Nellie123's Story
I'm a 78 year old man who smoked for 47 years and worked in a very smoky environment for 30 years. I quit smoking at age 58. I played senior softball since age 53 and even after being diagnosed with COPD at age 59 I continued to play until age 66. I played left field until huffing and puffing too much and the incontinence that came with it, I had to move to the infield at age 63. I would, at the time, use oxygen when I was in the dugout between innings and at night. Both times on setting 2.
At the time my wife and I lived in Prescott AZ, which is 1 mile high. We had to move because of elevation, so on advice of doctors, we moved to Palm Coast Florida. No good in Florida, too humid, so we moved back to AZ in the Phoenix area. We have been here for 2 and a half years now and I have been on oxygen all the time for about 4 months now. Number 2 at night and during the day, except when exerting myself. When exerting myself I will up it to 3 or 4 depending on the amount of exertion. I am on Breo and Spiriva with a rescue inhaler when needed.
I was breathing too heavy when walking and of course the incontinence forced me to stop a lot, so I bought a Segway mini-pro. I removed the knee steering mechanism, too old for knee control. I installed a steering bar for better control and love it. I can now get around almost anywhere and keep up with walking companions and not getting tired or out of breath. I do not recommend this for everyone, you have to have very good balance.
So as you can see being diagnosed with COPD is not a life sentence. You can still live a productive lifestyle. I do find it hard to do things around the house, so I spend a lot of time on the computer and watching TV.
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