I'm scheduled for umbilical hernia surgery in 8 days after trying to get it done for two years. I have severe emphysema and I'm on 2 liters of oxygen 24/7. I read an article by an RN that said the long term survival rate of some copd patients was poor …

Doctors in New York now submit prescriptions electronically directly to the pharmacy. I would like to use a Canadian pharmacy but don't have a paper prescription. I discussed this with one of my doctors and was told it is illegal for them to submit …

Steroids help with the inflammation. Yes they do help but have side affects. When I am in a flair my pulmo gives me pred dose 40 mg for 5 days now and taper down. He never used to do the taper.

My husband is in the hospital with RSV. Been on high doses of steroids and albuterol. Heart is racing and has reached 187. They tried levalbuterol which through him into distress and he can't take it. Anyone have this issue? Whole thing has been …

I saw someone use a term "copd wasting". Does this refer to losing weight? I have lost 25 lbs in a year and am having a very hard time putting any back on.

I must have a mask. A scarf is not sufficient. A good mask is expensive but well worth it.

Hello, I am thankful to be here. I was diagnosed a few months ago after being sick with what the doctors said was a viral cold that would return frequently. I work part-time outside the home normally yet haven't been able to return mainly out of fear for …

Hi ya'll. Been a while since I've been here. I'm back to work, and doing fairly well (for the time being). The humidity seems to be a problem, along with some of the fumes from diesel engines I run into now and then. I've also noticed that doing anything …

Are you a pet owner? Does animal dander irritate your allergies or COPD? What do you do so that you and your pet can be together? Do you have tips for others living with COPD that have pets or are considering having one? What are your thoughts in …

Yes, I do. What I have found is a few COPD'ers who found out it wasn't hard to talk about it. I have a cousin, sister and a very good friend who all have been diagnosed with it in the last 5 years. I talked to them a lot when they "Didn't have COPD". …

Can boiled potatoes with butter cause more difficulty in breathing? I am trying to get a handle on what makes breathing worse.

If my o2 levels are between 90 and 97 on room air on a regular basis do I need to use something like simbicort or can I do without If my level drops below 90 with exercise it comes back above 90 with a few deep breaths

I smoked for 20+ years, even through my bout with Sarcoidosis and Whipples disease, because I thought I was going to die anyway. I didn't. I quit in 1994 and was diagnosed in 2004. Like Kandy, that was when I was a officially diagnosed and put on O2. I …

I was just turned down for a transplant at UCSD because I’m too weak. The pulmonologist seemed to say it was all because of my idleness and that I would not have deteriorated otherwise. My experience was that I went off a cliff not slow decline and that …

Unless you have been under a large rock for the last 30 years or so, you know that second-hand smoke is extremely harmful to anyone who is anywhere near a smoker. Second-hand smoke is of course the smoke exhaled by the smoker and the smoke from a …

My husband has been dealing symptoms that are getting worse since collapsed lung & surgery in May - no prior symptoms Yet doctors keep giving same inhalers which are not helping him. 5 hospitalizations in 7 months - just getting worse . He’s scared …

First, I am just a patient, not a doctor. Did your family doctor say you have COPD or asthma or both, what was diagnosis? Some thoughts assuming COPD. An x-ray can raise red flags, it can show hyperinflated lungs a hallmark of COPD but not exclusively. …

I was diagnoised with Emphysema before Christmas. I did a Pulmonary lung Function test and one of my results was 76%. The pulmologist asked me if I had shortness of breath. I told him I didn't and he just told me to get the flu shot and come back in six …

HI Beth - I think there's some confusion here - are you saying MS, as in the abbreviation for multiple sclerosis or MS as the Alpha-1 genetic phenotype? Reading your earlier posts, I think that's what you mean. If I'm right, then this is the definition …

I strongly believe in the power of radio to communicate to a mass audience. To get a public service announcement (PSA) created and aired you must go through the the Advertising council. Commonly known as the Ad Council, they are an american nonprofit …

I had to quit Advair and Symbicort because of cramps. I tried to counteract each with calcium, potassium, magnesium, tonic water, and increased water intake, but could not find any combination that worked.

46 and just diagnosed with Centrilobular Emphysema. The doctor was surprised that my Ct scan showed this I have no symptoms of this only the shortness of breath that came out of nowhere. On Wednesday. Scared and freaking out. Could this be a miss dia

I have read that some people are able to sleep with a pulse dose POC. On the topic of sleeping with pulse dose vary I’ve found some persons have indicated they can use a pulse dose POC when sleeping if they use ear plugs, others say they just get used to …

This is great news for anyone interested in pursuing valves! A new player in the game! In addition to this news, Aetna announced they are now covering the procedure.

Here in the northeast we are getting our first snow {at least in Michigan} and a word of caution is in order.After over 60 yers of driving in this stuff, I reasonably confident in my ability handle these conditions. However, I'm not so sure about the …