Idjit

By Saminy

2 min read

My 1st time posting. Thank you for the opportunity. I have come to discover COPD is underrated. I started smoking at 16. That was 1963 when they said it would stunt your growth. Spent a big portion of my life working on farms...breathing hay charge, grain dust and the like. Joined the USAF in 1977 and stayed until 1984, the last two years sitting in a maintenance shop in remote Alaska drinking coffee and smoking. I got really good at smoking. From 1975 until 2014 I was doing 3 packs a day...Camels, Chesterfield, all the nonfiltered ones.

Things started to change

It got to the point where I couldn't sleep because of coughing and hacking. Kept my wife awake. She finally told me either I quit or I have to move out. We came to a compromise, and I started vaping. My breathing improved GREATLY until...2018.
I was scheduled to have Rotator Cuff surgery in September, but I got what I thought was my yearly bout of bronchitis. My doctor gave me Zmyacin. Sorta got better, but in November my wife took me to the ER at 3 AM because I couldn't breathe. Spent 7 days on a Prednisone IV, then was discharged with a script for another 15 day regimen of oral Prednisone, Albuterol etc. In January, I tried to go back to work. Foolish! I was forced to retire.. didn't want to.

My outlook

Long story short, I walk from the couch to the bathroom and I am out of breath. I do go out and mow the lawn on a riding mower, but even that is getting harder to do. Since May, I have split and stacked about 22 cord of fire wood...with help from my 2 boys. I want to stay active but, well, you know.I have been blessed (or not) with a short term outlook. I wake up in the morning, and just do what I can. I have recently gotten into VA care. I get all my meds through them and am getting a wheel chair next week for the visits to the doctor and hospital. Probably more I could say but...
Thanks for the opportunity!

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Leon Lebowitz, RRT Member
Hi <inline-mention username="Saminy" user-id="8601551"/> - and welcome! How exciting for this to be your first post!! We do appreciate your candor in sharing your story with the community. You have certainly come to the right place. Here at <a href='https://copd.net' target='_blank'>COPD.net</a>, we have an entire community which understands how you feel and knows what you have been going through. Please feel free to access our community website as often as you like and for as long as you wish. You are always welcome here! Should you wish to share more, we welcome your continued participation. If there is anything we can do to assist you, please let me or any other moderator know. We will look forward to conversing with you going forward. Wishing you well, Leon L. (author / moderator)
CommunityMember9dfc1b Member
First time posting here Is it "normal" to go to the ER for shortness of breath and NOT receive a breathing treatment first thing? The last two times I was there they hooked me up to their oxygen, did an EKG, took x-ray and blood and sent me home with Prednisone and antibiotic. It didn't used to be this way. Is it me or them?
John Bottrell, RRT Moderator & Contributor
Hi. <inline-mention username="CommunityMember9dfc1b" user-id="2469532"/> Welcome to our community. And thank you for your post --- and great question. As one of the respiratory therapists in the community, I feel I am in a good position to answer your question -- as giving breathing treatments in the hospital is a huge part of my job. Typically, when a person comes into the hospital with COPD and is short of breath, a breathing treatment is given right away. Doctors may also give a breathing treatment if the cause of shortness of breath is unclear, just to see if it helps. Although, there are also other causes of shortness of breath that are treated by other means. For instance, if a doctor suspects that your shortness of breath is caused by other factors -- such as a lung infection or low oxygen levels, the doctor may opt to not give a breathing treatment -- and instead treat you with oxygen and antibiotics. Still, if you've had positive experiences with breathing treatments in your past, this may be a viable topic to bring up should you require the services of an ER physician again. Do breathing treatments typically work well for you? John. community moderator.