Cherry Picker
Forum Supporter
I got some interesting news yesterday from my pulmonologist. I was diagnosed with COPD (emphysema) some 8 years ago. It has ruled my life style for the last 3 years. It is the reason I can no longer work, or spend more than an hour at a time metal detecting.
Let me preference this with a little info about my Mother's experience.
My Mom was diagnosed and treated for COPD for 10 years. One day she went to the ER with breathing problems and her X-Ray was read by the on-call doctor who found all she had was a hiatal hernia. That is where your stomach comes up through the esophagus ole and fills the chest cavity making it hard to breathe by limiting the diaphragm. She had it fixed, her oxygen level instantly went to 100%. COPD gone. She never had it in the first place. For 10 years no one caught this. I guess that is why its called a practice.
Well, I've tried just about every COPD inhaler from Advair to Spariva and really didn't do much. In fact, most actually made my O2 levels lower. I got a new pulmonologist a few months ago from a city nearby, we haven't had a pulmonologist since I was diagnosed years ago, and he had me do the PFT (pulmonary function test) and took X-Rays. He put me on a nebulizer treatment I do at home. Like the rest, it really only helped for a very short time and then actually seemed to do more harm than good. Odd thing is my pulmonologist rated me stage 4 (final stage) with 30% lung function, but he called it a "very active" stage 4 because most people at my stage are on oxygen 24/7 and are lucky to take the trash out without running short of breath.
I put in a call to his office yesterday to let them know I had stopped taking the nebulizer because it seemed to make it worse, and I was having a stiff uncomfortable feeling just below my ribcage. The nurse called me back after talking with the doctor and said it was fine for me to go back to taking my daily Trelegy, and then the casually said he said the discomfort below my ribcage was from a hiatal hernia they saw on my X-Rays WTH? Could this be the same as my Mom? I have an appointment on the 20th to talk with my practitioner. I could possibly get this fixed and get back to my normal metal detecting. Oh man, would that be a dream come true.
Sorry, I'm just so excited at the idea I had to say something.
Let me preference this with a little info about my Mother's experience.
My Mom was diagnosed and treated for COPD for 10 years. One day she went to the ER with breathing problems and her X-Ray was read by the on-call doctor who found all she had was a hiatal hernia. That is where your stomach comes up through the esophagus ole and fills the chest cavity making it hard to breathe by limiting the diaphragm. She had it fixed, her oxygen level instantly went to 100%. COPD gone. She never had it in the first place. For 10 years no one caught this. I guess that is why its called a practice.
Well, I've tried just about every COPD inhaler from Advair to Spariva and really didn't do much. In fact, most actually made my O2 levels lower. I got a new pulmonologist a few months ago from a city nearby, we haven't had a pulmonologist since I was diagnosed years ago, and he had me do the PFT (pulmonary function test) and took X-Rays. He put me on a nebulizer treatment I do at home. Like the rest, it really only helped for a very short time and then actually seemed to do more harm than good. Odd thing is my pulmonologist rated me stage 4 (final stage) with 30% lung function, but he called it a "very active" stage 4 because most people at my stage are on oxygen 24/7 and are lucky to take the trash out without running short of breath.
I put in a call to his office yesterday to let them know I had stopped taking the nebulizer because it seemed to make it worse, and I was having a stiff uncomfortable feeling just below my ribcage. The nurse called me back after talking with the doctor and said it was fine for me to go back to taking my daily Trelegy, and then the casually said he said the discomfort below my ribcage was from a hiatal hernia they saw on my X-Rays WTH? Could this be the same as my Mom? I have an appointment on the 20th to talk with my practitioner. I could possibly get this fixed and get back to my normal metal detecting. Oh man, would that be a dream come true.
Sorry, I'm just so excited at the idea I had to say something.
