Hi,
I am new to the forums.
I have had a few issues in the past with my lungs and have recently been told by the doctor that I have stage 2 Emphysema. I am a 35 year old male. I had a quick spirometer test yesterday and the doctor said I was 60% which I assume he meant the FEV1 reading.
A little bit of history about myself, in 2007 I had 2 spontaneous collapsed lungs and to resolve that the surgeon did a blebectomy and chemical talc pluerodsis.
Fast forward 10 years and I went into hospital on October 2017 with chest pains, X-rays and CT scans revealed I had 2 partially collapsed lungs, bullae on the lungs and signs of Emphysema. I was sent to Papworth hospital and there I had bullaectomy (Although, surgeon said he couldn't cut away the bullae as lungs were stuck to chest wall from previous surgery) and pluerodsis again.
Yesterday, on my last doctors visit I was given a prescription for an inhaler to take (Braltus?) and have been told to get a blood test to test for the Alpha A1 deficiency.
At the moment I am active, go on 3 mile walks a day at lunch and try to do 5-10 minutes running on the treadmil each day. I also do not smoke but have in the past. At the moment I would not say I am breathless, although I do feel it if I walk up about 4 flights of stairs for instance.
I am petrified and do not know what the future holds for me, I have a wife and a young child and I am scared in a few years’ time I will either be unable to support them or I won’t be here at all!
Any advice would be much appreciated. The past few months I feel I have slipped into a state of depression and it is always is on my mind, I’m not sleeping and I am generally down.
I am worried what the future holds for me.
Thanks,
George