I smoked for forty years but quit 7 years ago at age 53. I saw a pulmonologist once about this but he said what I described didn’t sound like it. Now things have changed a bit. I have chronic lower back pain so get shorty of
Breathless walking at times. Some times are much worse than others. For instance, I can walk to my car (on a good day) and not be winded at all. Another I will be so winded or SOB it takes several minutes before I feel like I can even begin to catch my breath. Like I can’t breathe deeply and I feel blocked trying to breathe... something preventing me from breathing right. I am overweight but have been approx same weight for 30 years so don’t think it has to do with that. And sometimes I breathe fine. Also, I can get SOB while resting in my chair. As well as many other places. My PCC doesn’t think it’s time to see another pulmonologist so I can’t get a referral. I’m afraid I’ll have a crisis and end up at the hospital before she’ll allow it.
If you cannot get a referral to a pulmonologist, perhaps your primary care doctor can order a CT chest without contrast. This will show if you have emphysema, infection, cancer, etc.