Okay so I'm going to put this post into a scenario to show how one would get diagnosed and treated for COPD. To make this a little more personal and kind of realistic, I am going to write this post as if you, the reader, were going through the process.
After reading my last post about COPD with the signs and symptoms, you decide that it sounds a little close to home and make an appointment with your doctor to get checked out. Your doctor asks about your signs and symptoms, family history, medical history, and some questions like if you smoke, or are consistently in environments with lung irritants such as dust, chemical fumes, second hand smoke, etc.
One of the signs you have is a cough. You tell the doctor how long you have had it, how much you cough, and whether there is mucus present or not. He takes out his stethoscope and listens to your lungs. He orders for a test to be done.
The test that is done on you is called Spirometry. A technician asks you to take a deep breath in and blow out through a tube that is connected to a small machine. This machine measures how much and how fast you can blow out.
You are then diagnosed with COPD.
What treatments are available to you?
Lifestyle changes: Quit smoking, stay away from possible lung irritants.
Medicines: Bronchodilators (inhalers) or a combination of bronchodilators and steroids.
Vaccines: Flu shots and Pneumococcal vaccines.
Pulmonary Rehabilitation
Oxygen Therapy
Surgery: Bullectomy, Lung Volume Reduction, Lung Transplant.
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