r/COPD

Hello so my mom has had copd sincr i was little i cant remember how long but its been awhile we were told she had only a month long to live yet shes still standing which im glad and greatful. Shes in her lateish 60s?.

I dont know i just- how do i know when shes declining and getting the that ending point? She had a bad fall and has a bruise on her arm from 2 days ago cried yesterday then she started puking again and shes crying in bed. I dont know what to do and she doesnt like the doctors and i can't force a grown woman to check things out.

Idk i just.. i wanna be prepared she lived so long to the point i dont know how much time i have left which yes we never know how much we have left with people but you get what i mean. If anyone can tell me some signs to watch out for that be great. I wanna be there for her and support her since my dad has work and i stay home mon refuses to have a nurse visit her so im kinda her "nurse" where i call my dad or ambulance depending how severe the situation is.

So yeah sorry if this is the wrong place but the internet isnt giving any helpful advice and im not prepared for any just incase moments.

Hi everyone, I’m a respiratory therapy student ( anonymous account) and I have an assignment where I have to wear a portable oxygen system and nasal cannula for a day to better understand what my future patients go through everyday.

Before I do it I wanted to come here and ask you directly

- What activity or place do you think I should do/go to really understand what it’s like?
- What are the hardest and most challenging parts of your day to day life?
- Is there anything you wish your care providers truly understood about living with portable oxygen?

I want this to be more than a school assignment, I want to understand what you actually feel. Any advice, stories or experiences you’re willing to share would mean the world to me and if it’s okay I’d like to share them (anonymously) with my class.

Thank you so much 🙏🏻

​

My dad has been hospitalized 4 times in 8 months. Once for a pneumonia and fluid retention starting in his ankles, and the others for pneumonia.

He is on oxygen 24/7 and has been since October 2025.

His PCP brushes off referrals to specialists, and even the social worker at the hospital today said that palliative care didnt sound like a good fit.

I'm going to go in to his next PCP appointment and get pushy about referrals (he has said he wants to work with specialists), but other than that I feel like everyone is saying "oh well, too bad."

He's showing memory issues and some confusion, and although he is independent otherwise I feel like that may change soon. He also isnt forthcoming about how bad his oxygen levels are, and I just found out when paramedics were at our house that he had been getting readings as low as 47%!

No one has said "he is nearing end of life", and he may not be, but it doesn't look good and it's like no one is willing to help.

I'm his sole caregiver, and we can't get in home care (like an HCA) because his insurance doesnt cover, he doesnt qualify for medicaid (which is so confusing to me) and we can't afford out of pocket.

Literally any suggestions would be so helpful. I'm scared for my dad, and don't want him to suffer more because I'm incompetent and can't seem to locate good care for him. ​

I am 25 years old, my dad is 66 and has severe COPD. I don’t know what stage, he won’t tell me or my aunt, and doesn’t let me be involved or help with any of his medical stuff no matter how many times I try or offer, and I worry he doesn’t fully understand the medical stuff all of the time. He lives alone & independently in senior/ disabled housing. He uses nebulizers, inhalers, and an innogen to manage his COPD at home. He’s extremely stubborn and doesn’t want help with anything even when I offer to get him set up with extra services like visiting nurses and aides.
In November he was hospitalized for a severe exacerbation and was taken to a hospital and intubated with no ID. I hadn’t heard from him in a day so I texted him and that’s how the hospital was able to contact me to come in and ID him. It was the most stressful week of my life and honestly think it has traumatized me.
He was in the hospital again for a few days back in March for pneumonia, and is back again this week for another flare up. My life has become this endless cycle of worry about if he is okay and when is shit going to hit the fan again. I love him and care about him so much, text/call him everyday, try to get together every couple of weeks, but he won’t let me help him with his healthcare or give me the information I need to be able to help him or even know the full story. It sucks watching my dad who was once so strong & active be slowly taken over by this disease. I’m just so sad.

Hello all! I was diagnosed with COPD back in 2019 - stage 1. A month ago it has progressed to hyperinflated lungs. I'm doing well (never smoked) and thankfully Trelegy is helping. I'm turning 60 is September and looking ahead to 2028 when I turn 62. I know figuring out when to take SS is a gamble, like I'm betting I'll live long enough to get as much as possible if i take it at 62 rather than wait until 67. I'm not sure how fast the COPD will progress now that my lungs are hyperinflated. What is the recommendation? Collect at 62 and have a few years of it, or wait and take a chance with my health.

I had a lot of fluid retention this week. My weight tuesday was 338. Sat morning it was 321.
I had to take 80mg lasix for 3 days. My back was really hurting during that time.

Does anybody here can give me tips to get rid of very thick phlegm? My grandfather can’t expectorate them

He had been hospitalized last week and he had completed the 7 days of the 2 antibiotics. Piperacillin + Tazobactam 4.5gm and Levofloxacin 750mg. He’s also on Acetylcysteine 600mg even before he was admitted. The doctor even added 3ml of normal saline to every nebulization. The nurses tried suctioning from his throat and it wasn’t tolerated

Things i’ve done: let him drink hot tea, back and chest tapping,deep breathing, forceful coughing,slight ambulation on bed (turning to sides), and transferring to a wheelchair(so he doesn’t lie on bed all day) but nothing is working
I also make sure to get rid of mucus forming foods from his diet like milk and egg

Please help us.

My grandfather is 93 years old and can’t walk anymore due to a fracture

Thank you so much.

In my 40s, smoked for 20+ years. My pulmonologist did not diagnose COPD in me, but the CT showed signs of beginning emphysema and he warned me of getting COPD in the upcoming years if I continue smoking.

Now the reason why I got checked in the first place was some fine crackling when laying down to sleep, starts after 1-2 minutes. Initially rarely and mild, now a year later more regular and intense. I have an inhalator, but paradoxically it seems to happen more often with the inhalator than without. Without inhalator, it happens rarely. With inhalator, it's become pretty frequent. Coughing does almost nothing to it.

I've taken a couple measures over the past years to reduce the stress on my lungs, such as smoking with better filters, replacing cigarettes with IQOS and even not smoking at all for a couple hours each day. Too little, too late I guess?

Wondering if this crackling can actually go away again, e.g. when replacing cigarettes with solid evaporators (heating tobacco without burning it) completely, or stopping altogether? Or am I, as they say, "cooked" and this is something I'll need to deal with going forward?

Anyone have any experience with this?

33year old male. 5foot9. Run 5km in 22 minutes. Very fit and highly active. Peak flow at doctors was 680, clear chest xray and run 20-50km weekly. Had a spirometry taken, waiting for results back from doctor but managed to get this picture after test (sorry I know it’s not clear) I would be grateful if someone could give me a idea of what this looks like. Picture below in comments.

Hi. I'm new to Reddit, and I made this account to...maybe try and find support? See if there are alternative solutions? Vent? I'm not really sure. But, here I am. I'm 45. My mom is 74.

She was diagnosed with COPD maybe 15-ish years ago. She's been on a steady decline since. She's now stage 4 and moved in with me, my husband, and our 6 year old last month.

She's on oxygen 24/7. She is on all sorts of meds, including nebulizer treatments. She has had 3 Zephyr valve procedures. They kept moving and not functioning properly, so the doctors have kept going in to reposition/remove them. She moved in with me after the latest procedure, where they removed 6 valves and kept 3 in. She is now down to 13% lung function.

I help her with basic stuff - making meals, coffee, laundry, bathing (although she keeps saying she has been too worn out to take a bath, and I'm not sure when to push it).

She has good days and bad days. She gets up, goes to the bathroom, walks to the kitchen table, etc (although she spends most of her time in her room reading, doing sudoku, and watching TV). The lack of oxygen is also causing short-term memory loss, and that's probably the hardest part.

I guess I have a few questions for you all in the COPD Reddit community:

1. Do others have these issues with the Zephyr valves shifting, requiring multiple bronchoscopies?

2. What are ways I can best help her recover at this stage? Are there things I can do/push her to do that might help her regain some lung function? She had been going to pulmonary rehab when she lived alone, but has not seemed interested since this last flair up.

3. Are there any alternative approaches (supplements, diets, breathing exercises) that others have has success with that I could add to her routine?

Thank you all for taking the time to read my post. It's really been lovely having my mom at home, connecting, and spending time with her.

Chronic cough with phlegm for 4years

So I’ve had chronic asthma since I was two years old. I’ve been on inhaled corticosteroids since I was five I’m 24 now my asthma has been pretty ok controlled. I’m on Dulara now and starting dupixent as well. Four years ago, I went to Arizona and caught some sort of illness, but was fine and was still drinking and having fun but when I got back I got this chronic cough that hasn’t gone away in four years with yellow phlegm. They ruled out pneumonia and bronchitis. I’ve also been tested for a bunch of viruses and desert viruses and nothing. Has anyone else experience this or do you think it’s asthma related? I’m not sure.

**"I am a 33y Female, and I was diagnosed with COPD today. I have a few questions,,,, Has anyone else been diagnosed with COPD without having a cough or phlegm, experiencing only shortness of breath? Additionally, I find it impossible to sleep on my back because I can't breathe, and I also suffer from heart palpitations—these are the only symptoms I’**ve noticed, I have never smoked in my life!!!

Hello all!
M68 here. Been a chain smoker (pack a day) since I was 18.
Ended up drinking every other evening and taking an Alprazolam before sleeping.

Diagnosed as COPD last year, hospitalized thrice with severe excarbation

Started using a BIPAP and Trelegy Ellipta, along with a rescue inhaler.

In January I just decided that I needed to live longer.

Overnight quit smoking cigarettes (using nicotine gum), drinking alcohol (it triggers my need for cigarettes) and started weaning myself off Alprazolam.

It’s been over two months now and everyday it’s a battle, getting better.

If I could kick 3 addictions, so can you.

I never thought I could do it.

I have a newly born grandson and I want to live long enough to see him grow up.

Kick those addictions!

Wish me luck and hope to continue on this life improvement journey.
Cheers!