Question on types of COPD
Hi everyone,
I'm new to the forum. I'm female and 64 years old.
I was diagnosed with COPD last November, although having regular scans over the years as I had cancer, my urologist was putting on his reports every time to my GPS that my air ways wall was thickening, and I needed breathing tests doing. He had been doing this since 2015. My doctors didn't even tell me, so I didn't know untill I had hypoxia last November, due to a really bad chest infection and pneumonia.
Everyone was saying I had emphysema. But, I've just been to see the respiratory consultant and he said I don't have emphysema, but I do have COPD. Well, this covers several lung and airway diseases, so I said "What have I got then? And he said COPD. I said yes but, if it isn't emphysema what is it? He said COPD. So, I left it there.
As COPD does cover different diseases, if anyone asks me what I've got, I will have to say that I don't know.
Are all of you told what kind of COPD you have?
Thanks,
Anji
Hi Anji, and thanks for your comment. You have posed an interesting question as well as a concern of your own.
I am hopeful that others in the community will see your inquiry and respond by sharing their own personal experiences with a COPD diagnosis.
Physicians can be extremely different in both their approach to, and treatment of COPD. It's true, as you said, that COPD can refer to different specific diseases, like emphysema and chronic bronchitis. And yet, some doctors, depending on their specialty and training, will clearly define the disease for each patient while, still others will use the broad term as the diagnosis.
Perhaps if you were to speak with him and express your immediate concern for the type of COPD you have, he will respond with more detail for you.
I am familiar with doctors and patients, too, who exhibit and are representative of both approaches.
I thought this article, on that very topic, would be of interest to you: https://copd.net/basics/damaged-lungs. Do you think the information might be of help to you when you next discuss this with your doctor?
What do you think?
Leon (site moderator COPD.net)Thanks for replying.
Now I've just read what you gave me the link to, and it states that chronic bronchitis and emphysema are the the most common diseases of COPD. I find this wherever I go to read about it.
I've never had bronchitis, and now I've been told I haven't got emphysema, so what was my consultant talking about when he said I still have COPD but won't tell me what kind it is.... Well, it just doesn't sit right with me. He had pictures up on 2 screens of my air ways and lungs, and he said there look, there's nothing there, meaning I haven't got emphysema, so if nothing is there, I thought where is the other COPD disease then??
Hi again, Anji, and thanks for your reply and further comments. I hear you!
Perhaps you would want to speak about this further with this physician who is telling you so little about your disease.
If you find he cannot provide you with the information or care that you need and deserve, would you consider seeking out another specialist?
What do you think?
Leon (site moderator COPD.net)
Can you see COPD on an xray?
, there are a few different tests that can be used to diagnose COPD, one of which is an x-ray! Here is an article we have on imaging tests used for diagnosis: https://copd.net/diagnosis/imaging-tests. All the best, Sam S. (COPD. net, team member). Hi again,
- I see my colleague , provided an excellent reference about diagnosing COPD using various imaging tests.
I also thought you might find it helpful to look over this article - it focuses on the way COPD is diagnosed by physicians: https://copd.net/diagnosis. I do hope you find it to be helpful in a practical way.
Wishing you well,
Leon (site moderator COPD.net)
First, where are you? America? UK? It sounds like you need to find an actual doctor. You need a COPD specialist or a Pulmonologist, or both. If you have Medicare in the US, it should be no problem. A clear x-ray only means you are not congested. Diagnosing COPD is far more than just an x-ray. COPD is a chronic and progressive disease that demands proper care and aggressive treatment. Your condition will continue to worsen until you have a medical team that does literally all it can to fight it. Don't settle for any less. You have to be the team leader. at least until you have a doctor you can trust to do the job.
