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THIS IS MY STORY TO SHARE WITH YOU








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My loving wife Charlotte, and myself



tony and charlotte pic



~MY STORY BEGINS~



Tony smoking EQUALS Tony on bipap




THEN



Tony in ICU




In the pictures you see of me smoking, I was 33 or 34. At 14, when I started smoking, and still at 33, I did not think smoking would ever affect me in any way. I was wrong.

Because I smoked for so long and did so much damage to my lungs, they stopped doing the job GOD designed them to do. But I got to this point gradually, with warnings from the doctors to quit smoking. I tried to stop many times but did not manage to quit until I got pneumonia and left the hospital on oxygen. That scare helped me stop and commit not to smoke again.

I needed the oxygen and that uncomfortable cannula 24-hours a day because smoking had finally destroyed 88% of my lung function.

I had a great job working on computers in hospitals, but after a few months of working on supplemental oxygen, I could not walk 60 feet without stopping to catch my breath!



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The next picture is of me at 52 wearing the BIPAP/ST mask. I had to wear it at night to assist my lungs in expelling the CO2 build up. Essentially it forced me to breathe correctly and deeply. The BIPAP/ST machine is connected to a tube supplying 2 liters per minute of oxygen. Power failures could be a little scary. So I kept a large tank of oxygen in the bedroom.

During the day, this oxygen supply has to be increased to 4 liters per minute (lpm). I had a machine called a concentrator, because it concentrates the oxygen out of the air in the house. I was attached to the machine with 50-ft of tubing and a nasal cannula in my nose to give me the oxygen I needed to stay alive. I had to carry a 10-lb portable small oxygen tank system when I left the house.



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My lifestyle altered dramatically after my diagnosis of emphysema (COPD):

*   Because of the constant flow of oxygen in through the nostrils, they would dry out. I had to treat my nasal passages with safflower oil to prevent frequent nosebleeds.
*   I took 3 MDI's (multiple dose inhalers) daily, plus a drug to help my lungs function more efficiently, because of the damage done. I also take lots of vitamins to help prevent infection.
*   Taking a shower was a major ordeal. Even with the oxygen turned up, I had to stop many times during the process to get my breath. I was exhausted after a shower.
*   I also had to take anxiety medication to help curb the anxiety attacks when I could not breathe.


Let me explain. When you can't breathe, you get anxious and this makes you more anxious, which makes it harder to breathe, which makes you more anxious...Well you see where this goes. Pretty soon (and I mean seconds), you are gasping for air and there seems to be none.

One way to stop this maddening cycle is to try and calm down and practice pursed lip breathing (PLB) and in some very serious cases, to take the anxiety medication.

You did notice I said "practice" PLB. You would think a person would not need to practice breathing. It should be the most natural thing you could do. Well...you start smoking and keep smoking, you will have to learn these methods of breathing. With every cigarette you smoke, you destroy lung tissue.

And lest I forget, keep a notepad close because you will forget. One of the side effects of emphysema is oxygen starvation to the brain, which causes short term memory loss. (Forget studying - you won't remember anyway.)



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Be sure and look at your loved ones eyes now before your smoking/disease gets to the point that you are in my shoes. That possibility is always there. When you have COPD your loved ones eyes will change to fear when they watch you have a short-of-breath attack and you are gasping for air. There is not ONE THING they can do for you, when they see the fear in your eyes. You cannot help it either - you can't breathe. This will occur many, many times.I was listed for a double lung transplant. If I did not get that transplant, I would be dead in less than 5 years, and possibly sooner. Emphysema is a progressive disease. I had been waiting 2 years (since March 1999) for the transplant and my lung function dropped to 9% of normal.

With God's mercy, I did receive a single lung transplant at St. Paul's Medical Center, Dallas, on February 9, 2001. The last photo of me above is in ICU after the operation, hooked to a machine that is breathing for me because the new lung has not yet taken over the breathing function (this is standard).



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Note, if there is one thing you remember of what you have read and seen,
it should be this:



Tony in ICU




And don't ever say, "It can't happen to me".
...Because that's exactly what I said, and you can see the results for yourself. It DID happen to me! I cannot change the past, but I can do something about the future. The major thing from my past that is missing:
SMOKING!



If you smoke, STOP!
It is never too late until you are pushin' up daisies.
If you don't smoke,
DON'T START!

Life is precious. Protect it and savor every moment.

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The second chapter of this story can be seen under "My New Life".



     "Keep On Harley  Keepin' On!"
Tony in Dallas


In Honor of Phillip - My Donor


My New Life COPD Links WhyQuit
Letter to Tony Main Index E-Mail Me


A few years back, I responded to a subscriber of the EFFORTS List about continuing smoking after being diagnosed with COPD. After reading this letter, another smoker of 40 years, QUIT! You can read my letter to her by clicking here.


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The midi you are listening to is "Lean on Me"

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