Squeezed

By glenda1

1 min read

My story begins almost 2 years ago. I was having a feeling of fullness and tightness around the chest and rib cage and I thought I was just full from lunch. When in fact I had been not eating as much lunch as I could have or should have.

Getting diagnosed

Initially diagnosed with IBS

So after about a year of going through this I went to my doctor and they gave me a quick exam and told me that I had irritable bowel syndrome. Okay, I'm not a doctor, so I went with that.

The COPD diagnosis came a year later

Then about a year later I went back to the doctor and I demanded that they do an x-ray. I knew there was something wrong I just didn't know what and at this point I'm starting to get breathless upon even walking up a flight of stairs. It was just getting harder and harder. Then I got the call that I needed to go in and talk to the doctor about my x-ray. That's when I learned that I had COPD emphysema with hyperinflation.

Wondering what comes next

Since then it's been a kind of a nightmare. I have been on oxygen back and forth. I have been a hospitalized twice in a year but I think the worst part is the squeezing that I feel the tightness around the rib cage. I don't have the coughing that everyone else seems to have but it's obvious by breathing is not right at all.

So I'm wondering will there come a time when I start to cough a lot? Or am I a different kind of case. I don't know, I'm really frustrated and I don't know where else to turn. It seems like I get so many answers from so many people, but nothing makes sense to me.

Thanks for letting me vent.
Glenda

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Alesandra Bevilacqua Community Admin
Hi <inline-mention user-id="2427242" username="glenda1"/> ! Thanks for sharing your story here 😀 We really appreciate your participation on COPD.net! I can't even imagine how uncomfortable that rib tightness must have been for you - oof. And painful, too! I'm sure you've been frustrated... I would be too. I'm hopeful others here will chime in with their own experiences to open up the discussion further. COPD progresses differently in everyone. I can't say for sure if you will have a time where you'll be coughing a lot, since it's a pretty unique condition and varies per person. I know that's not the answer you were seeking but hope it gives some insight to you here. Thank you again for sharing with us! Sending love today, Alesandra (COPD.net Team)
mendobruce Member
I hope you have had a pulmonary function test as an x-ray can NOT diagnose COPD, or even accurately diagnose hyperinflation although it can show the probable possibility of those conditions. The fact that you are not that troubled by mucus and are troubled by symptoms of hyperinflation indicates that your COPD is predominantly emphysema. Most of us have some combination of both emphysema and chronic bronchitis with one type predominating.
1. glenda1 Member
 Yes I have emphysema. Had all the proper test.
munchkin47 Member
I started having problems with my breathing back in February 2018 but it took about 9 months before my doctor would actually believe there was something wrong with me. However, once I was seen by a respiratory nurse and tested, she diagnosed me as having Asthma and COPD. Both were a complete surprise to me, especially the COPD as I had never smoked in my life! After pneumonia in March 2019 the distance I could walk was drastically reduced. I used to be able to walk up to 10km every day just about before then but now I am struggling to reach 6km as my legs ache and feel weak (better than a lot of you, I suppose!). I have also noticed that I am now coughing a lot more (no, I don't have Covid19!) but it is a dry, wheezy cough....no phlegm. I also whistle a lot when I breathe these days. Hmmm...if it weren’t for the latest Coronavirus I would be booking an appointment at my surgery to see if, in fact, my lungs were getting worse.....but I don't want to risk catching the dreaded virus so I'm hanging off just now. Oh, I also see no point in phoning the surgery just to talk to the respiratory nurse as in the past the suggestion has always been to up my inhaler strength. Sorry for the rant. I am worn out.
1. carola Member
 I have never smoked HOWEVER growing up years MY FATHER was a chain smoker-and I had a lot of severe colds- lungs were always screaming.
susie123 Member
I have COPD. I have rib aching and I coughed a lot before I was diagnosed with COPD. My daughter-in-law saw my feet and commented how my toes were blue. That's when I decided to quit smoking, that's been 81/2 years ago. I have been inactive for a couple of years and recently I started walking. I live in the country and it is difficult to find a place to walk. That's all for now. Susie Sheppard
grandmalin Member
Hi! I have read quite a number of stories where the docs have gotten things wrong about copd. Have to say I have lost a lot of faith in them. Told one of my docs that I seldom cough and she flat out said ..." yes you do." Asked my lung doc what type of copd I had, bronchitis or emphysema? He flippantly said...just copd. I'm beginning to think that they really don't know a whole lot more than we do. That they are making it up as they go along just like we are. Just wondering is all.
eat2017 Member
Glenda1 I have predominantly emphysema and don’t really cough unless I’m sick. Or sometimes a smell like a perfume or cologne or something like car exhaust triggers coughing. I get the chest tightness and aching diaphragm and ribs. But some people cough and produce phlegm daily. So you can have a combo of chronic bronchitis and emphysema as well as asthma. Or mostly just one of them.
1. glenda1 Member
 I Have had all the proper test and was diagnosed with emphysema.
Leon Lebowitz, RRT Member
Hi Glenda, and thanks for sharing your story here (back on 7/27/2020, and your most recent posts today. You may be aware that COPD/emphysema affects every person differently. What may be symptomatic for one person, may not be symptomatic for another. The fact that you do not cough currently is characteristic of how the disease currently affects you. The fact that you are not coughing currently, does not necessarily mean that you will not have a cough in the future with COPD. Sadly, it is impossible to predict. Time will tell - coughing also may not be a symptom for you in the future - we just don'd know! The shortness of breath (SOB), you describe may be a characteristic symptom of your emphysema. These are certainly aspects of COPD you may want to discuss with your physician. However, I also thought you might gain some additional insight from these two articles. First, this one, which focuses on symptoms: <a href='https://copd.net/symptoms' target='_blank'>https://copd.net/symptoms/</a>. And next, this article on how COPD affects everyone differently: <a href='https://copd.net/living/different-types' target='_blank'>https://copd.net/living/different-types/</a>. I do hope you find them to be helpful. You may find it interesting to know that others in the community have shared the pain/cramping they sometimes feel around their rib cage - so you are not alone in this regard. We do have a wealth of information on this very topic here on our <a href='https://copd.net' target='_blank'>COPD.net</a> website. For your convenience, here is a link to several of the articles: <a href='https://copd.net/?s=rib+cramping' target='_blank'>https://copd.net/?s=rib+cramping</a>. I hope you find this material is helpful for you to read. Please know you are always welcome here We will assist you in any way that we can. We're glad to have you as a member of our online community. All the best, Leon (site moderator <a href='https://copd.net' target='_blank'>COPD.net</a>)
Barbara Moore Moderator
Hi Glenda1, your story is much like mine. It took me years to get diagnosed and in all that time, I never had a spirometry test. What a shame it is because the test is so simple and I would have started treatment earlier. I too have no cough and very little mucus production since I quit smoking. We are all so different with the same disease. I would suggest that you keep a daily journal of your symptoms, the weather and how you feel on a day to day basis. I did this and it helped me to understand what triggered my symptoms to get worse and what helped me get better. This is when I began to understand how my body reacted to COPD. This journal will help your doctor understand your symptoms as well. I hope this helps and if you need further discussion, feel free to reach out and contact me. I am always here for you Barbara Moore (site moderator)
carola Member
I am new with this COPD- doing ok- I just wonder if there is anyone else that feels like family does not understand when you just want to be quiet and go lay down- this has really drained me- I was once very active and not so much anymore-