Ok, I am 41 years old, out of shape, and overweight and inactive. Lets back up, I remember about 10 years ago I had a spirometry test done at a doctors office and the nurse asked me to releat it(was abnormal I guess) and then the doctor told me it was "normal, but at the low range of normal" -I used to smoke for about 10 years but stopped. Now I just had another spirometry test at my family docs office. It read, "severe pulmonary obstruction"-I was allowed to read this one, although I dont know what the numbers are. That scarred the hell out of me. the doc said to relax and take a very deep breath and try again, the second one said the same thing, now I ask the nirse to let me go abain, I got "mild pulmonary obstruction", I said HA HA! getting better, I went again and tried even harder, I got :"borderline obstruction" -Now I saild PLEEEEEEESE one more shot and I really took in as much air and expelled as much air as I could, I thought I was going to blow my ears off, it finally said "NORMAL SPIROMETRY" on the print out. So now I go into the dictors office and have a sit down. He explans that these tests are a problem because they are based upon "errort" and if the person does not try hard enough or give it his truly all it will be a false reading. He did a pilse oximeter and it showed 99% saturation. He also did a chest X Ray which came back normal. I was still very nervous. I asked the doc do I or dont I have COPD. He thinks I dont. His opinion is I am out of shape and loose some weight and my lung capacity will increase. He said if I really want he will send me for a Chest CT, but he said just go and live my life and dont worry. He also said that if I truly had "severe pulmonary obstruction" I would be out of breath walking across the room......any comments people?????

JEAN: what about chest X Rays are your chest X rays normal?

I have had several spirometry tests and they have ALL BEEN different. My first one was normal. The second and third were showed moderate obstruction. The fourth was normal and the last two were more in the mild/moderate category. My obstruction is mainly in the small airways. My diagnosis was asthma. I have been on Advair which is an oral steroid for almost two years and my small airways still aren't completely normal. But my doc still says asthma and that my results are that unordinary. I can exercise at my target heart rate for 30 minutes and still carry on a conversation. I am a little breathy, but I can still talk. I am about 70lbs overweight, so I consider this pretty good for me. I am not going to worry myself sick over the stupid spirometer. I have never smoked, so the risk factor for COPD is very low. Get in shape! You'll breathe better, look better and lose weight. I tell myself this, but it is SO hard to lose the weight. Hang in there and try not to worry.