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209987 tn?1451935465

Would love to hear your thoughts

On April 21st of this year my husband fell "dead" on our driveway.
It took 23 minutes for the ambulance to come. He was brought to our local hospital and then later transferred to an inner city one.
They had him on life support and told us that they would keep him on it until his parents ( from out of province) could get there. They told us that once the tube was removed he would be gone.

I told his nurse about all the symptoms he had been having...I never got to speak to a doctor...shame.
I told her that his breathing problems started at the same time as mine did. I have asthma due to allergies. Snow molds to be precise.
She quickly paged a doctor and told me that I had to leave...she told me to go home and rest...I was pregnant...she said she would call if anything happened and reminded me that they would pull the tube ONLY when his parents got there.
An hour later his best friend called...my husband was alive and breathing on his own!
They had added an allergy shot (? or something) to his antibiotics in the off chance that I was on to something...
He woke up and pulled his tube out shortly after they added whatever it was.
They gave him prednisone and 2 different inhalers and sent him home the next day...they told him he has COPD.
They told him that he is in stage 3.

I have been reading what those of you who truly have COPD have been saying, and I can't believe that my husband has it...not that I'm in denial, but because he doesn't sound anything like what you are describing it to be like.
Since that one attack he had he has not had another. The rasping that he once had in his chest is gone...no wheezing, coughing, etc.
He has had no trouble breathing, he's not tired, his appettite is better than it's ever been, lots of energy, etc...and not one ounce of medication. No inhalers...no nothing.
I know for a fact that with Asthma you can go months without having an attack...but can you go that long with stage 3 COPD?
I'm sorry if I'm hurting anyone by asking these questions, as that is not my intention...I just want/need answers.
After the loss of our baby it's been hard...he wants to try again...but if he has COPD then we really need to think this over.
Could he have been misdiagnosed?
Thank you for your time and patience.
4 Responses
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Avatar universal
Sorry to hear of your husband's experience.

I cannot see how a doctor could presume to give a definitive diagnosis of Stage 3 COPD without having carried out the full range of Pulmonary Function Tests at hospital, or giving your husband a CT scan of his lungs. An ordinary chest x-ray will not be sufficient to find evidence of COPD.  Surely the most a doctor could say, without having done the tests is that a person had 'symptoms of possible COPD'.

Hopefully by now your husband has seen a pulmonologist and had the tests done.
If there is no sign of air being trapped in his lungs during his breathing tests then it would be unlikely he has COPD, particularly as he has no other symptoms and has made an excellent recovery by all accounts.  

You refer to an allergy you have to mold, and if by chance your husband has the same allergy, the severe episode when he collapsed could possibly have been due to anaphylaxis....do you know whether the hospital treated him with epinephren when he was admitted to the ER?  If so, this may be why he made a good recovery.  

I hope you find some answers.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I have COPD, the best place that I have found is the copd international they have everything on there about the disease, how to treat, symptoms, exercises and so much more. check it out.  
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Avatar universal
Hello....I was so glad to hear that your hubby pulled through with great results...but heart broken at the news of the loss of your baby.
Having COPD should not have any influence on conceiving again. In MOST cases...COPD (IF thats what your husband has) is NOT hereditary.
I agree with gad227 about seeing a pulmonologist. Another thing your husband can do...get a copy of his records (ALL records) during this particular hospital stay. Look at the daily medication (especially on the date he, miraculously, got better) sheet and nurses notes. There should be the entire medication list of what, when, and how much of each medication he was given.  This will give you a clue as to what helped him pull out of his dilemma.
Did they do chest x-rays or Cat scans? While on a ventilator, a breathing function test is impossible. The ONLY way to diagnose COPD is with an x-ray, breathing capacity tests and/or Cat scan for more definate results.  He very well could have been misdiagnosed, but without seeing medical records, one can't be certain.
I'm glad he's doing great now. Stay away from mold, if possible.  Go ahead and try for that baby again!  Unless his breathing is so labored that he can't participate in strenous activity, which you state his breathing is fine.
best wishes to you both...take care.
Weffette
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal


I would recommend following up with a pulmonary doctor on your own.  You can get a second opinion that way.  I would not go based strictly on what this hospital is saying.
Helpful - 0
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