I wrote some of the following on another post, but wanted to add
something.. I'm 74 years old and have been smoking 1/2 to 1 pack per day for 54
years. Although I had
no symptoms and felt great, my doctor
ordered a Pulmonary Function Test (PFT) 6 years ago (2013) when I was 68 and it
revealed Stage 2 Moderate COPD. I continued smoking and had another PFT 3 years
ago (2016) at age 71
. I didn't get the
printed results, but doctor said I have about 70% lung function left. About a
year ago I noticed
a cough after getting up in the morning, but no
cough the rest of the day. Also recently started hearing crackles when I lie
down on my right or left side for sleep. I never hear them during the day and
I've never been on inhalers or oxygen. I'm in the middle of changing my primary
doctor and will get in for a visit to evaluate my situation within a month.
I know I'm responsible for the damage to my lungs and regret it. I quit
"cold turkey" twice in the past and I know I can do it again. But if I get to
the point where I have to be on oxygen, I think I would take my own life as
having the expense and inconvenience seems like a very
low quality of
life
. And I never want to become a burden to my family! I get the
impression there are not many people on oxygen 24/7 as I
rarely see them
out and about.. I never knew the lung damage was irreversible until recently.
Assisted suicide is legal in my state and wonder if many COPD patients around
the country take advantage of it??