If you take all the recommended steps to help yourself and have a bit of luck, you could stay at stage 2 for the rest of your life. No smoking, daily exercise of at least 30 minutes, weight control, health diet, take your meds, get your flu and pneumonia shots as recommended and get medical attention ASAP if you do get something respiratory: do all of those things and you could said through the rest of your life with very little difficulty and remain in stage 2. You do need a bit of luck, too. Once you get over your current exacerbation, if you do all these things, you'll reduce the chances of getting another a lot. If you do get something respiratory, get to your doc ASAP and get treatment. You can't "tough it out" any more. Google "action plan for COPD" and take the form with you to your next appointment with your pulmonologist so you know what to do if you do get something. If you don't have a pulmonologist, get one.

@A MyCOPDTeam Member Welcome, Provided you have stopped smoking and look after yourself, COPD is usually quite slow in progressing. If you are having frequent exacerbations, ask your doctor to have a sputum sample checked for infection. Also ask about pulmonary rehabilitation courses in your area.
As regards temperature, it is worth noting that lungs contract in cold air below 12C and if it is damp you may make more mucous, then when you come back indoors you may start trying to clear out, causing discomfort.
You may find your tolerances of heat and cold are narrowing, this is common.

I hope you enjoy using this site, copd can seem bewildering, but there is good info in the resources section, and good support from the members...😊🍀

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A MyCOPDT...

@069248, there is no way to answer your questions. With the right exercise, environmental conditions, etc., every case of COPD is different than the next.

As for exacerbations, they can be brought on by weather, humidity, allergies, over exertion, etc., and so there is no fixed length of time for recovery, either.

Some folks with mild or moderate COPD are already on oxygen, and some folks with very low lung capacity aren’t on oxygen. Not every case is the same.

In my case, I was stable for years, and then was sent to China for work for 7 days. I was coughing up blood and crud while traveling, and once home we realized that my lung capacity was dropping, and that the heavy metals and pollution in the air had apparently done new, permanent, damage.

If you haven’t talked to your doc about trying a pulmonary rehab course, please try it out and see if it helps you feel more stable in your battle against our shared disease.