exist. The evidence is conclusive and not what they ever wanted to find.

      1. Thanks. It has been pointed out to me, since I learned that the chemical which damaged me is supposed to be used with either fume hoods or respirators, that if I don't expose its dangerous use in the glass industry then thousands of other workers will never learn the cause of their health issues. It is just frustrating that, on the one hand, physicians haven't even heard of the chemical and, on the other hand, no one wants to admit that the chemical is even being used illegally in the glass industry. The physicians aren't questioning my version of events anymore, acknowledging all of the toxic exposures, but seem to be carefully avoiding the name of the chemical (3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane) in favour of trying to blame my condition on known toxic gases and chemicals. As the industry calls it polyethylene, which it is a processed version of, they aren't actually lying. The devil is in the detail.

      2. , it is definitely frustrating but the fact that they are at least not questioning the exposure seems like a step in the right direction! Wishing you a peaceful day. All the best, Sam S. (COPD.net, team member).

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