Emphysema experiences?

[northernmamax]

My poor little grandad has been diagnosed with emphysema today - previous diagnoses of COPD.

He smokes like a train but is very active and still does a very manual, hands on job. Worked his whole life.

I just wanted to know if anyone's had any experience with a family member having this and what I'm to expect. He won't tell me if it's bad as he'll be trying to protect me.

He's my absolute world and now im worried! Told him he needs to stop smoking and so have the doctors but he's very stubborn :(

He's been given inhalers and steroids. Will he die? (Sorry if I sound dramatic, he's just my favourite person on the planet)

My father had emphysema, which is a form of COPD. He was a heavy smoker and continued to smoke, despite the warnings. He used nebulisers and took frequent infections leading to antibiotics and steroids. He then had to retire from work and use supplementary oxygen 24 hours per day, except when he removed it to smoke outside. He finally stopped smoking when he couldn’t walk outside to smoke. It was horrific to watch and he died aged 66. There’s really not much you can do but hope he sees sense and stops smoking, which may help give him extra time.

It’s very distressing for family to watch, I feel for you.

Sadly, what @Whatwillbewilbe describes is what your dad's future holds. My dad's last years were exactly the same and he died at least 10 years before his time.

How long did you each have with your dads between diagnosis and them passing away?

I just want someone to be brutally honest with me so I know what I'm dealing with, just want to make the most of what time we've got left.

Sorry to hear about your loved ones

I stopped smoking the day I was diagnosed with COPD. Nobody has explained or discussed my future requirements as it's impossible to say, it all depends on how many illnesses you catch type of thing.

However, every single medical person tells me how sorry they are (how I would imagine they would treat a stage 4 cancer patient), which "tells" me my life expectancy has been seriously shortened and it won't be pleasant. The best thing your grandparent can do is stop smoking as it will give his lungs/body a better chance of recovery each time he catches flu etc.

Emphysema and COPD are the same thing so this isn't a new diagnosis. Steroids and inhalers are standard treatments, it's really hard to say how much this will affect his life expectancy as some people will carry on for years and years and years without many problems, but some will get lots of bad exacerbations/infections that can shorten their life. The number 1 thing he can do to stop things getting worse is stopping smoking

@Pixiedust1234 congratulations on stopping smoking, I know it’s not easy (I’m a former smoker and gave up 21 years ago). That’s absolutely the best thing you could have done for yourself and will hopefully slow down any progression. I hope you keep well - and keep on top of any signs of infections.

The only thing that will slow down the progression is stopping smoking. Inhalers will help with the symptoms, antibiotics and Prednisone with exacerbations due to infections etc.
Unfortunately it is a progressive and irreversible disease that can be managed but not cured.

My mother in law was diagnosed with emphysema when she was about 59, she cut down her smoking to 10 a day from 20 but gave up completely about 10 years after diagnosis!
She'd started to get so many chest infections it often took a few courses of antibiotics to clear
She lived for 15/16 years after being diagnosed, I hope your grandad can give up smoking completely, I'm sure you'll be a great support to him.

Sadly
It is life shortening whatever he does as it is progressive
If he does not stop smoking it will just mean death is much faster