Wendy.

I was told I had COPD in 2005 at the age of 37. I appeared in the paper alongside Liz Dawn raising awareness via the BLF. Quite ironic that I was also medically retired from work at the same time Liz left Corrie! 

I was told that it is due to smoking. My FV1 is pretty good but my transfer factor is poor. I have recently lost lots of weight and now a very tiny little thing and thanking god that clothes shops are doing size 4.

I feel very old at times and suffer from things like circulation problems, aches and pains and dizzy spells. Currently on inhalers and nebuliser. I try to keep positive and look at what I can still do and not what I cannot. I attend local breath easy on the sunny Isle of Wight.

I would love to her from anyone around my age to chat and swap stories, but also welcome any chats.

Sorry I do not have an email without my full name.

Reply to :wendy.dawber@talktalk.net

TONY MILLER (DUSTY SNR)

I am home now after some 12 days, with my wife and one son who still lives at home, its great!! However I have more medication than Boot's the Chemist to ingest, a routine with Concentrator and Nebulizer everybody saying "Now take it easy...." When I want to get out in the garden, feed the fish, mow the lawn. Instead I am to be visited by Respiratory Nurses, Social Services......which means I have to keep my hair combed, my teeth in and not spill anything down the front of my dressing gown!

To recapture my opening John, I suppose in truth I am doing a bit of grieving for me.......life and a method, a way of living has to be found again. My hospitalization was by no means pleasant, but the perseverance of Doctors and Staff to virtually save my life, was beyond the call of duty.

Since 1950 I had led such a full, fruitful and rewarding life. Twenty five years in the Royal Navy, twenty in Submarines, well travelled, well educated both academically and worldly. Had found a good remunerative position in civilian life teaching electronics and when this became rather too technical for me to grasp with the speed of the young I resorted to managing a British Legion Club and eventually managing a pub in Wiltshire. The latter was disaster culminating in divorce, a period of depression and total readjustment......again! My reaction was to go off to the wilds of Dorset, find a cave and reflect.

We are now in October 1983 and though a story within itself I am in Wells Cathedral Somerset being ordained a priest. John, for the next 23 years, the most rewarding and illuminating position I have ever held , more so because I specialized in Bereavement and Bereavement Counseling after my probationary curacy period. It combined both the secular and spiritual a principle I had held through dearly. It is from this now that at the age 73 years I am forced to retire. No longer to meet with the most wonderful of people, to hear their stories, to laugh with them, cry with them, to know beyond organized religion the "Good Samaritan" is enacted every day.......in a nut shell John..."there are more Christians' outside the church than there are in!" ( I strongly suspect it applies to all faiths really!

I have just experienced my first hospitalization for Emphysema/COPD which was diagnosed some 12-13 yrs ago. At the time it certainly was not intrusive in my life or life style, or so I thought as I carried on smoking, but naturally it began to manifest itself in the well known symptoms of very laboured breathing for what seemed to me the slightest exertions physically. So much so that I was driven into retirement having to live under the guidance of my GP, my local Respiratory Clinic and the ever burning question inside of me, "What the hell do I do now?"

Having perhaps overstepped the mark with this epistle I will close John. You or anyone may use my email address. I live in Southampton. Hampshire and would love to hear from whoever, about anything, anytime..........

Reply to   anthomll@msn.com

HEIDI

Hello, my 70 year old father was diagnosed with copd about 12 months ago now even though he'd been having the symptoms since 2001, after months of pestering the doctors and nurses at the hospital he finally got his home oxygen machine and portable oxygen. I would love to hear from carers or sufferers. Please e mail me anytime. Thanks also to you john for a wonderfully informative site.

moomin75@uwclub.net

DAVE

Hi, my name is Dave and I’m 62 years of age. I have suffered/been diagnosed with Asthma/COPD since the mid 1970’s. In retrospect I now realise that I had asthma as a child. I couldn’t understand how my friends could enjoy running and jogging as much as they did as this was and still is a complete anathema to me! I joined the Army as a boy soldier in 1961 and served 25 years and a weapons engineer, retiring in 1986. In the interim I have had various appointments in industry, some management, some just to earn a living (as you do!). A couple of the jobs weren’t wise choices as one involved working in a lead acid atmosphere and another in the furniture industry with contact with furniture finishing products, but otherwise I have been white collar. Like most of COPD sufferers, I smoked like a trooper from an early age but stopped some 12 years ago. I’ve only been hospitalised once and that was some years ago for a period of about 3 weeks and found that the medication prescribed was responsible for my lengthy stay – once that was withdrawn I improved and was discharged.

I’m still working, however, have been on protracted/extended sick leave since Christmas 2007. This is due to frequent and disabling exacerbations which can only be controlled using steroids and antibiotics – not a situation I like to find myself in, but what do you do! The condition has deteriorated to such an extent that simple tasks such as washing, shaving and bathing are a struggle and the task of drying after bathing is now beyond me and my long suffering wife has to do that for me. My lung function tests reveal that I have only 20% to 25% functionality.

In recent months the medication prescribed has been less and less effective. At one time I was using four long term dilators (Volmax, Spiriva, Singulair and Phyolocontine all prescribed by different doctors at the same practice) but after some investigation found they all caused bronchial spasms – not a good thing to have happen. I now have to rely on Bricanyl, Atrovent and Flixotide (Symbicort doesn’t deliver enough steroid) to control my symptoms along with the steroids and antibiotics.

I’ve heard and read that lung reduction surgery results in a noticeable improvement of symptoms yet I’ve to be offered this by my chest specialist at the local hospital – can anyone advise me about this procedure and when it is considered as an option?

Best Regards, Dave.  deelee@ntlworld.com

Editor - I have advised this gentleman & there are details on the site but anybody out there who has had LVR I'm sure could help Dave.

JAMES

 I was diagnosed with copd in March 1995. I have been welding all my working life and quite a heavy smoker. I gave up the dreaded weed in 1986 so it was a bit of a body blow after getting short of breath and going to my gp for a check up he sent me to my local hospital chest clinic and tests showed i have emphysema - smoking being the main cause of this disease. I take an inhaled steroid namely seretide 250 twice daily also I have ventolin, and spiriva, I also have an oxygen concentrator at home to be used as and when i require it. i do have a portable cylinder but cant stand having the thing strapped to my back. I have tried the freestyle 300 oxygen concentrator but it being only pulsed oxygen, it didn’t seem to do the job for me and at 3000 pounds i couldn’t merit spending that much for a product that didn’t suit me. I do hope anyone who needs a chat about this horrid complaint or would like to compare how others handle their illness then please get in touch and we'll help each other along. You can email me on my normal address.

jameslewis2@hotmail.co.uk