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Respiratory Disorders (Expert Forum)
signs of stage four of copd
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signs of stage four of copd
by oldone48, Jun 27, 2006 12:00AM
my father has this and i am taking care of him in my home. he has been in the hospital twice for this. the first time was in january of this year, where we found out that his left lung is completly collasped and his right was only working about 33%.we have noticed in the last few weeks that he has been coughing up alot more mucus and sleeping alot more and not eating quite as much. he sometimes has a bluish tint to his skin and it is rough to the touch. he also has not been drinking as much liquids as he was about two weeks ago. he has an appoitment for a breathing test on july 5 should they be able to tell me then how much longer he may have to live. he has been here alot longer than any of us expected. i have looked up on the internet and got as much information as i can get but i was just hoping that you might could help a little bit.i am just not sure how much of his right lung is still working. i am also noticing he breaths hard then shallow at times.he coughs alot while he is sleeping but never coughs up anything then.he gets really exhausted when doing anything,just getting his bath or even walking 15 to 20 feet to the chair or table. he is on oxygen 24/7 4.5 liters.he uses to breathing treatment everyday,one twice a day one three times.thank you for all your help.
Doctor's Answer
by National Jewish, Jul 06, 2006 12:00AM
, Jul 06, 2006 12:00AM
Your description suggests that your father has rather severe chronic lung disease. He may be near the end-of-life. The most important thing you need to do at this time is to have him carefully evaluated by a pulmonary specialist. This could give you peace of mind to know that you have done your best to help your father at this very difficult time of your lives.
It would be important to know why your father’s left lung is "completely collapsed". The lung specialist could determine if there is any treatment that might reverse any of this collapse.
The lung specialist could also evaluate his prognosis and chances of meaningful survival. It may be time to consider palliative care, such as hospice. If your father is continuously and uncomfortably short of breath this might be eased by narcotic or tranquilizer medicine.
What you should not do is to rely upon the Internet as a source of reliable information that might or might not be relevant to your father's condition.
It would be important to know why your father’s left lung is "completely collapsed". The lung specialist could determine if there is any treatment that might reverse any of this collapse.
The lung specialist could also evaluate his prognosis and chances of meaningful survival. It may be time to consider palliative care, such as hospice. If your father is continuously and uncomfortably short of breath this might be eased by narcotic or tranquilizer medicine.
What you should not do is to rely upon the Internet as a source of reliable information that might or might not be relevant to your father's condition.
Member Comments (1)
by gail146, Nov 25, 2008 12:15AM
A related discussion, copd was started.
