You are all right in that stages mean nothing to you if you can't breathe. The fact is the whole "staging" thing isn't designed for patients. It's designed for docs, and specifically docs who aren't lung specialists, who aren't pulmonologists. It's designed to give them some of the characteristics that their patients present with to give the doc some consistent basis for prescribing medications and treatments for their patients. Someone in stage one should get this type of med, and have this type of treatment. Someone in stage three, gets these additional types of meds and treatments. That's what the staging thing is designed for.

Now, those of you who are having frequent hospitalizations need to ask your docs what their treatment plan is for you. What does your doc intend to do to try to keep you out of the hospital? What treatments does he plan to try in addition to what you're already on? Some of you are going to family practice docs and nice as those folks are, most of them don't know anything about COPD, have no idea what the new meds and treatments are and probably wouldn't know a best practice for COPD if they tripped over it. It's not that they're bad docs, they aren't lung specialists; they aren't pulmonologists. You guys need people who do know the most current treatments, research, best practices, because there are things out there that can help you reduce the number of hospitalizations you're having. But you've got to have a doc who knows something about COPD. So if you don't have a pulmo, get a referral to one. If you do have a pulmo, ask him what his treatment plan for you is; what is he going to do to keep you out of the hospital? If you don't get a good answer, find another one.

Bottom line is, you have to take charge of your own care.

Yes, I understand. I read a great article on it last week. It's just a number med experts use for testing. Stage 4 is just the last of the testing as there is no cure and no need to test further. Referred to as "end stage" does not mean you are dying by means last testing stage.

Then call back and remind them what they promised. You have to take charge of your own care; no one else is going to do it for you.

I know about this, I did not get the stages myself. But I was so sick all the time. I have been doing a exercise to com down the panic attacks. It has help me a lot.close my eyes and ears block out everything and relax.

I agree on the stages. I also take NACthey have never tested me but said I need double lung transplant. Also been in hospital 5 times this year. I do what I want within reason and what I can. They said no animals well!!!I told them to get rid of a lot of ppl lol.You will learn your limits and take the meds. Breath easy God Bless. Watch the weather that has a lot of affect