COPD

[Gaz-M]

I was told I have stage 3 of this 4 weeks back, I am struggling with work as I,m a chef and work alone now.

I have also been told I have severe nereve damage in both hands and feet with muscle wasting away on part of my hand, further more I have had a total hip replacement and a fibular bone graft on my hips.

My boss told me today that I should go on the sick, I have never backed down to an illness but the COPD has and is hitting me hard.

I am 44 years old and been type 1 since I wa 2 years old, at presant I feel like my life is closinjg faster than I thought it would, the chest is the main concern as I,m struggling to breathe alot of the time.

I saw a GP yesterday and expressed this but he just gave me more antibiotics and steriods, I have taken both today ontop of the other drugs/inhalers I have and feel no better and very short of breath. the steriods are stoppng as of now, but if I go on the sick will I feel better or waste away? I have only been on the sick once and that was when my hip collapsed in 2004, and on that time on the sick I did vegitate for a few month (9) in total until both hips were done. then the next 3 month were spent building myself up, COPD is not going to let me do that and it killed my Dad last year and my Aunty this year.

Do I try go on the sick or plod on till I cant?

 

[ButtterflyLady]

It's a tough question, and you have all my empathy.

Maybe have a chat with a different doctor or a specialist or two. Take your time to decide. If you are feeling too ill to work right now, take a break for a few days and keep your options open.

Often there are more than just two options. For example, could you do part time work? Or a less physically demanding type of work?

 

[fred1234]

I have copd and asthma and very breathless. Most of the time housebound but do have a motability scooter. This lets me out and about locally but not far. 20mg maintenance of steroids daily which doesn't help the bg levels as they shoot up in the afternoon. I understand about work but if your too breathless you need to refrain from work. I was medically retired 3 years ago and it certainly is a big change in lifestyle. I wish you well. All the best

 

[Gaz-M]

Well after an exacerbation on the 20th of August I have had to spend 8 days in hospital and because I was getting chest pain when the paramedics arrived and after several ecg,sand having an angiogram, I also have a small blockage on the main vessel in my heart (unsure of the medical name)

Been a funny week................. blood oxygen level was at 65% when the paramedics first got here and when I arrived at A&E they went to town on me so knew I was in a bad way. I was realease on Thursday gone and I have just been relaxing as much as possible (apart from some cooking that I was craving to do whilst I was in hospital)

When I get my follow up letters for the chest and heart clinics I must try to remember to take a pen and notepad with me as I struggle to remember what has been said, I was told about the blockage in my heart while still in the operating room after the angiogram, so basically thats a total loss really.

Anyway here are a pic or two of the wrist after I took the dressing off yesterday and the sticky tags from one of the ecgs hahaha