Has anyone else been diagnosed with COPD after COVID?

How long did it take you ? @otter2154 ?
Yes, very slow and symptoms up and down. I am also very impatient and was always on the go, hard to relax, rest and recover.

Yeah the good / bad day inconsistency is enough to drive you nuts. My plan is to get my allergy scratch test and see what my triggers might be, take my trelegy and albuterol and start walking at my rec centers indoor track. Those are all things I can control. Everything else is out of my hands. 🙁

I think has to do with acute vs chronic phase. I am also waiting for high resolution ct to be done which needs deep breathing to be done during thr test. I am just starting to feel that i can breathe and was like someone said breathing through cheesecloth.

@otter2154
- which exercises have you been doing ? I purchased "the breather" from amazon and started using it. My pulm md said to go slow, dont overdo it. I have asthma at baseline and it flared up, plus patchy ground glass opacity both lower lobes per ct

I love hearing stories like this. It shows that you are working with what your body can do and pushing ahead. I know that not everyone will have results like this but the fact of pushing ahead is the star!

Thank you for sharing this. It feels great, doesn't it?

Yes I feel great. It took four months but I’m back to normal.

Good morning Jay! Have been silently reading all of these stories for the past few days. I’m in shock about how your story resemble mine. I'm 51. First, I quit smoking in March of 2012 after approximately 25 years of 3/4 packs per day. For the past 10 years I’ve experienced intermittent chest pains. I’ve had every non invasive cardiac test done and all came back normal. The diagnosis ended up being Costochondritis (chest wall inflammation). In February of 2021, I tested positive for COVID. Symptoms were pretty mild only lasting 1-2 days. But I began experiencing intermittent SOB. They type of SOB where I can’t catch a satisfying deep breath that I starve for. Eventually I achieve the deep breath and it’s satisfied but only for a short period of time. At first, the SOB was sporadic. Every few days lasting for a day or two and then resolving and staying away for a week or longer but it always returned. In the summer of 2021, I was diagnosed with hypertension. All cardiac tests (CT w/contrast of the chest, ECHO, stress, Holter etc. etc.) were repeated and all tests were found to be normal. No plaques or blockages by CT. The SOB continues and became more frequent. In November of 2021, I saw a Pulmonologist. Pulmonary Function Tests were performed and I was cleared for COPD and any lung disease, FEV/FVC .82. SOB improved slightly for a period of time. In February of 2022, I tested positive for COVID AGAIN. This time the virus seemed to get into my lungs as I had a respiratory infection for about a week or so. It took a couple weeks for it to totally clear but the SOB returned much more frequently. In May of 2022, I saw a different Pulmonologist. He ordered PFT and sleep apnea study. As of the morning of June 22,2022 I was emphatically cleared of COPD and any interstitial lung disease by two different pulmonologist groups in two different cities with a FEV/FVC .82 again. Further, my yearly ECHO done in early June was normal. Where do I stand?!?!? I have pretty consistent SOB (breathlessness, starving for air, excessive yawning). No cough of note unless I force it (rare), little to no sputum or phlegm, inflamed nasal passages and under control BP and heart rate. When I have the time, I usually run 3-4 miles a night w/o any additive issues. I've begun strength training again. Of note, it seems when I climb stairs my legs get very tired quickly. The NOT KNOWING is really bothering me. Anxiety?!? I’m taking Buspirone. GERD?!? I take Protonix! I’m at a loss. I’m 5’9 and weigh 210 lbs. I’m a pretty muscular guy with some extra weight. Could it be I need to lose a few pounds?!? Diaphragm issue?!? I might be going a little crazy but I feel like it's getting worse. I keep reminding myself that the CT of chest w/ contrast in May and July of '21 and CXR of chest in February of '22 were all completely clear. BTW, I check my O2 sat first thing every morning, it's consistently 97-98. I've noticed it drops under 90 when I'm running but returns just as quickly in the cool down phase within 5-10 minutes. I am not taking any steroids or bronchodilators as of yet. I guess my pulmonologist didn't deem it necessary. Ive just started using the POWERBREATHE apparatus in an effort to strengthen core muscles. Anyone have any other ideas???

Hi Jay . Was your mom a smoker ? were you around any second hand smoke . What caused her COPD If this was already addressed pardon/ excuse it . All my best to you and your mom .

I also had COVID in early may of this year.
I had a very light case of the virus, but developed breathing problems. After back and forth to urgent care, ER visits and primary, was dx with asthma. Also being treated for panic attacks. The inhaler Albuterol, doesn't seem to help with SOB... Follow up soon with primary and hope to be referred to pulmonologist..

You are not alone. I too was diagnosed with asthma after a mild covid case in Nov. 2021. I also have spasms of the diaphragm. Albuterol does help when breathing becomes difficult but, thankfully my need has diminished. I have been in pulmonary rehabilitation, which has been extremely helpful, and am finding that my symptoms have improved over time. I hope you do see a pulmonologist and want you to know that there is hope of improvement.