I have been a bit frustrated about getting clear and direct answers to my questions from my General Doctor. Now, don't get me wrong, he's a very good Doctor who I have been using for some 25 years!!!! But he wasn't doing so good IMHO with my COPD management. So I talked to a Health Advocate and got hooked up with a pulmonary Specialist! Thank God I did! The Health Advocate Service is available with my Health Insurance and I have been toying with the idea for some time....
I went to the Pulmonologist on Tuesday. Before I walked in the door he had every related test and Xray I have ever taken on his computer. He did his own 6 minute walk, Spirometry Test, and Pulse Oximetry measure as well as the normal weight and Blood Pressure.
Then the Doctor spent an hour asking questions, explaining my condition, and answering my questions. He changed up my meds, my nutrition plan, my exercise plan, and my daily routine (just about everything! LOL!) He told me to stop worrying about Emphysema and Chronic Bronchitis so much since I had already done the best things I could do for those 2 parts of COPD: #1 QUIT SMOKING, vaccines, and Advair. He said I should be working on the things i can change: Upper respiratory chronic inflammation, GERD, and sleeplessness. These are issues that my own Doctor has never discussed with me! By making those changes I will breathe better and have fewer exacerbations (flare-ups that scare the bejeepers out of us COPDers!)
All I can say is WHOOHOO! Now for the not so easy news: no chocolate, no coffee, no spices including jalapenos, no tomatoes or tomato sauce, no tea, soda, even herbal tea or most fruit juice....No oranges, pineapple, cucumbers, and on and on.... not an easy change! Double the exercise I've been doing! I'm still trying to figure out what I can eat! *sigh*
Well, I'll be seeing him in 6 weeks so he's holding me accountable! Any way my best recommendation for those folks who have doubts about their health issues, if you can arrange it, get a Specialist! You might have a hard time following his/her instructions but Knowledge is Power and it's definitely worth it!
I'm glad I could say I was 2 years plus Smoke FREE!
