29 with emphysema. 5 kids. please help

[mkadv]

ok so for about a year now i have been coughing up clear liquid and i mean alot of it. it started with about a handful once a week and now im up to probably a quart jar full every other day. i also have what i call attacks where i feel like my lungs are closed and i need to cough but i cant get enough air to cough so i end up gasping for air (almost exactly like an asthma attack. finally i can cough and its over but it scares me. im 29 years old and smoke about 2 packs a day. i went to the doctor yesterday and she put me on welbutrin to quit smoking. my quit date is in 7 days and i WILL quit. my doc says i have moderate emphysema and put me on 2 medicines. one for every day and one for emergencies. i am so scared. i just beat cervical cancer 6 months ago and now this. i have 5 small children that i want to see grow up. will i die from this? my doc says that it can be partially reversed with the medicine and stop smoking but im not sure. is she right? will i be on this medicine for the rest of my life? and how long can you live with emphysema? please someone talk to me. im so scared. im too young to die.please help me.

[mkadv]

i quit smoking 1 week now. still scared

[mkadv]

thank you so much for replying. you have made me feel so much better. i am so terribly scared. my doc did not do a chest xray.she did do a test where i had to breath into a tube that she said would let her know if my lungs were working properly and she said they were not.  she gave me 2 inhalers one is serevent and one is combivent. im so glad she gave me the combivent because although i forgot to tell her i often cough until i vomit. (at least twice a day) i dont mind the inhalers or the medicine i just dont want to die. i am a single mom and my kids have nobody but me. we arent dirt poor but we are pretty close so i am on medicaid so i dont know if i can get a second opinion. she didnt say anything about a pulmonary specialist. should i mention it to her? thanks again for writing you have no idea what it means.

[lynnkay]

Hello. I was reading your post and had to answer. First of all, I too had cervical cancer. That was 20 yrs.  ago and I am doing fine that way. So, hopefully that will give you some encouragement on the cervical cancer. I too had small children, when they found my cancer. It was scary to hear the word cancer. I do understand as well, about your fears and deep concern about the moderate emphysema. In Oct. 07 I was diagnosed with COPD...Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. I was in the moderate stage of this lung disease. Moderate emphysema is COPD. Did your doctor just tell you that you had the emphysema? Or did the doctor run tests to prove the diagnosis of COPD? Whether this doctor just told you that you had the emphysema or if the doctor ran tests, makes all the difference in the world. I had a lung xray and a breathing test called a spirometry. The lung damage showed up on my lung xray and the spirometry proved that I had COPD as well. My family doctor ran these tests. I though wanted a second opinion. I went to a pulmonary specialist. The pulmonary doc confirmed the diagnosis of COPD as well. You are young with 5 little ones. I understand you being scared. I truly do. I am 51 and the diagnosis of COPD scared me. But yes, you will have to take meds the rest of your life. If you stop smoking, the damage to your lungs can be stopped or greatly slowed down. What damage there is to your lungs now though, cannot be reversed. But, I am going to stress this to you very strongly and I am telling you the absolute truth. Not giving you any false hope. You can live to be an old woman with this lung disease. My doctor told me if I quit smoking, I could live to be an old woman myself. And my doctor shoots me straight up and I trust him.  You mentioned that your doctor gave you two meds to take. This is normal procedure with COPD. Are the two meds both inhalers? I was given a daily inhaler to take called Spiriva. It specifically treats COPD. The other inhaler I was given is ProAir. Which is used in emergencies, when my breathing is not good. These type inhalers are called rescue inhalers. They give quick relief. Coughing, lots of mucus on the chest, shortness of breath, etc., I do well understand. I deal with that too on a daily basis. But, it is very good that you are getting this mucus to come up. That is what the clear liquid is. Getting it off your chest, will stop any respiratory infections from possibly forming. People with COPD are more prone to respiratory infections. But, if I were you, I would seek a second opinion, if at all possible. If you would like to talk more with me, I would be more than happy, to help get you through this. I have been there and I know how you are feeling. Let me know if this doctor gave you any tests like a lung xray and a breathing test, to confirm that you have moderate emphysema(COPD). As for the inhalers, please take them. They do help. I didn't like the idea of being on inhalers, but I finally realized, it was something I was going to have to do. Also, exercise and eating healthy does help with COPD. The exercise helps build up the lungs. I will be thinking of you. If you need me, I am here for you. Enjoy your little ones. I swear to you, you will live to see them grown and see your grandbabies.

[heartfluttersflyawayplz]

hey , my aunt had that to and they told her if she stop smoking she could live with it and live a longer life, but she choose to keep smoking, she was inher 40 when they told her that . she has passed away from it she was in her 70 but she never stoped smoking so it took her .  if you take your meds and stop smoking and stay away from others who smoke than you should be able to live a good life. do as your dr says, but it will never go away, it will get worse if you keep smoking.  why would you keep smoking after having cancer that would scared me so bad i would never picked up another one. i wish you lots of luck with this its not easy to stop smoking but you need to if you want to see your grandkids. let us know how its going.