When should I call my healthcare provider if I have COPD symptoms?
When should I call my healthcare provider if I have COPD symptoms?
If you’re having any of the signs or symptoms of COPD, don't wait for your next appointment to call your provider. Report these symptoms promptly, even if you don't feel sick. Don't wait for symptoms to become so severe that you need to seek emergency care. If you notice your symptoms early, your provider might change your treatment or medications to relieve your symptoms. (Never change or stop taking your medications without first talking to your healthcare provider.)
Note: Remember that warning signs or symptoms might be the same or different from one flare-up to another.
Nonemergency care
Talk to your provider on the phone within 24 hours if you have these changes in your health:
Shortness of breath that has become worse or occurs more often
Examples include:
- Unable to walk as far as you usually could.
- You need more pillows or have to sit up to sleep because of breathing difficulty.
- You feel more tired because you're working harder to breathe.
- You need breathing treatments or inhalers more often than usual.
- You wake up short of breath more than once a night.
Sputum (mucus) changes
Examples include:
- Changes in color.
- Presence of blood.
- Changes in thickness or amount. You have more mucus than usual or more than you’re able to cough out.
- Odor.
Other signs and symptoms should prompt a call to your provider regarding COPD
These include:
- More coughing or wheezing.
- Swelling in your ankles, feet, or legs that is new or has become worse and doesn't go away after a night's sleep with your feet up.
- Unexplained weight loss or gain of 2 lbs. in a day or 5 lbs. in a week.
- Frequent morning headaches or dizziness.
- Fever, especially with cold or flu symptoms.
- Restlessness, confusion, forgetfulness, slurring of speech or irritability.
- Unexplained, extreme fatigue or weakness that lasts for more than a day.