COPD & Emphysema Support Group

COPD is a progressive disease characterized by airflow obstruction or limitation. Emphysema is characterized by loss of elasticity of the lung tissue, destruction of structures supporting the alveoli and of capillaries feeding the alveoli. Both have symptoms that include shortness of breath, among other respiratory troubles. If you are a COPD or Emphysema sufferer, join...

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/ COPD & Emphysema Support Group

different in England

skinnylynny
skinnylynny
reading through the discussions it seems that we in England are refered to a speacialist at a much later stage ,i had been going to my GP with early signs of COPD for 2 years ,but was just sent to the asthma nurse ,i was not referred to a consultant till my last visit to A and E in NOV 09 , ,i did ask my GP to refere me to a speacialist but was told it would take at least 6 visits to A and E before that would happen ,i have just had a cat scan and i am waiting on results ,so i am hoping that now i may get the help that iam in need of
KKLEA
KKLEA
Its ok, I know where im not wanted. I will just stay in cold, wet England. Thanks pals.
VinnieTheSnake
VinnieTheSnake
My internist ordered a CT scan for me after a second bout of bronchitis in six months.
He referred me to a pulmologist after the results. Unfortunately, the lung man did not speak English as his first language, and apparently preferred not to communicate with his patients (at least with me).
After my lung reduction surgery (for emphesema) I found another lung doctor, who has since moved away and changed his speciality.
Point I'm making is that the medicines prescribed for me by my internist are the same medicines prescribed by both lung doctors. Nothing changed for me whether I was seeing a specialist or not.
The only thing that has changed for me is that my back doctor recommended exercise and THAT is the only thing that has improved my health.
deleted_user
deleted_user
I's ok KK, I have a spare -room and it's nice and warm in Australia, you too skinny ,most of my neighbours have cats so she won't get lonely, we won't need to lock her in the cupboard. I eat lots of tuna so she can share my food.
KKLEA
KKLEA
Its me they are talking about locking in the cupboard joost not the cat. Arent they mean.
deleted_user
deleted_user
oops, I read it too quickly. AND THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT YOU!!!
HOW MEAN IS THAT!!!! I would never think of locking you in a cupboard and I will share my tuna with you, so there !!!!
deleted_user
deleted_user
She volunteerd for the cupboard Joost!
So give her some tuna and put her back in the cupboard.
deleted_user
deleted_user
At Kaiser (enormous HMO in California), I think they have a rule that the first time you go in about something, they tell you you're imagining things or it's normal or some such. The second time they hand you a prescription, and finally if you persist, then you get the tests and referrals. It took at least a year of mentioning my SOB and fatigue before I got lung function tests.

So it seems things are not so different here from England.
deleted_user
deleted_user
I have been breathless for the last 15 years or so, but every time I went to get it checked out I was always told that it was anxiety, it was only when I ended up in hospital last July with bronchitis and sob that they did further investigations and found that I had emphysema
deleted_user
deleted_user
Joost, we are "lucky" enough to have a disease that has, in the past, not been diagnosed soon enough.

Seems it is no different in Australia than in the US. I certainly understand your frustration. I suppose we just have to deal with what we have been handed and hope that research speeds up that will give us more treatment choices.

Wishing you the very best,
Anna