please help me to understand

what does underlyning copd is this the early stages or what diagnosed  june 2010 affter having pnemonia (pneumonia) and fluid on the lung I am in full time employment still smoke but really trying to give up the doctors gave me 3 inhalers and that was that nobody has explained I am reading a lot on the furum and getting frightned please can someone explain

[allmymarbles]

Underlying COPD? Seems to me you either have it or you don't. What are the inhalers you are using? Do you know any of your test results?

[allmymarbles]

And what are your symptoms? What are they when you don't use your inhalers?

[kazzawood]

Hi, thanks for replying my inhalers are symbicort attrovent,ventolin I cant remember my test results as i did not understand them I recently started smoking again  since I had pneumonia
in January  I have had bronchitus (bronchitis), in march plerucy  and now nov have a chest infection at the moment they have given me steroids and antibiotics

[allmymarbles]

Not enough information on your status. You might want to buy a peak flow meter. A good one that is very inexpensive is Assess. All you do is take a deep breath and blow into it. There is a chart that tells you what your score should be. Your result is a percentage of that score and indicates the status of your disability. I have COPD and keep track of my condition with it.

You are taking an awful lot of stuff in addition to the antibiotics (which are a necessity for your infection). You had best look into steroids (Symbicort). There can be very serious side effects and are not recommended for COPD unless nothing else works, and, even then, only for short periods of time. I am at the lower end of moderate COPD and do not use steroids. That is because they almost killed me. I use a nebulizer (albuterol and ipratropium), and take natural anti-inflammatories and an antihistamine for allergies.

If you get a peak flow meter you will be able to assess your condition (not the infection, of course) and your progress, or lack thereof.

[aheart]

I think what your doctor meant by "underlying copd" was that you had copd  already and then you got sick on top of that. Good Luck on quitting the cigarettes, I know how hard that is.

[kazzawood]

thanks for all your help I have started taking champex so hopefully I will be able to stop smoking  and I will look into buying a   peak flow meter