QuestionQUESTION: Dear Glen,
A number of years ago i was diagnosed with copd ,now,i never seem to get colds and flu,and yet a friend of mine has suffered from bronchitis for many years ...for nearly eight months now {after getting over a flu) she is still suffering from congestion in her tubes....not in the lungs but in the tubes...what could be causing this constant congestion she is getting?....she has parched ears and has suffered with sinus for many years . She says her ears have a sort of stinging to the ringing she gets in her ears.What could cause this constant congestion and the strange sting in her ears?.. for myself.. how come there are no colds and flu's when I have been diagnosed with this condition? ..I do get post nasal drip and a gluggy feeling in the tonsil area like there is a lump there (my friend has this same feeling in her throat too)yet when we have had our throats checked the ent says everything is clear? I do not understand this...can you help us with some answers please?...can you also tell me what are tonsil stones and how do you get rid of them? Thank you and i look forward to your reply.
ANSWER: marj;
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease-[COPD]-is the overall term for a group of long-standing[chronic] conditions that result in obstruction of the lungs' airway. the term generally refers to 2 disorders-chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
you can develop either condition independently,but most people with COPD have both. sometimes,several other lung disorders-cystic fibrosis,bronchiclitis,bronchiectasis and ,especially,asthma-are classified as COPD because they have similar and overlapping features.
COPD develops gradually and produces few symptoms in its early stages. in addition,because people typically become less active as they get older,it becomes easier to blame COPD symptoms on age or being out of shape;
chronic bronchitis is a chronic inflammation and thickening of the lining of the bronchial tubes. this disorder can narrow air passages enough to interfere with breathing and induce spells of coughing. the inflammation also causes the glands of the bronchial tubes to produce excessive amounts of mucus, increasing lung congestion that further hampers breathing. its a chronic and recurring disease,but it may become persistent and be fatal;
chronic bronchitis is defined as having a cough and sputum on most days for a least 3 months in at least 2 consecutive years. as the diease worsens,relapes of the cough become more frequent and more severe. shortness of breath develops late in the course of the disease,especially if smoking has caused significant lung damage;
when the air sacs of the lungs lose elasticity,enlarge and may rupture. this decreases the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide in your blood.
the lump in your throat,is inflammation from your lymph tissue,located in the back of your mouth.and the tonsils stone you talking about is abnormal stony mass in a tonsil[tonsillar calculus];
remember everyone immune system is different. so people get sick and so dont;
i hope this all helps;
catherine;
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QUESTION: Dear Catherine
thank you so much for your reply
.your explanations have helped me understand the condition a lot better
My friend has always got congestion in her tubes, not her lungs, and she has chronic sinus and allergies yet her spirometer tests are always above average she gets really high readings on her spirometer.yet she has congestion and they said she has not got bronquitis(chronic) as her lungs are clear on xray.this does not make sense to me as she has congestion in throat and tubes most days,expecially when its cloudy weather.me on the other hand had xray that showed emphysemia yet i do not get congestion on my chest if anything i have a really dry chest and no congestion at all
how do they work that out as i thought emphysemia was mucous on lungs. any help would be appreciated
Answermarj;
its hard to say what she has going on,it all depends on chemical make-up,immune system.
dont compare she to you,you just cant,your both different.
allergic reactions are so different,as well.
the main players in an allergic reaction are white blood cells known as lymphocytes.
instead of me going on and on,heres a web site that could help;
MayoClinic.com
catherine;
