From the article: End Stage COPD
"End stage COPD" is a term that leaves many people frightened that it might be time to "put their affairs in order." For some, this is a fair statement, but for those who take good care of themselves, nothing could be farther from the truth. What is it about the term "end stage" that bothers or offends you the most?
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Whatever You Make It
- I believe that end stage is what ever you make it. Love, laugh and know that you are loved. God is in control and has been since day one. He gave you breath and he will be the one to take it away.
- —Guest sharon
The Word End or Stage IV Means Fight!
- I was told I had very severe COPD Feb 2009. I have 29% use of my lungs and on 02 24/7 I am 58yrs young. I have 2 daughters and 3 grandsons and that's what helps keep me going and I all so have the desire to want to live. I try to stay positive most of the time. In the last 3 yrs I have been in the hospital twice, the last time was in June 2012 it took a lot out of me. I went to rehab and I feel stronger. I go to my grandsons basketball games o2 and all, Walmart, Ross. I also have been testing to see if I can have this surgery called a Lung Volume Reduction. my last test was a Cardiac Chat. and found out that I had blockage and had to have a Stent put in my heart. so the surgery has to be pushed by 6 wks. I stay as positive as I can for the most part remember when you are given lemons make lemonade. So FIGHT cause we all are going to die of something. IT'S ALL IN GODS HANDS
- —Jocornelius
What the Term Means
- Means that any further medical intervention will not benefit the patient. That the decease will be left to run its course until death. I've been at the bedsides of two people who have passed. While distressing, it was a privilege. These people were family.
- —Guest Rick
End Stage - Debbie William
- Oh Debbie I have no idea who you are but it broke my heart to hear you say your alone and your passing won't hurt anyone. It made me cry to hear you say that, it hurt me and I don't know you. I just wanted to let you know that I am praying for you and you do matter!
- —Guest Sherry
Waiting Game
- End stage means you have fought a good fight but the end is in sight. But don't give up, it's only the end if you let it be. Keep strong.
- —Guest Iris Willoughby-Doyle
No One Tells You That It's End Stage
- My mom passed from COPD and all the times I was at the hospital with her and talked to doctors, they never mentioned end stage COPD or even COPD at all. All I ever heard was Emphysema and pulmonary complications, blah blah blah. I wish someone had given me more information. Not that it would have made much of a difference, but I might have gotten 1 more year with her. That's a big difference for me.
- —Guest TaraB
It's Only Terminology
- It's just terminology. Ignore. Carry on with your treatment, take your medications, do some praying and hang in there.
- —Guest el391@verizon.net
Doesn't Bother Me
- The term end stage doesn't bother me because it gives me a time line to work with and a goal to beat.
- —Guest Deborah Janes
What's In a Name?
- It's of no matter what label they put on it, it is the end stage. Amen.
- —Guest tony
The Term "End"
- My mum just passed and her death certificate states "End Stage COPD" as the cause. We have known for many years she has COPD, but didn't really believe how horrible it would be to watch what happens, all those commercials on TV, now are such a reality, they actually are showing the truth, I didn't want to believe it was the end, I kept thinking I'd walk into her hospital room and see her up eating and smiling. She suffered at the end and I'm glad she is at peace now. Never, never smoke. It really will kill you...
- —Guest Karen
End Stage COPD?
- I was diagnosed with COPD when i was 46. I am now 74 and the disease is progressing. For me, I am at the very severe stage. I have had many exacerbations, lung surgery, surgery for the removal of a bladder cancer. I have found that most important treatment has been walking on the treadmill or around my house. If all I could do at one time was one or two minutes at a time I did that as many times as it would take me to do total 30 minutes. Gradually over time I walk 30 minutes without stopping. Sometimes it has taken me a year or longer to build up to that level. I do arm exercises with very light weights or simply range of motion for the same exercises no weights. Even without this disease, as we age, and we all age differently, we lose our physical capabilities regardless. I am a fighter. I refuse to give in to the debilitating effects of this disease. I have several absorbing hobbies. The most important medicine is attitude. That's everything.
- —Guest sandflea681
Don't Let Anyone Tell You...
- Don't let anyone tell you how long you have. My daddy's doctor told him he had no more than 5 years to live. That was 13 years ago! My daddy refused to listen. He lived totally on his own for the past 13 years and left his doctor scratching his head... The doctors are NOT God. Only God knows how many days you have left and what you can do with them!!!
- —Guest diana
The Word "End"
- The thing that bothers me the most is the word "end" without some comparison to other diseases that deprives a person of the quantity of oxygen he/she may need. I have what I believe to be moderate COPD. Without considering such things as pneumonia, is my survival slightly reduce or greatly reduced? Will I have to go through all the stages from mild to very severe? I do use oxygen 24/7 to hold my oxygen saturation level at close to 90 and my only other complaint is arthritis in my back and neck. I also have neuropathy in my feet. If I leave the house I use my cane. I am 78 years old and enjoy life as much as I can and do not wish to have major supportive measures taken if hospitalized. I was under hospice care for two years and came off a year ago.
- —Guest Dick A. Wilcox
The End of My Life As I Knew It
- I have had COPD for about five or six years. I was a very heavy smoker most of my younger life and only quit when told to by the Dr. A couple of years later I was told I had COPD while in the hospital with pneumonia. I hate it. I can do almost nothing I used to do. Had to sell my boat, sell most of my fishing gear. No more hunting, I cannot mow the lawn or help move furniture. It seems to me the thing I can do is sit in front of the TV with a hose stuck up my nose feeding me 2 1/2 liters of O2 a minute or 3 liters. I am comfortable until I get off the 02 then I suffer. End stage means for me the end of my life as I knew it.
- —Guest John
It Bothers Me That It's My Mum
- It's not me with COPD, it's my mum who I have moved in with me and look after. She was diagnosed end stage today. It bothers me to watch her suffer - she is more or less bed bound, has panic attacks all the time. If i go anywhere and is 3stone10lbs it's awful. She has given up, but never stopped smoking or exercised. Now she barely eats.
- —Guest kelly
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