My husband has now had it for about 5 years. He was a smoker but had given
up about 5 years before he was diagnosed. He caught bronchial pneumonia and
already having the weakened lungs it seems to have triggered it or maybe it
was just after that that he noticed a big difference. We went to a
pulmonologist who diagnosed COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and
my husband went onto cortizone and bronchial inhalers. About 1 year later he
went onto oxygen, but only about 5-7 hours was necessary. This is because
the body battles to get oxygen everywhere, the organs can become affected.
The disease is a long and slow decline and heartbreaking to watch. My
husband is now on oxygen 24 hours a day, gets so tired because of the effort
to breath that he sleeps from 9pm to 4pm the next day, we need a wheelchair
to take him to the doctor, and as the doctor warned us is beginning to lose
his memory (again lack of oxygen, but seems to be similar to Alzheimer's).
Apparently the patients usually die of heart failure because the heart has
to work so hard. Because he just sleeps, I have not yet had to get someone
in during the day, but am expecting to do so in the near future. I work full
time and must continue to do so (there is no social help in south Africa) to
continue the medical things besides keeping a roof over our heads and food
etc. on the other hand the positive thing about working full time is that it
does take one back into a normal environment (as opposed to a pretty sick
depressing environment) and I am very lucky that I work with great people.
Another thing one obviously has to take into account, is that each
individual also copes with the illness differently. Some people manage to
make the most of what they can still do, while others obviously dwell on
what they can't do. One thing that I try to do and that I feel is important
is that I try and make some time for myself. I go to movies once a month in
the evening and on Saturday or Sunday morning (my husband is still sleeping
then) I make time to either visit friends or have friends visit me. Quite
honestly if someone who you love suffers from this, you just take a deep
breath and cope the best you can, and make the most of every day.
Although emphysema is not hereditary, I think that if there is a lung
weakness in the genes, one must just be aware and perhaps be a little more
careful.
Hope this helps and doesn't make you want to rush off slit your wrists, but
for me this is how life is at the moment. It could be worse, I might not
have him at all!!
-----Original Message-----
From: loftus@... [SMTP:loftus@...]
Sent: Monday, January 29, 2001 7:02 PM
To: emphysema@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [emphysema] A few questions

I am interested to know more about this disease. My grandmother
recently died of emphysema and other related respiratory problems.
If
anyone would like to email me back I would greatly appreciate it.
Some things I am wondering are if anyone suffers from emphysema and
is
not a smoker, how you are treating your disease and how this disease

has affected your daily life. Any responses would be greatly
appreciated. Thanks for your time. -Melody Loftus


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