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I am a taking care of my 75yr old mother who has COPD. She is about to have blebs removed from her lungs. From everything I have read so far, this is not going to do much for her condition and I am worried about how fast she is progressing. Can anyone give an example of timeframe for a patient with copd, or something to let me know what to expect?

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Found this on the internet. Thought it would be helpful:"

In the initial stage of the COPD, any obvious symptoms may not be visible in the patient’s body. However, the patient may experience symptoms such as cough or excessive sputum. Often, the patient experiences minimal shortness of breath. If detected in the early stages, COPD can largely be controlled by immediately stopping the consumption of tobacco. This stage is called stage 0. This stage is considered as the “Risk Stage”

In stage 1, the patient may experience severe breathlessness on a regular basis. But, it will not affect his daily life, as the periods of breathlessness are short lived. This is considered to be a mild stage. In this stage, the lung function of the patient is equal to or better than 50% of the lungs function of a healthy adult of the same age. Here, functions of the lungs are tested with a spirometer. Mild COPD can be treated with short acting inhaled beta-agonists.

In stage 2, the performance of the lungs drops down to 30% to 40%. This is the stage where the disease actually starts affecting daily life as the periods of breathlessness are more frequent and continue for long durations. This stage is considered to be a ‘moderate’ stage and can be treated with one or more bronchodilators or inhaled anticholinergics.

In stage 3, the performing level of the affected lungs drops below an alarming 35%. As the intensity of the disease increases, the quality of life decreases rapidly. The patient is now affected more and more by severe breathlessness. This stage is considered to be severe. In many cases, it can be life threatening. Severe COPD can be treated with one or more bronchodilators, inhaled glucocorticosteroids, and inhaled anticholinergics.

The earlier the symptoms of COPD are detected, the better it is for the patient. Although COPD cannot be completely cured, it can certainly be controlled well, if detected.
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I don't know how much longer she has in the progression of her disease. What I do know is end stage COPD doesn't have to be a death sentence with the right care
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Original question 10 years old.
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These ancient questions should be archived and closed for responses.
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Excellent suggestion, GardenArtist! I hope the admins heed your sage advice.
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You may want to research YouTube on COPD. One thing you'll definitely learn is how patients can live with it. One thing I learned is COPD really doesn't have to be a death sentence. I actually knew someone with COPD who since die from self neglect and I wish he would have taken better care of himself because he could've lived probably well past 100 to say the least. He was neglecting some of his breathing treatments and causing some of his wheezing from the asthma that was another one of his conditions and frequently having to call the squad. If only he would've learned how to live better with asthma and COPD, he probably could've still been alive today. With a proper diet and healthy lifestyle, you can live with respiratory conditions such as asthma and COPD. Surprisingly, even end stage COPD really doesn't have to be a death sentence
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