Emphysema at age 21, thinking about suicide

[Johnny]

My name is Johnny and I have smoked about a pack a day for 5 or 6 years, well, as of about 6 months ago, my breathing started to go bad, not only when not exercising, but now in time of rest, I feel like I am constantly suffocating, I quit smoking, because I don't even feel like a cigarette due to not being able to breathe, it is almost impossible to exhale, I have to force it out then that leads to pains in my chest, my lungs feel swollen with air, I have NOT gotten diagnosed yet because I do not have insurance, however, I have been reading about it every single day for the last 6 months (have OCD, it happens) and I am 99.9% positive I have emphysema, I have EVERY SINGLE symptom out there, and to add to that I have depression, OCD, depersonalization, and something else I would rather not say, it just feels like too much to have on my plate at age 21, I cannot live a decent life, and my quality of life has gone below the bar, so after I do a few things over the next week, I am killing myself =/

PS - I feel your pain, I know how it feels to suffer uncontrollably now, there is no releif, no nothing, just misery, you are not alone, my only wish is that the disease could end a person sooner because nobody deserves this kind of pain and suffering.

[Rob]

I hope your still around

[Bob]

Are you still alive Johnny the emphysema sufferer???? please tell me

[Lois]

Johnny wrote:

My name is Johnny and I have smoked about a pack a day for 5 or 6 years, well, as of about 6 months ago, my breathing started to go bad, not only when not exercising, but now in time of rest, I feel like I am constantly suffocating, I quit smoking, because I don't even feel like a cigarette due to not being able to breathe, it is almost impossible to exhale, I have to force it out then that leads to pains in my chest, my lungs feel swollen with air, I have NOT gotten diagnosed yet because I do not have insurance, however, I have been reading about it every single day for the last 6 months (have OCD, it happens) and I am 99.9% positive I have emphysema, I have EVERY SINGLE symptom out there, and to add to that I have depression, OCD, depersonalization, and something else I would rather not say, it just feels like too much to have on my plate at age 21, I cannot live a decent life, and my quality of life has gone below the bar, so after I do a few things over the next week, I am killing myself =/
PS - I feel your pain, I know how it feels to suffer uncontrollably now, there is no releif, no nothing, just misery, you are not alone, my only wish is that the disease could end a person sooner because nobody deserves this kind of pain and suffering.

Hi Johnny,we are with you with this illness! Are you still there Johnny?

[Doctor]

Johnny wrote:

My name is Johnny and I have smoked about a pack a day for 5 or 6 years, well, as of about 6 months ago, my breathing started to go bad, not only when not exercising, but now in time of rest, I feel like I am constantly suffocating, I quit smoking, because I don't even feel like a cigarette due to not being able to breathe, it is almost impossible to exhale, I have to force it out then that leads to pains in my chest, my lungs feel swollen with air, I have NOT gotten diagnosed yet because I do not have insurance, however, I have been reading about it every single day for the last 6 months (have OCD, it happens) and I am 99.9% positive I have emphysema, I have EVERY SINGLE symptom out there, and to add to that I have depression, OCD, depersonalization, and something else I would rather not say, it just feels like too much to have on my plate at age 21, I cannot live a decent life, and my quality of life has gone below the bar, so after I do a few things over the next week, I am killing myself =/
PS - I feel your pain, I know how it feels to suffer uncontrollably now, there is no releif, no nothing, just misery, you are not alone, my only wish is that the disease could end a person sooner because nobody deserves this kind of pain and suffering.

Once you quit your emphysema doesn't get worse. There is medication you can take to relieve your symptoms, considering your age you can still live a long and productive life. My husband is a doctor and I just asked him about it. Viruses can cause the same symptoms as emphysema you need to get tested. The fact of your age and how long you have smoked makes emphysema very unlikely, please get checked out before you do something bad.

[Memphis]

I think Johnny's story is a little suspect.

[Marlie]

Johnny sounds more like Asma to me. And that can be helped. Get to a doctor. I am willing to bet the farm its not Emphysema.

[matt curran]

my wife has emphysema and has serious headaches. Can anyone please help

[Johnny]

Update: I Did end up going to a doctor, and when I told them to specificly test me for it, it did not even seem like anybody there took me serious, I got a chest xray, a heart test, a breathing test (blow into scale thing), and when he came back from my xray he said I didn't have it, but he thought it was a chest infection, so he gave me pills in which didnt do shit, and it is still progressing daily now, getting worse and worse on a daily basis, I dont have any idea of what I should do, at this rate of decline I will simply be dead in months, I KNOW its Emphysema, and each time it progresses I feel a sharp blow to my upper chest and neck area, not to mention the recuring chest pains, I DID smoke for about 10 years pack a day so who is to say it is NOT possible at my age

[Phil]

Emphysema at age 21 is not "suspect". You could have the hereditary form, also known as alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency. You need to get tested. The test is easy. You should contact the Alpha-1 Foundation in Florida. They will help you. They are fantastic people.

[Luis]

I'm not surprised your doctors ruled out emphysema and didn't want to give you the tests because it is absolutely impossible to get emphysema from smoking a pack a day for 6 years so don't worry.

If you look at the mortality rates of smoking you'll see see that no deaths are recorded for a person so young. Most people don't even show signs of a smoking related illness to well after 50.

You mentioned you have OCD and depression - hypochondria is often accompanied with both these psychological disorders. So I'd say it's that, you probably should talk to your therapist about your concerns.

[Zee]

Luis wrote:

I'm not surprised your doctors ruled out emphysema and didn't want to give you the tests because it is absolutely impossible to get emphysema from smoking a pack a day for 6 years so don't worry.
If you look at the mortality rates of smoking you'll see see that no deaths are recorded for a person so young. Most people don't even show signs of a smoking related illness to well after 50.
You mentioned you have OCD and depression - hypochondria is often accompanied with both these psychological disorders. So I'd say it's that, you probably should talk to your therapist about your concerns.

Not to freak Johnny out or anything but you CAN get emphysema at a young age. My brother died when he was 24 (not of anything health related) and on his autopsy it showed that he was presenting with signs of emphysema. Now, at 22, I may have it. I smoked for about 5 years somewhat steadily and then 2 years on and off. I've done a pulmonary function test which came back mildly abnormal. But I still feel as though I'm having a hard time breathing all the time. I'm on albuterol now which has hardly done anything. I'm going to talk to my doctor about getting a CT scan to rule out or confirm emphysema and if it is emphysema I'm getting the Alpha1 test.

[siguario]

Zee wrote:

<quoted text>
Not to freak Johnny out or anything but you CAN get emphysema at a young age. My brother died when he was 24 (not of anything health related) and on his autopsy it showed that he was presenting with signs of emphysema. Now, at 22, I may have it. I smoked for about 5 years somewhat steadily and then 2 years on and off. I've done a pulmonary function test which came back mildly abnormal. But I still feel as though I'm having a hard time breathing all the time. I'm on albuterol now which has hardly done anything. I'm going to talk to my doctor about getting a CT scan to rule out or confirm emphysema and if it is emphysema I'm getting the Alpha1 test.

First off, Johnny, I hope you're still alive and you're not alone. I am experiencing similar symptoms. Second, I have a question for zee and I suppose for Johnny as well. Did you get a CT scan and did you get your results back? I am 26 years old and experiencing similar symptoms. Was a smoker for 4 years and had breathing problems related to allergies at a young age. I had a CT scan and they said it wasn't emphysema. Still, my symptoms have gotten MUCH worse since then after a very brief relapse with the smoking. I can't even sleep I'm so short of breath. Went to the ER last night and an x-ray came back clear, but I could only reach 285 on a peak flow test. A healthy person my age should reach at least 550.

Anyhow, I guess I'm asking that if either of you have had any luck with any treatments since you posted, I'd love to know what they were. And also what the results of any tests have been.

Tobacco companies are the devil.

[slyqc]

I've been suffering from emphysema since ..as mutch i can remember i was 23 ... i live in Canada so i coul'd of been diagnose before ...
Im now 30, im worst then i ever been... all CRAP you can get for treatment is not going to help
(sry)...Stop smoking..keep away of any kind of crap and try to exercise as much as you can.
In with ya bro!!!
Sylvain

[slyqc]

alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency as been tested on me with positive result!!

[Mooo]

I have emphysema at 23 and I have never smoked anything in my life. it's a very rare form and it's called Congenital Lobar Emphysema. Emphysema is very hard to deal with, but there are many other disease that can give you those same symptoms. Pneumonia, lung collapse, blood clot, alpha 1, cystic fibrosis, and many more. You need to find a doctor who would take you seriously. I had to go 12 hours from where I live to find someone who even knew what they were looking at on my scans. There are numerous support groups for people with emphysema. And it always gives me hope to meet people who have the disease or are post transplant and doing well. keep us posted!

[Tony]

I hope 4 the best 4 you man. you can always hit me up some time if you need to talk. email me [e-mail]

[Andrea]

Johnny, I am so sorry you are finding it so hard to breathe. It must be awfully frightening. My daughter's friend, age 19, was jsut diagnosed with emphysema. I believe he was susceptible at such a young age because perhaps he had asthma first and of course he is a smoker. He also has a bone out of place in his back. It protrudes noticeably and causes a lot of pain. A chiropractor could help him but he hasn't stuck with it and has no money. Our chiropractor said he would help for free, so hopefully we can help that way. I will be praying for your recovery, Johnny. I am sorry you are going through this. Jesus loves you!! The world and its desires are passing away so cling to Jesus. He's all we've really got that lasts and that matters. He will give us faith, hope, and love, and the greatest of these is love!!

[Johnny]

Hey Siguario if you have any messengers or anything I would like to talk to you sometime

[Johnny]

Andrea wrote:

Johnny, I am so sorry you are finding it so hard to breathe. It must be awfully frightening. My daughter's friend, age 19, was jsut diagnosed with emphysema. I believe he was susceptible at such a young age because perhaps he had asthma first and of course he is a smoker. He also has a bone out of place in his back. It protrudes noticeably and causes a lot of pain. A chiropractor could help him but he hasn't stuck with it and has no money. Our chiropractor said he would help for free, so hopefully we can help that way. I will be praying for your recovery, Johnny. I am sorry you are going through this. Jesus loves you!! The world and its desires are passing away so cling to Jesus. He's all we've really got that lasts and that matters. He will give us faith, hope, and love, and the greatest of these is love!!

Thanks but I dont believe in God, nor do I believe in Jesus or heaven but its fine because nothingness is a lot better than this