COPD will I live a normal life

[Sooz1953]

I have recently been diagnosed. I was a smoker some 20 years ago, Iam 54, I recently had a sinus operation and in the convalescence I picked up the pharyngitis virus, as a result of my recovery I developed a cough and tightness in my chest and they made the diagnosis. They say that the present weather conditions of very cold have affected me and brought my problem to the surface. Will I recover when the weather gets warmer and will I resume my normal life? My husband thinks I should have a blood test as he thinks that I picked up a germ from the original nose op. Can anyone help clarify my questions please

[lynnkay]

I am no doctor by any means. But, I would strongly suggest possibly having chest xray and breathing tests done by your doctor. I was diagnosed in Oct. 2007 with COPD. I went to doctor complaining of having problems breathing. He ran these rather simple tests on me of xray and breathing tests. I then went to a pulmonary specialist for a second opinion. He confirmed that I did indeed have COPD. Doctor just cannot say you have COPD, without giving you these tests. Plus, doctor will want blood test, to determine if you have a defiency. The defiency sometimes causes the COPD. I had the blood test and I did not have the defiency. Smoking and some heredity caused my COPD. You can quit smoking years ago and still later develop COPD. But, as I suggested, go to your doctor. Hopefully, you may not even have COPD. If you just had surgery and only then developed the cough and tightness in chest, you could very well be having some complication from that. I am 51 and in the moderate stage now of COPD. Meaning I have had COPD for some while, before my diagnosis. I had noticed symptoms several years before the diagnosis. My symptoms just did not come on all at once. Keeping you in my thoughts and for a good outcome on this. As I stated, I am no medical professional. Just my experience with being diagnosed with COPD.

[National Jewish Health]

What you describe suggests that you may have acquired a viral pharyngitis, and this is often characterized by persistent cough, lasting for a few months or more.  Pharyngitis does not cause tightness of the chest but you may have developed some bronchospasm, in response to viral bronchitis.  This could be aggravated, but not caused by cold weather.

If you were intubated during the sinus operation, you may have had irritation from the tube, rather than infection, as a cause of the pharyngitis.

The diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), with or without bronchospasm, is best made by simple pulmonary function tests (PFTs).  You should ask your doctor to give you such a test – spirometry before and after the inhaling a bronchodilator.

Once this is resolved, you should be able to resume your "normal life".