COPD & COVID

i was diagnosed with Emphysema and COPD in 2015, got my symbicort, spiriva and berodual inhalers, threw away my cigarettes, took up vaping, and the world did not seem so bad at all. Until Feb 1, 2020 when Covid struck with a vengeance. I could not walk 10 yards without having to cling to something for dear life. So I can vouch for myself, Covid was like instant karma for all those times when I couldn't figure out why my smoking was bothering someone else. oh boy, do i know now. It took me a whole year to get back to some semblance of a human being. But no more sports, not even longer walks, which means no strain. I take Breztree, and about 20 other pills for blood, heart, diabetes 2, etc, exercise daily, but more Yoga than the heavy-duty one I am used to for past 60 years. and avoid crowds and places where people smoke (I live in Europe, outside the EU so those rules are very lax). I went from 200 mph to 20 mph in a year, so to speak. All said, Covid obviously is bespoke and it affects every one of us in a very individual, singurlar fashion, I suppose it hits where we are the most vulnerable.

I am new to this forum. I was dx in March but had a hard time understanding it and really wasn't explained how/why to use inhalers. At the time I couldn't tell the difference in using them. I was a part time smoker, sometimes I did, I could go weeks without smoking, have gone years without smoking. My Dr blamed it on my smoking and chronic bronchitis. That I didn't understand either. At that point I had only had bronchitis 3 times in my entire life. I didn't think that would amount to chronic. When explaining my confusion to a friend that is a nurse, she asked if I had had covid. Oddly, I had had that in July of 24 and had my 2nd case of bronchitis in Sept and a 3rd in November. [the first had been 5 years previously. The nurse felt there could be a big correlation. My Dr had never asked me about it all. Out of the blue first part of January 25, I had a hard time breathing. I generally run 3.5 miles a day and that day I could barely make 3 blocks. Within 2 days, I was back to my run schedule. I grew up around smokers, I worked with aerosols sprays for 50 years and was out doing census when there was heavy smoke from wildfires. I haven't had a cigarette since dx . I finally had a NP in June explain to me how and why to use the inhalers and have used them religiously since but have been having a slight exacerbation for a week. It does make me tired.