Why me why so young ?
My name is Lisa . I was diagnosed with COPD at 38 years old. When I was diagnosed I didn't know much about the disease and I didn't take it seriously. I am now 47 years old and I struggle horribly to do things I never thought I'd struggle with in my life.
Kick boxing and dancing are not even a remote possibly for me .
This disease has been the most frustrating thing I've had to deal with . I was so angry at why I was the only person at this age that had this . I found out 2 months ago that I have AAT defenicy. It explained alot. My father died at 60 due to lung cancer and he was also AAT defenicnt.
I wish I would have educated myself at 38 and taken my lungs seriously.Thus is not a death sentence. It's about planning better and watching the weather and being in tune with my body and accepting this disease.
Accepting that I can't do certain things that were so simple for me before .I value my life and the small things more than I ever did .
Hi
. It hardly seems fair to be diagnosed with COPD so young. Though the most common cause of COPD is smoking, there are many people who develop COPD due to asthma or, like you, due to Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency. You are definitely not alone in this community. Here is an article from one of our health leaders about the day she was diagnosed: https://copd.net/living/alpha. I hope you don't beat yourself up much about what you did or didn't do after your diagnosis. How could you know how you would progress or how much it would eventually impact your quality of life? It sounds like you are taking an approach now that is healthy both physically and mentally. Please know we are here for you whenever you need us. Gentle hugs. - Lori (Team Member) Thank you so much . That really means alot. I find myself sometimes so frustrated and mad dealing with this .this website is so needed !
There are some who believe certain diseases are for the old, the poor, or the unfortunate. Among them are heart disease, kidney failure, and so forth. COPD is not selective it seems to any of these paradigms, and when it strikes, it can be swift and merciless.
We do what we can in our youth to put our ability to survive to the test regularly. As we age, we tend to step back from the edge a bit and contemplate what it is all about, and where we fit into the grand scheme of things. We take better care of ourselves, or at least, we try to.
When COPD hits, it is all-enveloping and complete. There is no escape, no stepping back, no forging ahead. Everything is now replaced with maintenance. And with it, changes that we never in a million years thought would, or could happen, let alone to us. Yet, here we are, proof that age, status, or fortune play no part in what life has to in store for us.
Keep the faith. We are all in this together.
