Great News

1 23 101

I have dodged the COPD bullet! I just saw the pulmonologist and I have developed asthma in his opinion. He went over my tests results with me and showed me exactly what led him to that conclusion. Now I know asthma can be serious, but I would rather have that than COPD. This doesn't change anything about what I am doing or will continue to do. Treatment is very similar and I still have to take care of my lungs. As with COPD, quitting smoking is the #1 thing I can do for myself. Plus I didn't have to waste the Dr's time on a stop smoking lecture. As far as chronic conditions go, I can think of many that are far worse!

So I am drinking my Emergen C and thanking my lucky stars! Game plan remains the same.

I plugged BecomeanEX to the Dr and my Walgreen's pharmacy today. The pharmacist is trying to quit!

Thanks as always for everything you guys, you are the best!

Dian

23 Comments

You must be a registered user to add a comment. If you've already registered, sign in. Otherwise, register and sign in.

Comment

About the Author

Hello. My name is Dian and my quit date is 7/2/2017. I am 54 years old and live with my brother and sister-in-law. My current occupation is caregiver to my 3 nephews ages 5-10. I work 40-50 hours per week in my "Nauntie" role. I have smoked for 33 years and alcohol has been a daily part of my life for approximately 13 years. In addition, I have dealt with depression and anxiety for 30+ years. I am pretty hard-headed and determined. I tend to believe I can treat myself medically because I was a Hospital Corpsman in the Navy, earned an associate’s degree in Health Information Technology and have an affinity for medicine. Six weeks ago I was smoking 20-30 cigarettes per day and drinking an average of 4-6 beers per night for at least the last 9 months. Then I caught what I thought was a normal cold on May 14th. After treating it myself unsuccessfully for a week and coughing so hard as to cause one of the most severe headaches I have ever had, I went to a Take Care clinic to have my lungs listened to and possibly get some steroids. The Nurse Practioner recommended I go to the ER. ER gave me IV steroids and 2 hour long breathing treatments. Left with a whole host of prescriptions. I followed up with my primary care Dr the following Tuesday and he continued the treatment plan. That night and the following morning I had hour-long, incapacitating coughing fits. I could not do anything but cough. My sister in law rearranged her entire day to work from home because she was not comfortable leaving me alone with a 5 year old. I called my Dr. The next morning his nurse called me to let me know about a steroid extension, and then I coughed. She told me I needed to go to Immediate Care as soon as possible. So off I go to the dr. again. He put me in the hospital because outpatient treatment was failing. Two days in the hospital and here we are today. I will be taking a pulmonary function test this Tuesday to confirm or rule out COPD. I have been actively trying to find relief from my depression, this round, through professionals for the last 3 years. I started Lexapro in December and I think it was starting to finally work just before "the cold", despite the amount of alcohol I was drinking. I have not only decided to quit smoking, but I have changed the way I was “living” life. Better nutrition, exercise, quit smoking and quit hiding behind alcohol. If I think about it too much it seems daunting, but it feels right for me at this time so I’m going with for it. I am being very gentle with myself while still holding myself accountable. I know I can do this.

EX Community

Great News

GREAT NEWS FOR OUR FAMILY

Great News!

Great news and not so great news

Great News!