Hi all,
I am a 49 year old Danish man, currently living in Argentina.
Ex-smoker after smoking for 35 years.
Around 2 months ago I was diagnosed with moderate to severe COPD,
according to a breathing test and apparently VERY severe emphysema,
according to imaging (CT, PET and gamma camera), as well as
bronchiectasis and atelectasis (severity unknown), also according to
imaging.
This is on top of asthma and allergies that I have had all my life.
So far I have seen 2 different pulmonologists and 2 different thorax
surgeons, and have been given wildly different opinions about several
issues. But mostly I am stunned by how little I have been told.
Pretty much everything I know about my condition is due my own
research, spending hundred of hours googling every detail, looking at
scientific papers as well as reading tons of comments on this forum.
After diagnosis I went through the same phase that most of you guys
seemingly did (judging by many comments I have read).Namely, I
googled the life expectancy and got numbers like 5 years from many
different sources and I just collapsed into a deep pit of despair,
hopelessness and depression that I am still struggling to get out of.
Before that I had hopes, thoughts and plans for the future. Looking
forward to growing old with the love of my life. Suddenly for the
first time in my life I had absolutely no hope. No vision of any
future apart from suffering and dying. A horrible feeling that I
don't know how to talk to anyone about, because I feel like I am
another species now. No longer quite human, since the human condition
is so very based on having hope and a future to look forward to. Even
in the lowest and most depressed moments of my life I always had hope
and that was always what helped me move on and get better. Without
that I really don't know what to do.
I guess that is what lead me to reading all I could about the
disease(s) and eventually to join this forum. I am looking for hope
and ways to cope with my condition, and I think the only way for me
is to become an expert. Learning as much as I can about my condition.
I have many thoughts, doubts and questions that I hope to get your
input on, so I'll be creating threads in the future pertinent to the
individual issues. This thread is just meant as an introduction.
Thanks for reading this far! It’s an honor to meet you!