COPD. Is this a death sentence for my husband?

Question

My husband has been diagnosed with COPD. He is 50 and a life long smoker. He just quit a week ago. I can not get a direct answer. Does this mean he will definitely die of this illness? How long does he have to live approx? I am so scared!

Thank you so much everyone for your answers. I feel so much more relieved.

I am incredidbly shocked that he quit, but he is determined. I hate cigarettes with a passion, but it wasn't until I told him that I would not stay and watch him kill himself, and that I wanted to spend all the rest of my days with him, that he decided to quit.

We are newlyweds, which makes this all the more tragic. But, now I see he can live with it as long as he follows the advise you all gave. I knew he needed to take care of himself, but I wasn't able to get an answer about his life expectancy.

I will keep looking into it, but when I heard this news, I didn't tell him, but I was very scared and wondered how much time we had left.

Bless you!!

Answer 1

Don't start planning your next wedding just yet. Plenty of people diagnosed with COPD end up living into their 80s, and some, occasionally longer. He'll probably end up using inhalers like Spriva, Advair, Flovent, and albuterol, as well and needing nebulizer treatments, for the rest of his life. He should also ALWAYS get his annual flu shot, as colds or any other respiratory illness will have a much move severe affect on him. You might also become regulars at your local hospital, because COPDers often get bronchitis, sometimes pneumonia, and need to be admitted to receive IV antibiotic therapy.

So no, it doesn't mean he's going to die anytime soon. It just means that he's put himself in a position of needing regular respiratory medications. He's also put you in the position of having to deal with him being admitted to the hospital every time he gets a chest cold. At 50.... for a long, long time.

Answer 2

In a perfect world where we could know 100% if someone was guilty yes. That's not the world we live in. A number of things could lead to a wrongful conviction. Children sometimes have false memories if they are asked leading questions. A famous case in the 1980s lead to children sincerely believing they were abused by day care employees who they said took them into a tunnel under the building. No such tunnel existed. Other things that can happen is the wrong perpetrator may be identified. Or a child may be deliberately manipulated by an adult to lie for the sake of revenge against the accused or for some other twisted reason. Convicted child rapists should get life without parole, and only ever see freedom again if new evidence shows they are not guilty.

Answer 3

I think what the other responders have said should allay some of your anxiety. No it,s not a death sentence. Depending on severity, many can live for longer than you might think.

The best thing to do it to be away from any cigarette smoke whatsoever, even passive smoking causes issues with respiratory reserves, have yearly flu vaccinations, 5 yearly pneumococcal vaccinations, get a COPD management plan from your GP/respiratory physician which will outline to you EXACTLY what to do in case of what we call 'exacerbations of COPD', where the symptoms can get bad real quick...usually due to a chest infection... the plan that we usually discharge our patients on includes rescue medications (inhaled steroids and bronchodilators), antibiotics and when to contact the ambulance services etc...

Ensure that your husband is on optimal medical therapy which differs according to the type of symptoms that he is getting, so a chat with your GP would be good. He should have regular checks to measure lung function, so that any deterioration can be nipped in the bud and addressed with the appropriate therapy as soon as possible.

I wish you all the best.

Answer 4

Don't be scared about this. COPD is an illness yes, and can be very worrisome however if your husband follows the pulmonologist instructions, does pulmonary rehab his chances of living a normal life go up year after year from not smoking. It does take time. HIs lungs will not be the same, copd is irreversable.

Take him to a pulmonologist, make sure he does the meds and excercises that they tell him to do and that will map out his life expectancy.

by the way the chances that he will die from copd are slim to none, however dying from respiratory illness that comlicates the copd is likely. but not going to happen soon if he takes care of himself

Answer 5

He could live a long time. I've known people who lived with COPD for decades. It depends on the type of COPD and the severity. It's great that he stopped smoking. I hope they discovered his COPD early because the sooner it is treated the better and longer his life will be. The site below has some statistics that may help. Just keep in mind that they come from a pharmaceutical company.

Answer 6

My mom quit over 40 years ago, and has been a compliant patient, and is over 80 and is on the go. She uses oxygen only at night and if she has an upper respiratory illness. She does get hospitalized more frequently for URI's but other than that she is doing amazingly well, lives on her own, maintains a neat and tidy house, does volunteer work and plays card and domino games with her friends almost daily.

This may vary with his overall health in general, but it is not an automatic death sentence if the damage is not too severe right now.

Answer 7

I am a respiratory therapist. I treat COPDers from people in their thirties well into their ninties. It is of extreme importance that he follow all instructions given to him by his physician. (ie meds, breathing excercises and diet) Although you can never cure it, he will be able to live with it. Of course, he should stop smoking immediately. Finally, he should go in for pulmonary function testing every year or so, depending on the severity of the disease. This should help with determining how the disease is progressing. Good luck with everything. As long as he listens to his doctor he should have many more years ahead of him.

Answer 8

yes , it is, un less he dies of something else.Everyone dies , and you usually chose the route you will go by- except those rare accidents caused by someone else.. copd usually takes years to kill you and as often as not you will die of something else-- ie; heart disease, stroke, cancer, aneurisms... Factors that effect the outcome are: wieght- obese lungers die sooner, so loose it if you can. Diet-high fat high protien diet is a death sentence, so go to a lower total intake, high fiber, fresh fruit and veggie, low fat low salt/ more spice, low fat, low red meat with more white meat and fish.. Condition- if youare in good physical condition, good bones joints and muscle strength, dont let it go. get exercise as able - this is trickey because usually complicating factors contribute to the copd.. especially control your fluid intake, cranberry juice and cranberries help with kidney health, high fiber helps keep your bowels regular.. take your meds, learn everything you can and remember-- you are your own most interested health care provider..

Answer 9

I lost my mother to COPD this summer. She was 83 years old and was diagnosed with it about 20 years ago. It's really important that your husband never smokes again. He is young yet and has a lot to look forward to.

Answer 10

My father had it, and it was from smoking. He can live a long, long time with it but it won't be pleasant once it gets really bad. Think about this, we all have a death sentence and will die of something someday. But there is hope, he can know today that he will spend eternity with Christ and that goes for you too. Pray and ask God what his will is concerning you both. Accept Jesus and let him guide you and comfort you through this time.