My dad was recently diagnosed with COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). I don't know too much about it. Can anyone shed any light on this. How bad is it. I think my family might be hiding stuff from me.

Hi Sunshine - Actually, COPD can be anything from emphysema to chronic bronchitis. You can probably go online and search some medical sites for more information on it which I'm sure will explain it for you. Is your dad a smoker? If so, he will have to quit in order to get better. His doctor probably has him on at least one inhaler to help him breathe, correct? It can be scary, not only for your dad but for your family, and the more you read about it, the better you'll understand it and be able to help your dad.
I have a cousin who is in her 50's and she was diagnosed last year with COPD, but she was a heavy smoker for years and years and had a terrible cough, I mean she coughed all the time. And it was when she ended up in the hospital last year not being able to breathe that they diagnosed her. But they told her she also had asthma, so that's asthma, emphysema and chronic bronchitis she has. She was pretty bad and even ended up back in the hospital a second time not being able to breathe. But you know, she quit smoking right then and there - and yes, it was very hard for her to do - she uses Advair, and you'd never know it was the same person. She can breathe so much better now, she doesn't cough anymore, and she feels so much better than she used to. Your dad will get better too, but just like us people with asthma, it may take awhile of trying different medicines to find what works best for him.

Let us know how he is, ok?

COPD is not like lung cancer -- in which I mean, a diagnosis of COPD doesn't belie any specific kind of seriousness.

To put this in perspective, consider that everyone, no matter how healthy or non-smoker or active-lifestyled, will develop SOME COPD-like changes in their airways as they age.

This means that COPD can be very very mild, causing almost no symptoms or only periodic symptoms, and can also be so severe it requires extensive lung surgery to take out the diseased bits of lung. As a side note, COPD stands for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which includes but is not limited to any of the following or a combination of them ... bronchiectasis, asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema...

Like the previous poster said, the subject of most importance is knowing how to take his medicine (his inhalers) PROPERLY. Inhalers' effectiveness varies greatly depending on technique, meaning that if you're using poor technique, you're not getting good delivery of the drug, and you're also not getting the relief you should be getting. He should also know what the drugs do, specifically, and when to take them. Some drugs, for example, make mucus thinner, some open the airways, and some make swelling inside the airways go down.

There's also the possibility he might need oxygen, though if his COPD is mild, this might never happen.

Searches on the internet can bring up lots of info -- some cities have a lung disorder rehab center, a place for people with chronic lung disease to get together and do exercises and things to help improve their lung function and quality of life while under the care of someone who's trained to deal with COPD patients. There's also clubs and support groups he could join, one such club in my area is called the COLD club, stands for chronic obstructive lung disease.