At 28, I have seen a pulmonary specialist who has unofficially given me a COPD diagnosis. I wanted to get someone’s advice, as I’m feeling lost and unsure if I should get a second opinion.
Over the past 6 months I have been having ongoing issues in the lungs which started out as mild congestion. I have seen a pulmonary specialist who thought that it could be GERD related - I took PPI tablets and the symptoms felt a bit better. After stopping the tablets I got terrible reflux and conjestion, and 1-2 weeks later got a lung function test.
The doctor has told me that I probably have COPD from the test, he has also said that at this point there is no reason to do CT/bronchoscopy scans for unnecessary radiation. He said to keep taking a Breo inhaler every day and we have booked in another PFT for 6 months later to check any progression.
I was a half pack a day smoker for about 10 years (15-25 years old) but quit about 3 years ago. I am relatively healthy with no breathing issues until now. However when I was smoking I usually got a cough for 1-2 weeks after recovering from cold, but never had this issue since I quit.
This has come on suddenly and I am really confused. I think that COPD in someone so young is very rare. I have attached my PFT results if someone can shed some light on it.
I need some advice on the next steps and how to approach/deal with this. Is it worth getting a second opinion?