My COPD

I have had COOD for going on ten years now, but the last year has been especially difficult. This summer has been the worst yet. I recently had an exacerbation so severe the ambulance had to be called. I was at work, and it was over 110 degrees in my place of employment, and so humid it was like breathing in water. I was struggling to breathe all day, but the more I walked, the worse it got. By the time the ambulance got there and checked my lung sounds, I was only getting airflow in the very top portion of my lungs. I was so scared that I was going to die. They got me in the ambulance and hit me with every possible treatment they could to get my airways to relax, before we even left the parking lot of my work. It had been so humid all week, and I’ve since found out that humidity is so hard on our lungs when we have this disease.

COPD is so hard

Well they got my breathing calmed enough and open enough where they felt I was out of danger and able to be transported. This disease is taking over my life to the point where I can hardly do anything anymore without being short of breath. Keeping a Nebulizer handy at all times has become the norm. I wake up 4-5 times a night because I can’t breathe. I’m so tired all the time. I am to the point where I believe that death would be better than this daily struggle to breathe and be productive. I’d never hurt myself or anything, but I wish it to be over. I’ve tried so many different strategies and meds, and now, after this most recent episode, my doctor has upped my diagnosis to stage 4. So with that, I figure 2-5 years left. I am 55 and I quit smoking nearly 4 years ago. I thought when I quit that I would gradually feel better, like they told me I would, but it has been the exact opposite. I’m getting worse very quickly and just waiting for the end. Hopefully it’s quick and painless.