I do encourage you all to get referred or find a pulmonologist. They are certainly more likely to be knowledgeable than an internist of family practice doc....although there are some of those that are very knowledgeable. No question you need to be willing to ask questions and to insist on answers that you can understand. The doc may send you to an RT or a nurse, because they don't get paid for doing that sort of patient education, unfortunately. However, if you do get a good RT or nurse, you may find they know more than the doc about the day to day realities of dealing with COPD.

Someone made the comment that the most recent conference that discussed COPD was in 2001. I don't know where that information came from, but it is dead wrong. Every year COPD is a major topic at both the American College of Chest Physicians (heart and lung docs) annual conference, and at the American Thoracic Society's annual conference. Other lung diseases are also discussed, but COPD is certainly among the majors discussed at both conferences. I've attended the last five ATS conferences as a patient advocate, and there are patients that attend those sessions as well as docs. The conference is international, so there are docs from all over the world, about 15,000 of them....patients are almost always just from the US.

In addition the COPD Foundation recently worked with the COPD conference that was held annually in Birmingham, England, and in 2012 held the first COPD conference here in Washington, DC. I attended that conference and the subsequent one two years ago in Chicago, and there will be another one in June in Chicago at the O'Hare Hyatt Regency. Patients are very welcome to come to this conference; there is a special patient track that will be presented or you can go to the medical and scientific tracks if you wish. I will post information about that with web sites and where you can register.

There are many opportunities to get involved with some research if you're interested, and attending one of these conferences is a good way to meet people and get connected. We need patients who are willing to help.

Jean

Is this doctor a Pulmonary doctor? If not, find one. If she is, find another one. You need a good Pulmonary doctor who will tell you everything about COPD, and do a pulmonary function test to see how bad, or what stage, you are in. You may also need a different medicine combo.

As for most of your questions you can usually get several answers in this group. We are all in the same boat and try to help one another deal with it and understand it better. It is really helpful.

Not an answer but a comment. Yesterday BigDaddy suggested that I (we) become experts concerning COPD. I whole heartily agree with him. After all it is our problem and any information we can find and use will be to our benefit. I think that too often Doctors don't have the time to devote to our education. We can read books too.

The sad truth is that since COPD is linked to pulmonary sources and is also associated with other physical problems and certainly with oxygen use there have been many misconceptions and misleading claims attached to it. Many Doctors that are not Pulmonary specialists only understand how to treat symptoms and exacerbations, they are reluctant to discuss the affliction in detail. I can recommend an easy to read book that opened my eyes to what they, and subsequently, we are dealing with. You can download it for free at:
Adventures of an Oxyphile 2 - AARC

I also concur with the other responses that recommend referral to a pulmonary specialist for testing and review of your meds, as well as informational Q&A regarding what you are, and will be, dealing with. Good luck!

I don't think I am much different from most folks, in that I am not much for "do this" but do respond to "This is Why". If I am being treated by someone I need to hear the Why before I engage. By the way, Thanks to Jean I have found a great site which I have loaded to my desktop that is directed to Drs. and spells out the total circumference of COPD. Thanks, Jean. Due to a several year experience in Allied Medicine, diagnostics and pharmacology I can understand much of it. One thing I did notice was that the most definitive conference in COPD that now provides the most recent recommendations in diagnostic and treatment was held in 2001!! that tells me why many PCP's are reluctant to discuss the subject.
Be your own advocate! You know yourself better than anyone, so become a teammate in your treatment.