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Reply: Asthmatic; new to the group.

I am not sure you will find any over the counter medications for asthma or COPD. But I do...

Posted by CAMMSNNP

10 Replies | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:Asthmatic; new to the group. I am not sure you will find any over the counter medications for asthma or COPD. But I do...

Reply: Asthmatic; new to the group.

It is easy to identify COPD by markings that may have shown up on your lungs from the CT...

Posted by CAMMSNNP

It is easy to identify COPD by markings that may have shown up on your lungs from the CT scan. The first question I would have is, do you smoke?, as an asthma diagnosis and or COPD diagnosed in an adult instead of childhood, generally points the finger at smoking. If you do you should quit. Please be reminded that tobacco is a natural antidepressant, and you may need medications such as wellbutrin (antidepressant) as well as nicotine replacement therapy to successfully quit.

I have also treated others who insist they never smoked, but lived with extensive second hand smoke. If you personally don't smoke, but are around someone who does, ask them to take their smoking outside.

If neither of these is your case, then you should consider you may have suffered a chemical inhalation exposure at some point, that may have damaged your lungs.

As for the frequent visits to the doctor, it is not personal preference, but may be related to your supplied history. Certainly if your COPD is a result of chemical inhalation exposure, you would expect to see the doctor and have testing more frequently, especially if the substance remains unknown.

For smokers, frequent visits may indicate the choice of medication selection that is best for you is being sought. Each person eats different foods, lives different life styles, works different jobs and has different potential triggers to asthma. The goal is to find the right balance of medications to prevent asthma attacks which can be fatal. Most people do not take their asthma seriously. Most persons with COPD do not take their diagnosis seriously. I assure you, you should take both seriously to increase your quality of life, and prevent early death.

The best way to evaluate the combination of COPD and asthma is by spirometry, which is a machine you wrap your lips around and breathe into to assess the rate you can forcefully exhale, as well as the volume. Hyperinflated lungs have difficulty in exhaling air as they cannot contract well enough, so the person winds up with a prolonged expiratory phase as well as residual stagnant air. Your asthma can cause additional problems with exhaling as the bronchial tubes fill with mucous and constrict, increasing the difficulty with exhaling. The right combination of medications, to a certain extent, can reverse some of the damage, and help in preventing worsening of the condition. But both conditions will eventually worsen. So frequently seeing the doctor and being reevaluated frequently may be an effort to accomplish reversal as well as slowing progression.

The questions you should be asked relate to the cause of the asthma/COPD and your response to medications to ascertain if they are effective in helping you without creating adverse symptoms. Frequently in early asthma that has come upon a person slowly, such that they don't recognize they have lost lung capacity, is a denial of need for medications as they cannot perceive they have symptoms. You could try blowwing bubbles with a healthy person seated next to you to see how long you can actually blow bubbles compared to a healthy person. This may help identify you have lost function. By the way, blowing bubbles is a good exercise. Please make certain you know how to use your inhalers properly, as improperly used delivers substantially less medication to your lungs.

I hope this helps.View Thread

Posted byCAMMSNNP

10 Replies | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:Asthmatic; new to the group. It is easy to identify COPD by markings that may have shown up on your lungs from the CT...

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