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Resilience Sounds Like Wheezing
Still breathing. Living with COPD.
They say life is short. But what they really mean is it’s too short to waste on things you don’t enjoy; chasing people who don’t want you, or stressing about things that don’t matter.
But nothing reminds you how short life is like being diagnosed with a chronic disease, especially when you’re dragging 50 feet of oxygen tubing through the house as your oxygen level drops.
This isn’t a sob story.
It’s a wheezy one.
A few years ago, I was short of breath and checked in with my doctor. I was diagnosed with COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). It’s when you can get air in, but it’s hard to breathe out.
Try it: Inhale, then exhale through a straw. But before you get all the air out, inhale again.
Yeah. Like that.
The COPD umbrella includes those who have genetic disorders or lung disease caused by chemicals or dust, or who were subjected to second-hand smoke in movie theaters, airplanes, and inside cars. And, of course, smoking.
After what felt like a hundred tests, the doctors found granulomas in my lungs — little clusters of inflamed cells. A biopsy confirmed they weren’t cancerous, non-caseating, if you want to impress…
