Life Before Zephyr^® Valves:

Before COPD you couldn’t slow me down. I was in the Marine Corps, I played softball and basketball, did yardwork and building projects, and helped friends with their projects. Then in 2015 when I was in my late 50s, I had an episode where I lost my breath for about 30 seconds and my wife rushed me to the ER. We thought it was a heart attack, but they kept me overnight to run further tests including CT scans which showed the real problem was COPD/emphysema. Although I was a smoker, environmental factors contributed to my COPD too. I worked with heavy machinery and melded a lot of metal over the years.

When the emphysema hit, it destroyed me. I went from a very full life to a very limited existence quickly. I had to be on oxygen at night and while doing any activities around the house. My social life basically stopped. Even with an inhaler and oxygen, I still ran out of air when trying to hold a full conversation. I couldn’t walk 10 feet without being winded. I just kept wondering “what the heck is going to happen to me.” The disease affects your body and your mind. I would become very aggravated and frustrated about all the things I could no longer do. I don’t know how my wife Debbie put up with me.

We were originally told to think about a lung transplant, but we read the information on that and I just didn’t want to go through it. My sister also had emphysema and she found some information on the Zephyr Valves. We did our research and they were not doing Zephyr Valves in Indiana yet, so we went to Louisville, Kentucky. The nurse coordinator at University of Louisville, Crissie, explained everything in detail and I was all in — I had to try something.

Life Before Zephyr^® Valves:

I was diagnosed with COPD when I was about 50 years old. I have a busy job as a paramedic, and I am part of the opioid epidemic response team. I help patients by finding rehab facilities, passing out Narcan kits, and just letting them know our team is here for support. In my free time, I love to hunt and fish.

At first, my main COPD symptom was shortness of breath with exertion. I used three inhalers, but over the years I made some trips to the hospital due to some exacerbations and pneumonia. In the year before my valve procedure, I needed oxygen every night and had to keep it close by during the day.

Eventually, I had to give up my favorite hobbies including fishing. It was very difficult, and depressing. I got to the point where I was almost disabled. My wife became my caretaker and had to do so much for me. It was exhausting for her. This disease took a toll on both of us physically and mentally. I was desperate to find something to improve my condition, and our lives.

My pulmonologist had heard Dr. Zgoda speak at a seminar and thought I might be a candidate for the Zephyr Valves. I qualified in October 2019, but my insurance denied it. Marci, from the Pulmonx reimbursement team, was a godsend during the whole appeal process, and in June 2020 I got my Zephyr Valves!

Life Before Zephyr^® Valves:

There are many things I love about the life we’ve made in Louisiana — my wife, my daughter, my two grandchildren, and my dog, to name just a few. However, the one piece of my life that I didn’t love was a diagnosis I received nearly 20 years ago — COPD. Over the years, my breathing became worse, the list of medications I was taking kept growing, and my quality of life began to decline. Eventually I needed oxygen day and night and was forced to retire.

I lived an active lifestyle before my emphysema became severe. I loved keeping up with yard work, tasks around the house, and visiting with our beloved grandchildren and sweet dog, Chisel. But as my breathing began to worsen, those things became less and less. I am not a person who quits easily. Whenever they came out with a new inhaler, if it was covered by insurance, I would try it. But as it became nearly impossible to walk across a room, I knew I needed to get help.

When my pulmonologist, Dr. Ronald Hammett, brought up the Zephyr Valve procedure, I was all ears. Although I had only been seeing Dr. Hammett for a short time, I trusted him. It’s not often you find a doctor that truly cares like he does, and what I appreciated the most was that he prayed with me. After doing some research online, I decided I wanted to take the proper steps to see if I was a candidate for the valves, and when I got the call saying that I was, I hoped my prayers were answered.

The closest doctor that is trained in the Zephyr Valve procedure is in Houston — about eight hours away by car — but that wasn’t going to stop me! As soon as I met with Dr. Connolly at Houston Methodist, I knew he was going to take care of me. He didn’t promise me the moon, he kept it very honest and real.

Life Before Zephyr^® Valves:

I was a truck driver for Walmart for 28 years. In December ‘99, I was on a run and felt like I was coming down with the flu so I went home and rested. Well, it wasn’t just the flu because a week later I was in the hospital with only 10% lung function, placed in a drug-induced coma, and hooked up to a ventilator.

I was diagnosed with emphysema complicated by bronchitis. I quit smoking right then and with the use of inhalers, my stamina built back up. After three months, I returned to work and was able to continue for several years until 2017 when I had five exacerbations and my lung health really declined.

In 2017 my mom was in the hospital and I had to go to Iowa to care for her. The stress of the situation coupled with hot/humid weather put me in the hospital for a week when I got home. I had only been using oxygen at night, but after this flare-up I needed it every day. Regulations prohibited me from having an oxygen tank on my truck so I had to take a leave of absence from work, eventually retiring completely.

After 2017, the disease stole my life as I knew it from me. I went from driving a truck across the U.S. to struggling just to walk around the house. We downsized our home because I couldn’t care for our two-acre property anymore. Working on cars was my hobby and I couldn’t do that anymore. I had to sell my ’69 Chevelle. Life became very frustrating.

I wasn’t hesitant when I heard about valves but had a lot of questions. Dr. Sharma was honest and explained that I wasn’t going to get rid of the disease, but this treatment was a chance to breathe better.

Life Before Zephyr^® Valves:

About five years ago, I had just quit smoking, but began having persistent symptoms like shortness of breath, coughing after walking, and difficulty with stairs. A pulmonary function test confirmed I had Stage 3 COPD/emphysema.

Before emphysema, I lived what I call a ‘normal life.’ I went places with friends, enjoyed day trips, and traveled. Skiing was my favorite hobby and passion, but my disease progressed quickly and just a couple of years after diagnosis, I could no longer ski. Within a few years I needed help with even basic everyday things like grocery shopping, making the bed, and taking a shower. I was afraid to live alone and had to move in with my sister and her husband.

At first I managed with maintenance and rescue inhalers, but eventually needed the oxygen. I was up to 4 liters 24/7. I loved my job as an accountant for the local church, but it was challenging at work. I had my concentrator under my desk with a 20-foot hose so I could move around the office and reach the breakroom. When I had to use the restroom, though, I would have to switch to the portable. I was tied to that concentrator and it was very depressing. Some people get attached to it psychologically, but most of us want to do anything to get off it.

My pulmonologist, Dr. Teresa Heatly, first mentioned the Zephyr Valves to me because she thought I might be a candidate. I really trust her, and I was definitely interested in anything that might help. I researched it online and joined the ‘Lung Valves for Friends’ Facebook group where I was able to get very honest feedback based on others’ experience with the valves. Once I made the decision, I was fortunate because my Insurance, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, approved it right away.

Life Before Zephyr^® Valves:

I was a truck driver for Walmart for 28 years. In December ‘99, I was on a run and felt like I was coming down with the flu so I went home and rested. Well, it wasn’t just the flu because a week later I was in the hospital with only 10% lung function, placed in a drug-induced coma, and hooked up to a ventilator.

I was diagnosed with emphysema complicated by bronchitis. I quit smoking right then and with the use of inhalers, my stamina built back up. After three months, I returned to work and was able to continue for several years until 2017 when I had five exacerbations and my lung health really declined.

In 2017 my mom was in the hospital and I had to go to Iowa to care for her. The stress of the situation coupled with hot/humid weather put me in the hospital for a week when I got home. I had only been using oxygen at night, but after this flare-up I needed it every day. Regulations prohibited me from having an oxygen tank on my truck so I had to take a leave of absence from work, eventually retiring completely.

After 2017, the disease stole my life as I knew it from me. I went from driving a truck across the U.S. to struggling just to walk around the house. We downsized our home because I couldn’t care for our two-acre property anymore. Working on cars was my hobby and I couldn’t do that anymore. I had to sell my ’69 Chevelle. Life became very frustrating.

I wasn’t hesitant when I heard about valves but had a lot of questions. Dr. Sharma was honest and explained that I wasn’t going to get rid of the disease, but this treatment was a chance to breathe better.

Life Before Zephyr^® Valves:

I was diagnosed with COPD about 15 years ago. After my dad passed away from Alpha-1 emphysema, I was tested and was negative for Alpha-1, but still had COPD and early stage emphysema at that point. I smoked for 30 years and was finally able to quit eight years ago.

My COPD has had a huge downhill impact on our lifestyle. Essentially, I went from being an active outdoor person, to being stuck at home. We had a house on Lake Michigan and loved to kayak, camp, and bike. I hunted for 30 years, spending the whole day in the woods. As the disease progressed, I couldn’t do much anymore. Life became very limited. I even had to retire early from my career as a general manager.

My doctor put me on Spiriva^® and Advair^®550, and in the early years the medication helped to manage it. As time went on the medications were less effective, and I had several ER trips because my oxygen levels dropped. I ended up with pneumonia twice and had to be put on steroids and oxygen. As the disease progressed, I needed oxygen regularly, and eventually I couldn’t get by without it. I was on four liters of oxygen 24/7 for two years. 

I was seeing a holistic doctor (who was also my neighbor). She had read an article about Zephyr Valves and she recommended I look into it. My regular pulmonary doctor did not agree that the valves were an option for me, so I called Henry Ford directly, had all the testing done, and qualified. I’m on social media and I always tell others with this disease, “don’t take what your current doctor says…you have to see someone who does the valves to be properly evaluated.” It makes me crazy that my treating doctors didn’t bring this to my attention and maybe I suffered longer than I had to.

Then came the battle with insurance. We really had to fight for coverage with Anthem Blue Cross. The Pulmonx Reimbursement Team stepped in and appealed again and again for me. They did not give up on me and fought for me all the way to the Federal Appeals Court. It took eight months, but I got my valves.