COPD and cannabis use

Hello Grasscity,
I've been a long time lurker but never signed up because I would always get stuck on the account activation step
But anyway, I've been burning for about 4 years now. started when I was 15, I am 19 now. used to smoke cigarettes but it's been about a year since i've discontiniued use.
But about a year ago, I was smoking a pipe load of tobacco after a blunt, I had been a little sick at the time with a cough ans what not but didnt think much of it. and all of a sudden i got this sensation on my right upper lung as if somethig got obstructed all of a sudden, I dont know how to explain it but it was almost like a spear piercing through my lung. and ever since then I havent been able to take a full deep breathe.
I was just wondering what your opinions were on the situation. have any of you ever een diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary dieases? or COPD

 

^^ that's what I was thinking. I've gone to the doctor and they couldn't find anything wrong. i had an mri and everything

 

[quote name='"MohamzaAlfariqi"']i have similar experience and was given emphesyma as diagnosis. i have still smoke as my edible method is not working for me[/quote]

How did it get diagnosed? Spirometry test?
an how many yrs have you been smoking?

 

and can we have Granny's input?

 

[quote name='"SlayerVA"']My dad was diagnosed with COPD years and years ago, he switched from smoking to dip for about a week, then started smoking again, he still smokes as much as he ever did.

At least he has life insurance[/quote]

what were his symtoms and how was he diagnosed? Because I've had an mri scan and doctors can't find anytgig wrong. It's about to be a year that I've been dealing with this breathing issue.

 

[quote name='"dr_krapp"']Heres my two cents,
I'm a HCP working in Emergency Medicine and COPD is something we have to deal with daily.

Basically COPD is a term used to describe several LONG TERM conditions that have damaged the fabic of the lung meaning they don't work effectively anymore (emphysema for example) or meaning the lungs are infected repeatedly over a long time (Chronic bronchitis for example.).

There is NO obstruction in the lungs, if anything the lungs are so damaged they cannot retain air. Meaning patients may breath out by pinching there lips to keep the air in there lungs (At work we refer to these patients as "pink puffers" because that's how they present). Long term it can mess with you're hypoxic drive and alter how your brain manages your breathing meaning the relation between Blood oxygen level and oxygen therapy goes out the window unless you'd like to put your patient into respiratory arrest lol.

It its something you develop over YEARS of smoking or working in an environment full of dust or similar. I highly doubt at 19 with 4 years of smoking you would have developed this.

What you're describing sounds more like a spontaneous pneumothorax to me.
If you're have a MRI and there's nothing there. I'd say you're probably ok.
But without seeing the scans, examining you etc I cannot say.
However if you've seen you're doctor and had an MRI then its VERY unlikely there's anything wrong still.

Sometimes dude, we just get random pains, you could've just pulled an intercostal muscle for example which would also present in a very similar way.

If you're unable to take a full breath still. Go an see your doctor.[/quote]

Thanks for your input homie. But there's more I'd like to add. There's this thing called A1-antitrypsin protein deficiency that makes your lungs degrade at a faster rate than normal. what leads me to this conclusion is my heavy use of cannabis and tobacco for a prolonged period of time. as well as being sick with a cough at the time that it happened and continued to smoke cigs. So if doctors can't find anything wrong then why am I still unable to take a deep satisfying breath? That's the million dollar question that I have been trying to answer for this past year. I've learned to live with it and stopped smoking cigs and cannabis as soon as it happened. I started smoking weed again but that doesn't really feel like it's affecting me as much as cigs would.
When this happened it was a sudden constriction of something, felt like fluid almost going through my upper right side of my lung. perhaps a pulmonary embolism?

 

[quote name='"dr_krapp"']Have you been diagnosed with the deficiency?
Have you spoken to your doctor about getting tests for it if not?
Again, this would show up on an MRI though.

The episode you're describing is very acute. Everything else you're talking about is chronic and even degrading faster, come on slowly and noticeably over time.

Being sick with a cough would dramatically increase strain on your intercostal muscles, which would present very similar to your description but not continue for a year.

A PE would have left evidence that would definitely be found in a MRI and you would have most likely experienced other symptoms such as per-longed shortness of breath and per-longed pain.
Had you been anywhere such a high altitude or a long haul flight that would have given you a thrombosis to cause a PE? They can happen normally but for a 19 year old its highly unlikely.
Also remember shortness of breath and not being able to fill your lungs are very different. SOB would be more like not being able to catch your breath.
A PE effects the blood flow to the alveoli in the lungs causing decreased oxygen transfer not the total capacity of the lungs.

The only worrying fact to me is the fact you feel you cannot take a deep breath still.
Hence advising you see your doctor.
If they're not listening, keep on at them dude its clearly bothering you.[/quote]

Actually i havent been diagnosed with the deficiency. I mentioned it to my doc and he basically just laughed at me. I feel since I'm a healthy 19 yr old besides for that issue doctors think there is nothing wrong with me and that it's all in my head which it clearly isn't. About flying I don't recall flying prior to the incident. I might have flown to florida like 3 or 4 months before but nothing out of the ordinary happened. Sometimes I feel like it exacerbates and I will feel like I have shortness of breath and I'll get light headed and what not. It's really weird man.
But thanks for your input.