I was first diagnosed with Cryptogenic Organising Pneumonia or (COP) more than 6 years ago now, I was treated initially with two asthma type pumps, as my symptoms were very short of breath and I was over weight, I was nearly 20 Stone in weight (UK measurement). As you may have guessed I am from England….
I took the pumps and i was told that I should use one twice a day, once in the morning and one in the evening, and the other everytime that I felt short of breath.
The problem was I used it everytime I went up the stairs as I felt I needed it. I was using it so much that I was gettig light headed and I knew something was wrong. Which it was as I was not supposed to be using it that much. I then went back to my local GP and he referred me to a specialist.
Upon meeting him he performed various lung function tests and diagnosed me with COP (Cryptogenic Organising Pneumonia) only after a few visits. With this in mind he decided to treat it with a short high course of steroids and two other drugs to counteract the effects of the steroids.
- Lanzaprazole (Protects the stumach lining)
- Calcichew (Protects the bones from leeching calcium)
The course of steroids was 60mg per day which was 12 x 5 prednisolone a day plus the counteracting drugs. All for one week. To be honest I felt great. I had never felt that I had so much energy as I was striding down the road to a from work.
