Questions and Answers
I have spent hours looking for info. on COPD. I have been diognoised with it. The doctor said that I have used 20 percent of my lung capacity. I have so many questions about this disease, but I can't really give you very much info. on my actual problem.
The doctor has got me on prednisone right now, trying to narrow it down as to what level of copd I have. He is really hoping that I have bronchial as well as asthema along with the emphysema.
I am a 39 year old female I have smoked since 16, and am trying to quit my smoking habit. I am a 2 pack a day smoker, and have got it down to about 5-6 a day for the last 3 weeks. My doctor is going to work with me next week on a smoking program (Patches and Zyban).
I quess my main question is, what are my chances of repairing some damage that has been done after I am totally smoke free? I have thought of so many things to ask the doctor when I go back to see him next week, but I would be glad to hear from you as to my state of health at this point. Also, I need to know how bad 20 percent lung useage is at this point?.
Thank you for anything that you can tell me about this disease. All of the web pages I have found on this disease are useful, but I want to know how they classify different stages of this disease.
Thank you for your time.
Hi DP ... sorry to hear about your problem.
It's hard to classify this condition particular in the early stage since each patient is unique in the interrelationship of asthma, emphysema and chronic bronchitis in the overall picture of COPD. I'm sorry, I'm not qualified to comment on recovery from the damage done to the tissue, nor to the implications of '20% lung usage'.
Therapy relieves symptoms and controls exacerbations. It may also
slow progression of the disorder. It is multifaceted and includes :-
exercise and healthy lifestyle,
avoiding infection,
medication therapy,
bronchial hygiene, breathing retraining,
oxygen therapy and,
pulmonary rehabilitation
( establishing for each patient a treatment program which will address the needs of each individual
and tailor the treatment to meet those needs).
I can recommend two web sites for you :-
http://www.priory.com/cmol/copd.htm
http://www.njc.org/MFhtml/COP_MF.html
Best wishes.