I'll give you an example based on my own experience.
After a doctor's appointment last Monday I began thinking about something my doctor had told me. I complained to him that I had quit smoking 13 years ago right after he had informed me that I had moderate emphysema. I hoped to arrest the damage to where it was then. For the first 3 year afterward I felt great. Much improved. I was still bowling (I carried a 187 average, not to shabby) and my one regret was I never rolled a 300 game. My high game was 297. I still went out trap shooting, I was a class AA trap shooter, 23-25 clay birds out of 25. I shot hoops and could almost dunk (I used to be able to dunk the ball in high school). I even went out in the woods and fields to hunt a few times and went canoing with a friend.
Then the breathing began getting worse again. The last few years I'm told I have severe emphysema now. I've also had chronic bronchitis and bouts of pneumonia. My doctor said that the problem was because as we age the natural lung fuction gets less.
But that night as I mulled what he said over in my mind when I tried to get to sleep a thought hit me.
I had quit smoking and so did my wife and the kids were no longer allowed to smoke in the house. But the company I worked for hadn't gone smoke free until it was forced too, about two years ago, just before I retired because of my health problems. For eight hours a day, 5 days a week I was exposed to second hand smoke almost everywhere in the buildings at work. I had a small smoke free zone aroundmy desk but that was all.
So realistically, as my wife pointed out, I didn't really stop smoking until two years ago. I'll have to talk with my doctor about that the next time I see him.
Now I wonder. If this was just two years ago is there any hope for improvement in the next few years? I don't mean getting back to where I was. But just getting better, enough that I don't struggle quite so hard?
I don't know. I'm not a doctor! But now I hope so!
DALederle
