Hi everyone! I am 47yrs. old. I was diagnosed with COPD/Emphysema last year. Since then I have tried several inhalers that make breathing a bit better for a short period of time, but affect me later that day, or the next several days. I have taken numerous PFT's, and get FEV1's in the 20 range. And shows severe COPD, but I have already been denied Social Security 2 times, since starting the process last year. After the first denial I hired a lawyer. I was told that it is because the persons doing the tests, say I am "not trying hard enough". Even the person who administered a PFT at the pulmonary doctor's office said "questioned effort on FVC maneuvers". I am giving all I have to give on these tests. But I had difficulty with keeping my mouth on the mouthpiece. The first time it felt like I couldn't blow any air out to open the mechanism inside the machine and it scared the heck out of me. On of the PFT administrators recommended that I hold my mouth on the mouthpiece, to remind me not to take my mouth off of it during the test. This helped greatly, and I completed the test. But when I did it for the administrator at the pulmonary doctor's office, she seemed to have a problem with me holding my mouth on the mouthpiece. To make matters worse, I am claustrophobic and have panic attacks, and am too scared to take a sleep study or go through with an MRI. I even tried to pshyc myself up for the MRI, by going there and checking out the machine, watching how it worked, having the techs tell me what exactly was going to happen. When the table moved me into the machine, my nose was only about 3 inches (max) from the top of the machine, and I had difficulty breathing and stopped the test. I have no idea where the fears, anxiety, and claustrophobia came from. These problems have only recently shown up, totally unexpected. And of course now I am really afraid of dying. I can't afford to go see a psychiatrist, and already had joined another group on this site, and figured I would check this group out. I hope that I can get some answers as to weather these problems are something that goes along with COPD/Emphysema, or what. I have more questions, but will save them for another post.