Chronic condition care
COPD & chronic lung disease
We manage COPD and other long-term lung conditions — getting inhalers right, preventing flare-ups, keeping vaccinations current, and giving you a written plan for when breathing worsens. Stopping smoking remains the only thing that changes the course of the disease, and we help with that properly.
Come in if you have
- Breathlessness doing things that used to be easy
- A cough with phlegm most days
- More than one chest infection a year
- You smoke or used to, and are over 40
- You have inhalers but are not sure you use them correctly
What happens at your visit
- We assess how breathless you actually are day to day, which matters more than any single test.
- We watch you use your inhalers — technique is wrong extremely often and it is the most fixable problem in COPD.
- We check vaccinations, since flu and pneumonia are the main causes of serious flares.
- You leave with a written plan for what to do when your breathing gets worse.
Bring your inhalers to every visit
Not the packaging — the actual devices. Inhaler technique is wrong in a large proportion of people, and when it is wrong most of the dose lands in the mouth instead of the lungs.
People conclude their treatment is not working and get escalated to stronger drugs when the real problem was two minutes of correction. It is the single most fixable thing in COPD care.
Preventing flares is the whole game
Each significant flare-up tends to leave lung function slightly lower than before. Preventing them matters more than treating them well.
What actually prevents them:
- Stopping smoking — the only thing that slows the underlying decline
- Flu and pneumonia vaccination — respiratory infections cause most serious flares
- Correct inhaler use, consistently, not just when breathless
- Acting fast when symptoms start, using an agreed written plan
- Staying active — breathlessness leads to avoiding exertion, which reduces fitness, which worsens breathlessness
On stopping smoking
If you smoke, you have almost certainly been told to stop, possibly in a way that was not much help.
What we can offer is the version that actually works: medication that reduces cravings, nicotine replacement used properly, and scheduled follow-up. That combination is several times more effective than willpower alone. Ask, and we will go through it without a lecture.
Your action plan
You should leave with something written covering what your normal is, what worsening looks like, what to start and when, and the point at which you call us or call 911.
Call 911 for
Severe breathlessness at rest, blue lips or fingertips, confusion or drowsiness, or chest pain.
Common questions
- Is it too late to stop smoking?
- No. Stopping is the only intervention that slows the decline in lung function, and it helps at any stage and any age. Lung function does not fully return, but the rate of loss slows toward normal. Nothing else available does that.
- Why do I need a flu shot every year?
- Because in COPD an ordinary respiratory virus can turn into a flare that lands you in hospital. Flu and pneumonia vaccination are among the most effective things available for staying out of hospital, and they are quick and covered by most plans.
- What is a rescue pack?
- For people with frequent flares, a supply of steroids and sometimes antibiotics kept at home to start immediately when symptoms worsen, following an agreed plan. Starting within hours rather than days makes a real difference. We will discuss whether it suits you.
- Is COPD the same as asthma?
- They are different, though they can look similar and some people have both. COPD is usually related to smoking and is largely fixed; asthma is more variable and more reversible. Treatment overlaps but is not identical.
This page explains how we care for this condition at our office. It is general information, not medical advice for your specific situation — please talk to us about your own care.
Ready to get this looked at?
Call us or send a request and we will get you in — often the same or next day.