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(JD) · Jan 19, 2010, 08:15 PM

Make good changes in your life, and think positively... if nothing else, you'll feel better about the dx.

I was dx'd with COPD in 1981 I think.
I'd been asthmatic all my life, due to allergies (allergic to everything but clean air and clean water and cotton!)

I've had bronchitis this time since last June or July, with having been at my mom's going through the estate etc., and all the dust and smells and products that entails. I generally take an herb guarana that clears my system out of phlegm etc, but it happens to cause me muscle spasms (an allergic reaction) and my sacrum has been out so bad that I don't dare take the guarana until I can stabilize it.

Don't give up. Research and try everything you can. My last Pulmonologist quit me that year, after sending me a letter giving me 30 days to find a new one, as he didn't want my death on his record.
I never hired another.
My lung capacity is much less than yours, and for decent function I would have to weigh only 130 lbs.

You learn to spend less energy doing what you need and want to do.
You learn to breathe slowly and deeply and do things that make your lungs stronger (like swim underwater).
Make sure you seek out support groups to learn how.

I hope you feel better soon.