Hi Ann,
Sorry to hear about your COPD diagnosis, but at least once we know 'the worst' we can start fighting back. You have already put the breaks on this disease to a large extent simply by giving up smoking. I know its hard at first - for me it felt almost like 'grieving' for them - but it does get easier eventually, and now I can't understand why I ever wanted to smoke in the first place. Two things to keep in mind if the 'urge' strikes:
1) Each time you smoke, carbon monoxide enters your blood cells and sits in the space usually reserved for oxygen - ie. it 'steals' vital oxygen from you - oxygen you just can't afford to lose when you have COPD.
2) On average, the remaining lifespan of a COPD'er who stops smoking is triple what it would be if they continued to smoke.
Anne do get help from your GP with the smoking if you haven't already. I used some fantastic tablets that killed the urge to smoke over the period of a couple of weeks. Really odd, my addiction just vanished! Can't remember the name of them now but will look it up and post it later.
Next on the agenda; Ann, do take the time to 'join' this web site properly. If you look you will see that at the bottom of our messages we have little boxes with things like 'pm' (private message) etc. In addition to then being able to privately message someone eg if you want advice re something you don't want the whole world to know about, or just to 'chat' in general, we can more importantly post links or suggest other web sites to each other, whereas in the general public area we can't, the moderators blank such info out - but they DO allow it in the 'private message' area. So join girl, join! :wink:
Next; FEV1 etc.
Firstly, it is correct that damage done to the lung tissue cannot be reversed (as of yet - researchers are now reversing severe emphysema in mice and rat lungs but it could be 10 - 20 years before that translates to a human cure). However, there are a number of things that contribute to your FEV1 besides actual permanent damage, and if these are put right, you will probably gain a degree of FEV1 back, and improve your general lung function and wellbeing. This will also contribute to lifespan too.
In my case , my FEV1 was 29% at diagnosis, but is now somewhere in the 40's - I say 'somewhere' because I'm hoping it will have improved a little more recently, but certainly I am 45% plus. However FEV1 is only a guide used for 'staging' the disease in general, and measuring decline / stability etc over time. So in my case for example, I am still classed as 'very severe', the same as someone with FEV1 in the 20's, because I have chronic respiratory failure and need supplemental oxygen. This is unusual though and is due to my also having something called Alpha 1 anti trypsin deficiency.
So, what are the other things that impact on your FEV1 and respiratory health in general? Well, briefly for now and you can ask for more detail if required;
1) Smoking - most people will see an improvement of a few % after a few months of giving up
2) The right meds - these can 'open up' your bronchial tubes to a degree and also fight any inflammation present when first diagnosed
3) Exercise- most of us have been quite ill for some time before diagnosis and we have been doing less and less as a result. This lack of exercise impacts directly on our breathing by letting our diaphragm weaken, and our diaphragm is a major player in breathing etc. Upper body weights (small dumbells) used regularly can improve this, along with general exercise.
4)Weight gain / loss. Either of these can have a big impact. Becoming underweight is a huge problem, often leaving COPD'ers too weak to breath effectively, and too tired to eat. This becomes a viscous circle.
Obesity, particularly in the abdominal area (even if you are slim elsewhere)
impacts on FEV1 as abdominal fat tissue presses up under the diaphragm and leaves less space for the diaphragm and lungs to f