Emphysema

Does it continue to progress even if you no longer smoke? Or does it slow down or stop.

[Annie31]

Emphysema is a progressive disease, but quitting smoking will considerably slow it down as stated by the experts.

[corriena]

It slows down the progress of the disease. Exercise, healthy eating and avoiding pollution also help to slow down the progress. But giving up smoking is the best thing to do to help your lungs.

[Hidden]

Applying the recommendations communicated in a pulmonary rehabilitation course, will help you manage your symptoms and the disease better, which can most definitely slow the progress of the disease and for some people, they may die with emphysema rather than from emphysema.

[Hidden]

When you were told that you had emphysema you received good news and bad news. Unfortunately like most people you concentrated on the bad and went Googling which made it even more bad until the good news was completely overlooked. You could easily have gone on unaware of the damage you were doing to yourself, now this isn't going to happen.The good news is that now you know what the problem is you can do something about it. The damage cannot be repaired, what is done is done, but you can do a lot to all but stop it getting much worse. Not only that but the things you need to do (which you will learn about here and other places) will have you feeling healthier than you ever did before.

[rachelmi in reply to Hidden]

Very good point ! 👌

[Alberta56]

Good luck. It takes a bit of discipline, but sensible living helps a lot.

[hypercat54]

I think some of it is down to luck as well. I was diagnosed mild copd at your age and am now probably moderate 13 years later. However because I am stupid I am still smoking and don't lead a very healthy lifestyle though I do try. I recognise I must have some good lung genes as well as bad. I am not advocating anyone to follow my example though.

I have rejoined the quit site on here and am going to make another attempt to pack it in again.

[leo60 in reply to hypercat54]

Very best of luck with that, it is hard. I wouldn't have managed it without Champix, I don't know if that is an option for you, but it certainly worked for me. Again, good luck xx

[hypercat54 in reply to leo60]

Thank you. I used patches and the little white inhalator. Champix gave me stomach pain. I did manage it for 17 months but felt so lousy I went back to it thinking quality of life is more important than a longer one.

But as I get older I think I dread the thought more of being housebound and very severe and even on oxygen so must try again.

[leo60 in reply to hypercat54]

I know what you mean about feeling lousy! Everyone asking me if I felt better for giving up, "Noooooooo I feel s**t"! The Champix made me feel sick, but I took it as a kind of punishment for being a smoker 😂 I couldn't have done it on patches, so hat off to you (even if you did go back to it!) 😘 xx

[hypercat54 in reply to leo60]

Ha ha yes I understand what you are saying about punishment! The thing was everyone was telling me I would feel a bit better after 6 months so I waited until 17 months and didn't.

Ok I didn't expect to get off scot free and knew my breathing would get a bit worse permanently but I was prepared for that. But I had no energy, ate like a horse and put on 3 stone. I also found I had a borderline underactive thyroid! The NHS wouldn't do anything as it was just within 'normal' levels.

On going back to smoking my thyroid issue was masked again, I stopped eating like a pig, my breathing improved, and I had a lot more energy and felt so much better. Of course my terrible cough returned and it's costing me a small fortune. But it seemed like a good trade off at the time.

But am rethinking now coz I dread he thought of even more misery and an earlier death as I age. It's sort of like Hobsons choice isn't it?

[leo60 in reply to hypercat54]

Yes, I am at about18 months now. I find it so unfair that having given up smoking, my breathing is so much worse 🤷 , I am as fat as🐷 and still crave the bloody things!!Hobson's choice indeed!! I need to get up off my fat behind and exercise! Which I loathe with a vengeance!

😂😂 xx

[hypercat54 in reply to leo60]

Oh dear! I need to as well But I also have chronic back pain (which the doctors also ignore) and walk bent over with a stick, so exercise is very difficult and painful for me.

I hope you manage to get moving and out and about. How about joining a ramblers club or taking up dancing or a sport? Not now with covid but after.

[leo60 in reply to hypercat54]

Oh dear, that sounds painful, you poor thing Unfortunately, I find it difficult to walk any distance at all, but I am hoping that my garden will mobilise me more and then I can build on that. So, speaking of which......... project for today to put up a trellis and get my Sweet peas in! Take care and get some sunshine if you can xx

[hypercat54 in reply to leo60]

It is Leo it is. Not looking for sympathy though as I know many have it much worse than me. It is what it is.

I'm sorry you have mobility problems too and I hope you manage to sort your garden out. x

[Kristicats in reply to hypercat54]

I can empathise with all you say here. I too had stopped for long periods and at a stressful time started again saying “ after this pack I’ll get back on the wagon” I’m my own worst enemy really and know I’ll pay for it in the long run. It’s difficult when stopped to not put on weight, to concentrate on both the addiction and healthy eating. I have recently been dx with under active thyroid.I’m back on the wagon ( just) I stopped last time for nearly 2 years! I find patches and the Nicorette inhaler work best for me.

Good luck Bev in quitting again!!

Christi

[frose in reply to hypercat54]

These made it manageable for me:amazon.co.uk/dp/B07G9GYRFF/...

[hypercat54 in reply to frose]

Thanks frose I appreciate that. I can't stand the mist or the gum and I didn't find it as difficult to give up as I expected. Or even to stay given up! It was purely the feeling so lousy and the other symptoms which made me go back to it.

The patches took care of most of the cravings but when they were bad I used the inhalator and this worked brilliantly for me.

I hope you are ok my friend. Bev xx

[Hidden]

Sorry about the rumpus over your last post which I see has now been deleted. We hadn't even got around to welcoming you to the group. You will feel very strange being told which at first sounds like a death sentence, but will soon realise that it is nothing of the sort. I'll be 90 this year and have asthma, emphysema and bronchitis which they just name COPD because that can't deal with sorting which predominant. Worry is usually the thing that does the most harm. So keep in touch you will learn a lot here. 😉

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Thanks Don I deleted it, I didn't want to cause any issues. I would take being 90 with both hands 😁 I am up and down at the moment sometimes positive sometimes not. I have only had an xray which they said I had emphysema. I spoke to a nurse on here who told me to buy a peak flow meter until they are starting spirometry again. I am blowing 600 each time. So I am wondering if the emphysema is an incidental finding. Anyway thank for your time replying. Shaun.

[Kristicats in reply to Hidden]

600 is great.