My Mom is 80 years old and after fighting pneumonia, various infections, allergies (or so we thought) and a visit to the emergency room today for coughing up blood, we heard the letters COPD for the first time. Her current pulmonologist has no plan at all for treating this in a pro-active manner. She lives in Midland, Texas, but I live in Houston. After joining and reading the information on this website, I'm wondering if anyone can recommend a specialist in Houston. Also, do I need a referral or can I just call and try to get her in? Any advice would be appreciated.