Hello All!
During a bout with Covid last Fall, I had a CT scan which indicated mild centrilobular emphysema and trace biapecal pariseptal emphysema.
My GP said these results could be the result of Covid, since I'd had a CT scan less than two years earlier that was normal.
Fast forward to last month. I decided to get a PFT from a pulmonologist, as I was told this was needed to definitively support a diagnosis of COPD.
The doctor called me on Monday with the results, and said that, although I have emphysema on the CT, I don't have COPD, and that my spirometry results were normal.
He went on to say that, so long as I don't smoke (which I never will again... I quit almost 20 years ago), I likely have an 80% chance of not having any sort of progression. Right now, I have occasional chest tightness, but no other symptoms.
He prescribed Albuterol, and said to use it anytime I have symptoms, but didn't suggest I do anything else, other than to live a healthy lifestyle, and to come see him again in one year.
Nevertheless, I'm still pretty concerned about my prognosis. Is it reasonable to expect that, in my case, this won't get worse? I'm 60, walk several miles a day at a very brisk rate without any shortness of breath, and lift weights three days per week.
Thanks, in advance, for your help! I really appreciate the support this community offers.