Newly diagnosed emphysema stage 2 - 35 year old male

[ggeorgiou]

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

[corriena]

You are doing everything right exercise is the moste important thing we can do to keep are selves well. A good diet is the next. I was diagnosed with sever emphacemia at about 30 ( alpha 1 antitryipsin deficency) and with help from my gp , specialist and follow the advice i am still hear 52 and feeling alot better than i was then. Depression can be a big part of are illness go and talk to your gp and explain how anxious you are feeling worry and lack of sleep are only going to make things worse. But we all go through these stages and are perfectly understandable. The BLF help line is a briliant place to go for help and advice. Ask lots of questions the more you understand your illness the better armed you are to deal with it.

[ggeorgiou in reply to corriena]

Thank you Corriena - Your reply brings a little bit of hope to me!

Do you mind we asking if your FEV% and SPO2 ratings have declined over the last 22 years since diagnoses?

[ggeorgiou]

I have been given a prescription for Braltus which I will go to the hospital to collect.

What I am confused about is, do I need to take this daily, every 24 hours? Even if I am not really experiencing symptoms yet.

Yesterday, I clocked up 12500 steps throughout the day and was not at all breathless.

Thanks

[PMRPete in reply to ggeorgiou]

"Treatment with tiotropium is usually long-term so you should continue to use it unless you are advised otherwise by your doctor."

patient.info/medicine/tiotr...