What Causes Tightness In The Chest While Having COPD?
Add aeorosols therapy
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome in HCM
I can understand your concern.
As you explain the history your COPD is in an advantage stage or grade.
For relieving the breathlessness it would be better to add in your treatment aerosols therapy with steroids (like Clenil with Ventolin twice).
If you have heart failure too probably adding the diuretics will help your situation too . Sometimes comorbidities worsens the condition of COPD patients especially the dyspneoa (breathlessness) sensation.
You might need and therapy with oxygen even if the SPO2 is 96%.I would recommend it if you were my patient.
It is the difficulty in breathing that cause the panic attacks in COPD patients and it is contraindicated to use medications for panic attacks because they damage the central breathing center in these patients.
But you can try physical activities (as you can),walks around or taking part in groups therapies that are for COPD patients.
Please discuss with your doctor for the above and h/she for sure will prescribe them for you.
I wish you a fast recovery
Take care and feel free to ask me again
Dr.Jolanda