I was just diagnosed with COPD in January,2007(this year),evidently I've had it for about 9 years without knowing about it.My Doctor just assumed I already knew,until I asked him to test me for it.That's when he realized,I had no idea! So he told me.The bad part is I'm a heavy smoker,and have been the entire time,and now I'm under so much stress with so many different things going wrong in my life at the same time,that my battle with quiting smoking is failing!I've read articles about COPD,and they just scare the **** out of me,but I have so much fear of the unknown,that isn't written in these articles! Is there anyone else here suffering from the same illness,that knows more about it,than the articles tell you!Such as,possible life expectancy without treatment,stuff like that?

I don't have copd but have known people who do. The below link actually says it all. I don't know what stage you are in, but if you didn't even know you had it perhaps it is in the early stages.

If you have lots of stress I am sure that your doctor could help you with a program to quit smoking. It is hard to quit and you mail fail many times before you suceed. Good Luck

http://www.e-copd.com/COPD_Stages.html

Thanks for the link.I've been researching it a lot,and I've learned much more about it,which honestly scares the hell out of me,but I'm trying to make the best of it.It's not easy,it's painful,and I'm already in a more advanced stage because of not knowing about it,and being left untreated with smoking for up to 9-10 years.I got the nicotine patch,and have tried 3 times to quit smoking,but each time I fail,I get back up after a little while,and try again! From what I've learned about it,the only thing that is going to help it slow down from becoming much worse is to stop smoking! But unfortunetely there is so much irreversible damage already done,that I can't do anything about.But I can do something about adding much more,and I'm really trying,it's just so hard,and it's very frightening for someone my age to know that I have a terminall illness like that,and will never get that energetic person that I was just 2 years ago.And I also am a singer,and it's affected my ability to give my singing my all,because of the decreased lung power,which is probably what hurts the most.Singing is one of my passions in life,and to see it going down the drain little by little,is very hard for me.It was a very good coping skill when I was stressed out,I would go to the recording studio,and just sing my stress away,when I'm stressed!

I'm so sick right now,I've been up since 2 am,my fevers are getting so bad,I don't know how much more of this I can take.The inhalers aren't doing the job.I was spitting up blood this morning when I woke up.I have the fan on me,and next to nothing on,and I'm still burning up.I'm so nauseated,but I can't puke,cause I already took my medication.How much worse does this COPD get,does anyone know? I don't feel good at all,I might have to lay on the floor for a minute.

Sorry,that dizzy spell just came on so sudden,I could'nt finish my post.But God I hate that floor when I haven't done the vacuuming yet.But I have an Ice Pack on my head now,so hopefully that will help.2 days ago,I collapsed on the floor in my bedroom,I didn't pass out,my legs just gave out on me,and I went down.I was really upset by that,because I've been working really hard to keep my legs strong,by going on walks,stretching them out,using Little Nico as a Barbell,as if I was at a Gym,and lifting him up and down with my legs,he loves it,by the way! lol....
I swore I would not go another year without being able to walk again! And then losing the strength like that after all that hard,painful work I went through,it was like a slap in the face. So now when I feel the weakness,or dizzy spells,I get on the floor willingly.I had both my front teeth knocked out,by passing out in the bathroom,and my face hitting the counter on the way down,it broke my nose too,but I didn't care about the nose.It's the teeth,I can never smile normal again.I just wish I knew back when I started smoking daily at 18,that 6 years later I'd have COPD from it!
When I read about the illness,it seemed weird that only 6-7 years of smoking daily would have given me COPD in my early to mid 20's! There had to have been other contributing factors.I don't get it!

Not trying to sound funny here,but are you sure what you are feeling right now is the COPD?

It sound a bit like a flu virus or something. Also you said you are in pain from the COPD, what is it you feel exactly?

How was it diagnosed,and what symptoms did you have prior?

What does the doctor say?

Justice. It sounds like you are going through the exact same thing I went through that started last September. It lasted for 5 months. It was Horrible. I too am a long time smoker and I HAD to quit the 2nd month I was sick. I just couldn't smoke. When I did the coughing and choking were debilitating. I had no problem quitting when the motivation was there to stop. I had never had such a lung infection as this one was. It was diagnosed as Legionaire's Disease and it took 3 courses of antibiotics to get it to go away. The Magic one was Clindamycin. Once I started taking it I felt a dramatic improvement on about the 3rd or 4th day. But the total time I was sick was a little over 5 months. I thought in the 2nd month I wasn't going to live through it and my voicebox, larynx, is damaged from all the violent coughing. I have problems now and use a store brand inhaler which I used throughout the illness. Doc did give me a couple of albuterol inhalers during the worst of it but wouldn't give me any refills so I do the best I can with these now.

If you'd like to talk about this in detail you can PM me. I usually come in here at least a few times a day.

Hi justice
I am sorry to hear you are not feeling the best at the moment,my mother has copd and she has had it for around 25 years she is in the bad stages but she copes, what you discribe does not sound like what she has got,it sounds like you have got an infection and need to be on antbiotics plus inhalers to help,she get I might be wrong hear but l would go and get a second opinion here as it doesn't sound right.
hope you are feeling better soon.

I can't imagine having it after only smoking 6 years. That just doesn't sound right J. I know if I don't drink enough water and my allergies act up I cough up alot of stuff and sometimes it gets stuck and I start wheezing. But once I cough it up I'm ok. I seem to be allergic to alot of things. Maybe you don't have COPD. I was told I have it and emphysema. But I tend not to believe alot of what doctors say. I have been misdiagnosed before in the past and know other people who have been too.

I was having a hard time breathing while laying down,and have for awhile,years,and a lot of chest pain,and coughing w/sputum,sometimes with blood in it.I have Asthma,and was diagnosed with Chronic Bronchitis in my mid twenties.So,I asked my Dr. to test me for COPD,and he just said I have it,and that he already knew,and he thought that I had already known as well. Then I started getting weaker and weaker with one thing after another,and have had pneumonia now for 3-4 months.I had the chicken pox again,throughout the month of February,when I just had it through January of 2006! Now I've had a chronic fever for about 3 months,a low grade,sometimes it spikes and gets pretty high,103 at the highest so far,and I have been having passing out episodes.3 of them in the last month,the first one,I don't remember hitting the ground,and I didn't come to for almost 5 hours.The second time was the same,I didn't remember hitting the ground,but I was only out for 2 hours,then the third was last week,and I was only out for 20 minutes,but I felt that one coming.So,I made it to the bed,just in time,but my legs were still dangling off the side,cause I didn't get there in time to put my legs up.I spike a fever whenever I do any type of physical activity,and the dizzy spells just come when i'm least expecting them.
Now when I went to the doctor last,it was the day after I passed out last,and I was running a fever of 100.4,and he said he was sure it was just my medication,my thorazine,which my second opinion said he's full of ****! He said he can't explain the passing out,so that's the medicine to! Once again,full of ****! They did a heart study,and it didn't show a heart condition,so he did not put me back on anti-biotics,he said just to deal with the fevers,and referred me to my shrink about my medicine! My second opinion said I need to get in to see a Pulmonologist ASAP! I have an infection somewhere,and I'm not getting enough oxygen.But with my insurance I need a referral from my doctor,and he won't give me one,because he is convinced it's my meds.So I'm getting a different doctor at a different building,that is right next to the hospital! I also heard a rumor that lately a few of his patients,my age,and even younger, have died.I'm only 33!
I believe I have the COPD,but there is something else going on right now with my body as well that is making me feel much sicker.I read that you can get COPD from having a lot of childhood respiratory infections also,and I did a lot,and left untreated,cause my Mom didn't want to pay the medical bills!