COPD/Emphesma

Please quit smoking. I used to smoke. I had my right lung removed. Now I'm on oxygen 24/7 and it's not fun. It's never to late to quit. I wish you the best.

Please make quitting your first priority. It's not easy but it will help improve your quality of life now and down the road. Secondly, keep moving. Exercise of any kind, but especially cardio, is a must with this disease. I started out walking slowly, just a few minutes each day. I'm now up to 30-40 minutes a day. Some days it's a faster pace, some days it's slower but I keep moving. I'm stage 3 and on 2 inhalers, no oxygen. Make yourself a priority.

I was diagnosed with COPD, in 2017, which was too late , as I had been smoking for 55 Plus years!! Scared me, and finally threw them down….cold turkey…When the Dr. told me There was No cure, Terminal…..it is now January 8,2024, I am 79, and in end stage, and, on oxygen 24/7, a nebulizer 4 times a day, and on a “Trilogy sleep system”, because I retain CO2, which has put me in the hospital, more times then I can remember. I only tell you part of my story, to encourage you, and anyone else to Quit smoking, if I could quit, anyone can.

You have the same symptoms as me, I do have COPD mild, not on any inhalers at this time, my oxygen level is 97, I smoked for 56 years, and unfortunately still smoke, trying to quit, there is a book someone recommended to me called easy way to quit smoking by Allen Carr, guaranteed to quit smoking, but he suggests you read the whole book not just part of it, you can buy it on Amazon, that’s my story

The key to quitting is too do it in steps over months.. the only way to reduce your dependence on nicotine is to reduce your nicotine levels in your system. It's much easier to quit if you only smoke 2 cigarettes a day, that is how I did it from a pack a day for 35+ years...one in the morning and one at night, the one in the morning is the hardest one, especially if you like coffee and a cigarette, the one at night is so you don't get insomnia...if you can get down to that, you will have dropped your nicotine levels by 80 percent..I kept the cigarettes in my glove box in my car, so I physically had to get the cigarettes...I also got a nicotine vape pen, that I used for the physical part of having to hold a cigarette in your hand or if you drive and you can take one or two puffs off it occasionally if you feel the need for a cigarette, for say driving, because you know if you light a cigarette, you are going to smoke the whole thing... avoid hanging out with the smokers at work on break...if you can get down to 2 cigarettes a day, you won't panic, because you don't have any cigarettes, you just need to make it 12 hours. Once your nicotine levels are reduced that much you won't crave one after you eat or your other triggers... you won't get the withdrawal symptoms, like if you quit cold turkey... Eventually if you get down to 2 a day, you will be amazed how long a pack of cigarettes lasts and how much money you have from not paying 10.00 for a pack of cigarettes every day... than make the choice to get rid of the cigarette at night and keep the one in the morning as a reward....at this point you are almost a non smoker..... you have reduced your smoking by 90 percent if you smoked a pack a day... you can quit one cigarette a day.... good luck...I tried to quit numerous times...I have a rescue inhaler and Breztri... you really don't want to be on oxygen.. so quit now... while you can..

I smoked for 42 years. I had lung cancer my right upper lobe. That lobe was removed, after the surgery I got so sick I no longer wanted to smoke I have been smoke free for 13 years. I have COPD also is between stage 2 and 3. The worse part is missing that part of the lung sure does not help to breathe better. The other things is having phenomena several times and bronchitis several times. I wish every one well.

I would also recommend Wellbutrin to help as well, it is usually covered by insurance for free for smoking cessation. I recommend it, as it helps with stress..by making you obvious too it, so less of a need to light up... good luck to those of you attempting to quit...

I was a smoker for 40 years, 2 packs a day. I quit 6 years ago, and I have stage iv COPD. I am on oxygen 24/7 and jjust got out of the hospital because I also retain CO2., and they needed to monitor my levels and get them down so I could go home.
I know it is a hard addiction to quit, however This is not a win/win situation. Just because we can't see our lungs and the damage, we are doing doesn't mean we are not shortening our lives.
Quit now while you can.

The book is great. I smoked for 45 years. Up to 3 packs per day. The book helped me quit. I started again and reread the book. I haven’t smoked now in three years. I recommended the book to numerous people. Some it helped. Some were afraid to read it. Good luck. I hope it works for you.

There is only one sure fire way to quit! Just put them down.....cold turkey! Start picturing yourself short of breath walking across your bedroom, needing the nasal cannula in your nose 24/7 for breathing. coughing like a maniac with God-awful secretions making you feel like you are drowning! Once you have that imagine firmly implanted in your mind, it might not be so hard to quit.