Hi, firstly I'm so glad to have found this resource, thanks to you all... I've recently been diagnosed with COPD, obviously it's shocking at first, but now I need to do some life planning (family and friends look at me as if I've received a terminal diagnosis...)
I'm struggling to get any advice re what an expected (all things being equal) progression might look like e.g. how long I might be able to hold out in stage 1, possible timescale for moving through the stages, talking me through my numbers etc. Any advice would be greatly appreciated
My numbers are:-
I'm a 52 years old male, 30 pack years
FEV1 / FVC 65%
FEV1 93% - DLCO 80%
FVL - Typical of obstruction
I stopped smoking 5 months ago, my BMI is 21.7
Exercise:- 1 hour cycling and 1 hour walking 5 days / week.
Symptoms:- almost no symptoms, slightly irregular breathing at times and tight chest occasionally (some of this might be anxiety).
There's just me and my wife, no kids and most of our family are on the other side of the world, so basically no / little support. Hence I need to plan and be honest with my wife re prognosis / possible progression.
Thanks in advance, and to all of you running and contributing this site, it is 'manna from heaven'... Thank you x Adam (UK)