I was recently diagnosed with COPD. When will the coughing start? When will I get nodules?

You may never cough and you may never develop nodules. Some people don't do either or both. COPD is a very individualized disease and a lot of what happens to you depends on where you are when you are diagnosed. If you're in the mild or moderate stage, you have the potential of making appropriate life-style changes such that neither one will ever happen. And it's possible that even if you don't make lifestyle changes neither will happen, though it's certainly less likely. The things you can do for yourself are the things that will have the largest impact on how your journey with COPD goes. Things like not smoking, exercising for at least 30 minutes daily, watching your weight and eating a healthy diet, taking your meds, getting your flu and pneumonia vaccines, staying away from people with bugs and having an action plan with your doc so you know what to do if you do get something respiratory. Those things can potentially keep you right where you are right now and maybe the cough and/or nodules will never happen.