COPD & Emphysema is Serious and Should Not Be Ignored

by Raymond Jacobs

COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) is a lung disease, and it can sometimes come with emphysema. Emphysema causes you to feel short of breath because it prevents new air from getting to your bloodstream. Over a period of time, your inner walls will weaken and they’ll eventually break down. COPD, and Emphysema, is serious because it affects your breathing, and if not treated, can then affect your heart.

The reason I’m writing about COPD and Emphysema is because these are health problems that I am dealing with right now. It started with me having pneumonia a couple of years ago. I got out of the hospital and I was alright. Not too long afterwards, I had problems breathing, but I didn’t think anything of it. I assumed it was something that happened after you recover from pneumonia; I didn’t know.

As time went on it got worse. I couldn’t walk too far or do a lot of the things I was used to doing. Each time I walked, even a short distance, I get short of breath and have to stop. I thought I was getting pneumonia again, so I went to the doctor and found out I had COPD and emphysema. That was not what I wanted to hear.

I receive treatment for my illnesses and I’m breathing a lot better now. I feel better, too. Sometimes going to treatment can be a real pain in the butt, but it is keeping me alive. There is no cure for COPD and Emphysema, so I will be dealing with it for the rest of my life. If you have problems with your breathing, please go see a doctor. COPD, and Emphysema, is nothing to play with!                                                                                                                             

Copyright Cleveland Street Chronicle March 2017 Issue 24#1