COPD & Emphysema Support Group
COPD is a progressive disease characterized by airflow obstruction or limitation. Emphysema is characterized by loss of elasticity of the lung tissue, destruction of structures supporting the alveoli and of capillaries feeding the alveoli. Both have symptoms that include shortness of breath, among other respiratory troubles. If you are a COPD or Emphysema sufferer, join...
I was asked to write this for the smoking board. Dennis asked me to place it here. I hope no one minds.
Why did I quit smoking????
Well, originally when I "started" to quit I was just tired of seeing the money go up in smoke... literally. That didn't really work...Oh, I cut down a lot from one pack to 4 smokes a day.....Yeah, I can live with this.
Then 4.5 years ago my husband got sick and went to the Doctor. Words I didn't like, couldn't pronounce, couldn't spell. Started to become part of our lives......EMPHYSEMA, PULMONOLOGY, PULMONOLOGIST. LUNG CAPACITY. PFT..( PULMONARY FUNCTION TEST). PROGNOSIS (5 years), LVRS (LUNG VOLUME REDUCTION SURGERY)...LUNG TRANSPLANT, BREATHING TREATMENT, NEBULIZER,....Yay!!! Are we having fun yet.....Let's add in MUSCLE WASTING and DEMENTIA. And there is more ...CANCER....Yep, the dreaded C-word. . Neck and throat. Now some new words. CHEMO-THERAPY, RADIATION THERAPHY, MASKS, MAPPING, PORTACATH, TRACHEOTOMY, STOMACH PEG (feeding tube). We can add TRACH CANULA, and TRACHEOTOMY SUCTION MACHINE AND KIT. PULMONARY HYPERTENSION (we don't have this one.......YET). I hate the fact that not only can I spell these words now I also know what they mean.
My house looks like a hospital store house and there is a hospital bed in my bedroom. For the first time in 36 years we are sleeping in separate beds. He gets the hospital bed.
I stayed so long at the hospital with him it was common place. The people who worked there knew me by name Some thought I worked there...The nurses, the doctors, the security guards, the people in caf...the coffee shop... 3 weeks...it almost felt like a new home.
When I started writing this I was angry. Angry at some unknown person who thinks she/he will miss smoking. We all do. It was/is a major part of our existence. A huge part if our lives. If you smoke 40 cigs a day and each cig takes only 5 min.(how many of us only spent 5 min on a smoke my longs took 7 min if all I did was smoke it), and you smoked for 40 years that is 280,000 minutes smoking. Or 4,667 hours 194 days 6.5 months. 1 half of a year doing nothing but pulling garbage into our lungs non stop.
I am no longer angry...I am sorry...Sorry.. I didn't stay quit when I was in my early 20's. Sorry.. I subjected my friends and family to the second hand smoke...Sorry.. I set that example for my sons and Grandchildren. Sorry.. I have to watch a fantastic man deal daily with the pain and suffering of the vicious side effects from our addition.
I cannot say that the above disease will happen to any one person ever....But there are several sites on here alone fill with wonderful loving people who do have these dreaded diseases. And we and we alone can help to prevent ourselves from facing these. The younger we are when we realize this the less likely we will be to contract them.
Yes, it is a scary thought. And we ALL think it can't happen to us...My son's watch their dad go through this and smoke on. But what if, just what if there is a chance even a small chance that this is what we are headed for. Shouldn't we at least give our selves the large chance to try to avoid it. Quitting will not guarantee it won't happen but to continue to smoke is almost a sure bet that it will.
Why did I quit smoking????
Well, originally when I "started" to quit I was just tired of seeing the money go up in smoke... literally. That didn't really work...Oh, I cut down a lot from one pack to 4 smokes a day.....Yeah, I can live with this.
Then 4.5 years ago my husband got sick and went to the Doctor. Words I didn't like, couldn't pronounce, couldn't spell. Started to become part of our lives......EMPHYSEMA, PULMONOLOGY, PULMONOLOGIST. LUNG CAPACITY. PFT..( PULMONARY FUNCTION TEST). PROGNOSIS (5 years), LVRS (LUNG VOLUME REDUCTION SURGERY)...LUNG TRANSPLANT, BREATHING TREATMENT, NEBULIZER,....Yay!!! Are we having fun yet.....Let's add in MUSCLE WASTING and DEMENTIA. And there is more ...CANCER....Yep, the dreaded C-word. . Neck and throat. Now some new words. CHEMO-THERAPY, RADIATION THERAPHY, MASKS, MAPPING, PORTACATH, TRACHEOTOMY, STOMACH PEG (feeding tube). We can add TRACH CANULA, and TRACHEOTOMY SUCTION MACHINE AND KIT. PULMONARY HYPERTENSION (we don't have this one.......YET). I hate the fact that not only can I spell these words now I also know what they mean.
My house looks like a hospital store house and there is a hospital bed in my bedroom. For the first time in 36 years we are sleeping in separate beds. He gets the hospital bed.
I stayed so long at the hospital with him it was common place. The people who worked there knew me by name Some thought I worked there...The nurses, the doctors, the security guards, the people in caf...the coffee shop... 3 weeks...it almost felt like a new home.
When I started writing this I was angry. Angry at some unknown person who thinks she/he will miss smoking. We all do. It was/is a major part of our existence. A huge part if our lives. If you smoke 40 cigs a day and each cig takes only 5 min.(how many of us only spent 5 min on a smoke my longs took 7 min if all I did was smoke it), and you smoked for 40 years that is 280,000 minutes smoking. Or 4,667 hours 194 days 6.5 months. 1 half of a year doing nothing but pulling garbage into our lungs non stop.
I am no longer angry...I am sorry...Sorry.. I didn't stay quit when I was in my early 20's. Sorry.. I subjected my friends and family to the second hand smoke...Sorry.. I set that example for my sons and Grandchildren. Sorry.. I have to watch a fantastic man deal daily with the pain and suffering of the vicious side effects from our addition.
I cannot say that the above disease will happen to any one person ever....But there are several sites on here alone fill with wonderful loving people who do have these dreaded diseases. And we and we alone can help to prevent ourselves from facing these. The younger we are when we realize this the less likely we will be to contract them.
Yes, it is a scary thought. And we ALL think it can't happen to us...My son's watch their dad go through this and smoke on. But what if, just what if there is a chance even a small chance that this is what we are headed for. Shouldn't we at least give our selves the large chance to try to avoid it. Quitting will not guarantee it won't happen but to continue to smoke is almost a sure bet that it will.
I also wish there was more education about COPD. Never heard a word about it when I was younger.
May God bless you and Dennis dear Elsie and make it easier on you both.
Take care of yourselves and thank you....Peter
"smoke, smoke, smoke that cigarette...puff, puff, puff until you smoke yourself to death. Now tell Peter at the Golden Gate that you hate to make him wait, but you just gotta have that last cigarette!"
I remember my dad playing that song when I was a kid. My dad quit smoking when I was born so he could save the $5.00 a month for 2 cartons of cigs to put it toward me and he never smoked after that day.
You rock Elsie...God speed.
I just recently had to learn to spell echo-cardiogram and pulmonary hypertension and I have two more tests coming up. Hoping that I don't have to learn to spell any more words.
Capt, I haven't heard nor thought about the smoke smoke smoke song in years. As soon as I read the words I remembered the tune--now that will be in my head all day!! It's quite appropriate, at least for me, I'm not gonna speak for anyone else. I definitely feel that is exactly what I did to myself.
May God bless you and Dennis and all who are in pain and suffering.
Big hugs to you both,
J
So well said. The worst thing I did was to start smoking and the best thing I did was to stop it years ago. I don't miss the smoking but I sure miss the good health I once had. I married at 19 and was just stupid enough to start smoking in order to keep my husband company with all of his smoking. I brushed my teeth after every cigarette. Too dumb to ignore the fact that all of my ills from childhood were respiratory in nature so that should have been a clue. On top of that, I looked younger than most of my friends and so I wanted to be "cool" and pass as a grown up too.
Sending prayers for Dennis and for you and your family. Such a hard time. Losing my second husband to pancreatic cancer was beyond difficult too so I'm sending extra prayers for peace and strength. Take as good care of yourself as you can.
Love to you both,
Cindy
that must have been so hard to write, but you did it so well that i could relate.
what a monster cigarettes are!!!
they take so much from us, and yet others can't stop the deadly habit.
all 3 of my children smoke also.
all 3 of my children continue to try to kick the habit; and fail.
thank you for sharing with us.
Thank you so much for letting us share this with you. You and Dennis have become so much a part of every one;s lives, just like those words have become so much a part of yours and Dennis's lives.
Maybe my "belief" system is strange to most, but it is my belief that God put every one of us here for a reason, and tho we have free will, I believe he sends folks into our lives for various reasons, maybe to help us, or make ups detour, or what ever, but everyone that has crossed paths with you , did so for a reason known only to the Father.
Dennis is such a person , in my opinion. He could have gone to any support group, but he came to DS, and by doing so has had such an impact on so many people. And so have you Elsie, because in order to do what ever work God wanted him to do, Dennis was blessed with a good, strong, faithful, and loving wife.
So forgive yourself for the smoking, you and Dennis, that is in the past. Your story can help others, and will, but we have all been sorry we started. Hey, am sorry I had to stop, I enjoyed those smokes, and would probably be puffing away if they did not start killing me. I also enjoyed putting poision in my body several times a day, and smelling like an ash tray, tho I could not smell it. and your post really puts it is perspective and brings it home.
I am still not sure I understand why such bad things happen to such good people, and it really breaks my heart that DennyGene is having so many trials here, and pain, and the nasty Chemo.
May God bless you Elsie, for being the wife and woman Dennis needs now, and bless Dennis for being such a good husband that you are willing to be there for him. Not sure I worded that right, but I know what I am trying to say..
Take this time now, not to be concerned with what if's , but to be thankful for each moment together, and especially the good ones, pain free.
HUGS TO YOU BOTH
BJ
Powerful Elsie.
Love and strength to you.