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What does it mean when a doctor says the patient is in the end stage of COPD. The woman is 71 years old.
Mike_T says:
I know exactly how you feel, I was in a very similar situation. I remember that I was so nervous at that time and I took it out on everyone around me. I didnt know what could I do until, thanks god, I found Smoke Deter. Now I can look back and laugh on myself and in the same time I remember how helpless I was. I hope that I'll never be in the same situation again
hi the doctor is saying politely this lady is going to pass away soon. there are 4 stages of copd.1-4 1st is the earliest stage and 4 the last.there is nothing medically to help the lady fight her disease,only keep her as comfortable as possible.soon she might start with cheyne stokes,which is a very uneven breathing pattern.don’t let it scare you.it can happen with end of life patients breathing on their own.
the end result of the COPD is respiratory failure with mucous blockage in the respiratory tract —and ends up in fatality
Death
It stands for
Chronic, Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder
As others have replied, End Stage COPD is the final stage of the disease….but, it does NOT necessarily mean eminent death. Whether she will die soon depends on many factors such as 1. How is she feeling now? 2. Is she currently on oxygen continuously? 3. How well does she take care of herself? 4. Is she abulatory, or bedbound? The list goes on and on. The best thing for her to do is, if she is still up and around, to get the proper amount of nutrition so she will not suffer from malnutrition, a common complilcation of COPD. Good nutrition will give her energy, expecially for breathing. If you would like to talk more in my forum to answer these questions, I can give you more info at http://www.copd.about.com or http://www.forums.about.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?nav=messages&webtag=ab-copd&lgnF=y.
Good Luck!