My name is Rob from the UK i am 39 years of age, in 2012 at the age of 32 i experienced bad breathing problems... my friends asthma ventolin inhaler helped me. Eventually i went to the Doctors where they put me through a spirometry test where they then diagnosed me with COPD. Here is some of the results from that test -
FVC after bronchodilation (xaJ3K) 5.81 L
Percentage of predicted forced vital capacity 104%
Percent predicted FEV1 74%
FEV percentage change 32%
FEV1 before bronchodilation 296 L
FEV1 after bronchodilation 390 L
Forced Vital Capacity 4.98 L
FEV1/FVC percent (xaEFy) 73%
6 months later i moved so registered at a new doctors surgery, the doctor i saw did not believe i had COPD so put me through another spirometry test in April 2013. Here are the results from this one -
FEV1 before bronchodilation 3.95 L
FEV1 after bronchodilation 4.09 L
Forced vital capacity 5.53 L
FEV1/FVC percent 91%
I then went back to see that Doctor where he diagnosed me with Asthma. So ever since i thought i had Asthma and since my breathing had been ok, most of the year i would rarely use my emergency inhaler, which i thought must be seasonal asthma.
Last year in September i went through bad breathing again which lasted a few weeks where my emergency inhaler did not help me like it normally did. I went to the doctors and they changed my inhaler and said it was because my asthma was not controlled as i was not taking the preventer.
Anyway in August this year i went to my surgery for my annual Asthma review which was conducted by a pharmacist. He said my file said i had COPD... which shocked me as i explained i was diagnosed with asthma in 2013. He told me to start taking my relvar inhaler daily so i did, i took it for 2 weeks then all of a sudden my breathing got very bad so i thought maybe it was the relvar? So i stopped taking it. And used my ventolin on a daily basis to get me through. Last 3 weeks i have noticed i am wheezing breathing in and out. Been to the doctors a few times, i was prescribed Prednisolone which did not really do much for me. Went back last week and the Pharmacist put me on a new preventer inhaler called Fostair. Been a few days where i saw a little difference but recently up till now its not really helping me and i am still using my ventolin inhaler which also is not doing much for me.
Today i attended the hospital for a lung function test, I wasn't sure if it was a good idea as i am not breathing how i am normally well how i was 2 months ago. The test did not go well, i saw my FEV1 results on the screen which was 3.30 and highest was 3.70.
I am feeling really low at the moment and kind of in denial that this cannot be true. Do you know by doing a spirometry test during a bad breathing period will reduce your true results?