CECIL MONTGOMERY
My Story
I am 56 years old and supposedly disabled. I spend a lot of my time on the computer, working with two different support groups, emphysema/COPD and depression and anxiety, taking care of the house and yard, which is a full time job with my limitations. My wife is retired also so we have a lot of time together which I would not have had I not taken control of my illness and my life. I am living proof that this disease will almost always progress at whatever rate you want it to. I was diagnosed in 1983 and put on Theophylline at 100 mg a day. I didn't even think about it, just another pill and kept on smoking. I was in the Army at the time and getting a good exercise program so I didn't even think about it. I retired in 1985 for medical reasons but I was still going strong and ready to retire anyway, so no big deal. In 1989, I came down with a serious case of pneumonia. I was put on Albuterol and Atrovent inhalers. Still going strong but starting to slow down a little, I figured I was getting older so I still didn't get concerned and kept on smoking. I opened my own auto repair business so I could slow down a little.
In 1993, I came down with pneumonia again. This time they increased my medication and put me on a nebulizer. I was starting to have quite a bit more problem breathing and had to hire an extra mechanic in order to keep my business operating. I was not really concerned, I figured the doctors knew what they were doing so I just kept on smoking and I went along for the ride. In 1996, I had a major bout with pneumonia and lung infection. Went into ICU for ten days and had three specialists keeping me alive. I was placed on oxygen 24/7 and prednisone 10 mg for maintenance. I closed my shop, sold all my equipment, went into depression and developed an anxiety disorder.
You guessed it! I was still smoking and in March of 1998, I developed respiratory failure and died!
I was resusitated and I quit smoking. For about four months, started getting better and started feeling pretty good. I had some kind of chemical imbalance develop. The doctors couldn't find anything. I gave up and my disease took over again. I started a complete "I give up program," depending on doctors to carry the whole load and I was slowly dying. I still didn't know anything about my disease and was so depressed that I didn't care to learn. But that's when I found the COPD Online Support Mailing List, and found out that there is life after death. I feel that I have stopped my progression and started to reverse it to an extent. Since March 1998, I have been in the hospital once and that was for heart trouble. I have become so convinced that this illness can be controlled that I have devoted large amounts of time and energy in relaying this message to others.
We are all going to die as that is the natural progression of things, but I believe that my experiences show that the disease progression pretty much depends on the individual. It just depends a lot on the individual and how we handle our illness. Ignorance took about ten years off my life. You need not do the same.
Cecil Montgomery~February 2001
It took many years to make smoking an addictive way of life
It's more addictive than heroin or cocaine
It's not an addiction to take lightly
It will cause you a life time of heartache, failed health, and eventually your life
They have compassion and rehab for street drugs and their addiction
For smokers they have only blame and derision
The only laws are for minors, for adults only self restriction
It's no wonder that smoking is on the rise and becoming more of an obsession
The big tobacco companies try to make us think they are cleaning up their act
They have commercials and testimonials that show all their good intentions
However, they make sure the public never gets all the facts
They buy congressmen and lobbyist to increase their addictictive intentions
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