Please introduce yourself to the community!

Why not to leave a short comment below and introduce yourselves. Give as much or as little information as you like. Feel free to ask your own questions here: healthunlocked.com/write/co...

[sickwick]

Hi from PA - I'm a 42 year old mom of three young children.  I have mild to moderate emphysema showing on a CT scan and found out incidentally from a heart calcium CT scan.  It is throughout both lungs - upper and lower.  I smoked for 22 years, 1 pack a day and emphysema/COPD is on both sides of my family.  I quit smoking 6 years ago and am still in shock that I have this awful disease.  My FEV1 is 93%, but my FEV25-75 is 59% which indicates restrictive breathing.  I am an avid crossfitter and run 20 miles/week.  I am lucky to have no symptoms yet and want to do all I can to slow the progression.   It's great to see a COPD board for the US! 

[fab53]

HI, i'm from VA., 55 female.  I was diagnosed with mild COPD about 2 years ago and have been struggling to quit smoking since then.  I"m currently not smoking but....I was put on medicine for SOB when I went to the doctors 2 years ago. Come to find out, the SOB was actually from not smoking.  I found out it happens a lot to people when they quit, for many reasons.  I don't feel like inhalers really helped me with much, and I continueously got thrush, so, I went off of them completely and haven't missed them.  I also found that my SOB was greatly increased by the anxiety of having COPD and not smoking.  THeres no real reason to explain why I went back to smoking, but I did and I felt better! the SOB stopped.  But, for me, quitting has pretty much been a lifelong struggle and so i'm taking it one day at a time.  I am back to being a non-smoker, I was down to 1 smoke a day for about 2 months, and now i've been non smoker for 16 days.  I feel awful, the SOB is back but i'm trying to hang in there.

I'm delighted that theres this new community with people from the united states.  I have belonged to another copd community but most of the people on it are from the UK and they seem to have a lot more medical resources-ring up your nurse, I often see people writing.  Not an option we have here so, I look forward to hearing how others in the US are making out.  I'm so pleased to be a member

[Hidden in reply to fab53]

Hi fab53  and sickwick ! I'm glad you're happy with this new community for US members. Hope, you'll find it useful and helpful! Your contribution really matters to us and we all hope to make this community active and as supportive as possible for everyone. Stay strong!

[Dorothy2014 in reply to fab53]

Hi Fab53. I have 16 days not smoking too. We can and will lick those cigarettes together.

[Nikilet]

I am Nikilet. I was a heavy smoker all my life. I started suffering from SOB at least 10-12 years ago. It progressively got worse. I have now been a non-smoker for 6 years but I waited way too long because I am also stage 4 COPD. I hope no one fools themselves that they can continue to smoke and manage this disease because it can't be done. At my stage I fight terrible depression because this disease literally steals your life. I don't get dressed much because it takes too much oxygen that I don't have. I wear robes and pajamas. I love taking showers but have to force myself to do it because I get so breathless that sometimes I don't know if I will make it through, and I use my oxygen in the shower. There really isn't much I can do without suffering to do it. I guess no one really understands what this disease is like unless you have it, because I can't get my daughter to stop smoking even though she has seen what it does to me.

[tanarg]

I'm tanarg, and I've made two posts already. I'm 70 in December, single, on oxygen 24/7 2L and I think I have 30% lung function, which I guess is either Severe or Very Severe. I've posted elsewhere here about my depression and anxiety in the shower, and I understand many people have the same symptom. Sitting here typing, I'm feeling much better, like life might be worth living, but I don't know how I can cope better with the showering. When I got out of the shower, I took my oxygen level and it was 89%. That shouldn't have caused the level of anxiety I felt, so I am not sure what is going on. I'm also being treated for depression and anxiety, if that matters. I smoked for 47 years and quit in 2011. When I get severely SOB, I lose momentarily my faith in God and my desire to live another minute. I need to get showering under control or I will never be able to go to the gym and get in better shape. I understand how important exercising is, but I have no way of exercising here except for a little walking and some hand weights. I am trying to get a better housing situation, where I don't have to come up a flight of stairs to get to my room. I rent a room in a house and share bath and kitchen.

[fab53]

For rileediane: I got an email that you replied to my post but I can't find it on here...so I could Only see part of it. Sob is shortness of breath. I'd love to read your whole reply, perhaps you can point me in the right direction???

[Mr-W]

Hi, guy 50, from Wales, just having a look around. Had copd for several years. Hello & best wishes to all.

[Linnypoo]

Hi from Linda, 59 year old grandma to one special boy with downs syndrome. I am from Richmond, Virginia

[Linnypoo]

Linda from Richmond, Virginia again I have copd diagnosed 2015 was in denial until this year when I got very sick from it. Take meds 2 inhalers, nebulizer, and am supposed to take prednisone but refuse because of the side effects. Also have rhumatoid arthritis so was taking humira 2 times a month by injection into abdomen. Stopped taking that when I was sick. Have pulmonary doctor, rhummy, and my general physician. On 2 types of pain meds which don't kill pain anymore just addicted to them. How is every one else doing?

[ibecarolita]

Hi there! My name is Carol. I was diagnosed with moderate emphysema 2 weeks ago.

I'm happy to have found this forum!! I'm 51 and smoked for about 30+ years. I quit on October 1 2013. Since quitting my lungs and breathing got worse - not better.... I struggled mildy with it until recently when I found myself needing my inhaler more and more and was getting less and less relief... so went to the lung doc.

I'm getting married in September and will be taking our honeymoon in Aruba. I live in San Francisco area California, so the first leg of the trip will be a long one to Miami. I'm very nervous now wondering how my lungs will do in flight. (I have traveled alot through my life without incident)

Any advise on my upcoming travels?

Happy to here

[nepats32954]

Hello my is Robert,been here a little while,have had copd forabout 12 years.Started of mild and i said whats copd.Then startd getting pnemonia constantly,more and more trips to hospital.These were usually two week stays.Been on ventilator 4 times now..couple years ago fev was 20 put on disability then.on oxyjen and all kinds of stuff,last test around 23.Have had grand mal seizures since 5 years old,they really take everything out of me. Havent had a seizure in about 3 years,with my copd so bad ,worried what next seizure might do to my lungs and me.