Life Before Zephyr^® Valves:

I was diagnosed with COPD in 2010. Before severe COPD/Emphysema, my life was so full. I was a Mr. Mom and raised my three kids on my own. Once they were grown, I enjoyed playing golf and had an active social life.

I’ve been a plumber for over 50 years. Breathing in all kinds of dust, asbestos, and who knows what else, coupled with smoking, did a number on my lungs. As the disease progressed, I began to have a lot more bad days than good ones. I was living alone and just taking a shower or walking from one end of the house to the other became difficult. I had to get people to help me with the basics of taking care of myself.  

It is frustrating when you can’t do what you want to do. I missed out on a lot of things, like dance recitals for my grandkids, because I just couldn’t do the walking. I couldn’t eat much because it was too uncomfortable. My children were worried about me because as COPD limited my life, I became really depressed. I went from being a social person to being alone, and the feeling of hopelessness was overwhelming. Fortunately, I did go to talk to someone and that helped me get through.

About two and a half years ago, I was in the hospital being treated for a flare up and the pulmonary doctor told me about the valves. I told my doctor at the VA in Dayton right away and we kept following the status of the valves until they were approved by the FDA in 2018. I was one of the first in Dayton to receive the valves!

Life Before Zephyr^® Valves:

I was fortunate enough to have a job I loved and looked forward to going to every day. I spent 36 years working as an engineer for CSX Railroad. I spent my days on the train seeing parts of Florida many never get to see. On my days off, I enjoyed fishing, hunting, and spending time with my family and dogs. But as my breathing became worse, the activities I loved to do started decreasing.

I was diagnosed with severe COPD/emphysema at age 62. Even though I quit smoking 24 years ago, the habit still had a severe impact on my lung health. It felt like I was living on my rescue inhalers. One was always by my side. In the beginning, I used oxygen only at night, but that soon grew to be an all-day thing too. I was really scared to do anything; even simple things like walking out to my truck, because honestly, I was scared that I was going to die.

When you have COPD or emphysema, it feels like you are living in a bubble. You are strapped to your oxygen and the activities you loved so much are taken away. My breathing got down to 25% and that is when Dr. Juan Cevallos referred me to Dr. Nathan Do’s office, and we started the testing to get Zephyr Valves.

Life Before Zephyr^® Valves:

COPD took away my ability to live the life I loved. My wife Diana and I were very active people. Losing that ability was tough because I’m a “doer.” Fishing is my number one hobby and I love to work with my hands, carving and whittling.

In my career as a supervisor for construction electricians I was exposed to plenty of filth and concrete dust. I also smoked but quit 17 years ago. For years I was just treated with medication for asthma because my symptoms seemed seasonal in the beginning. Then about 13 years ago, I got really sick with pneumonia. A few years later, I noticed I started running out of steam and had to slow down. That’s really when everything began to change and I was diagnosed with COPD.

Diana and I participated in a lot of activities in our community. We loved to line dance but as my condition worsened, I could only get halfway through a song. Eventually, I felt it was silly to even get up and try. We are the heads of the Entertainment Committee, and I couldn’t even walk to the podium to announce the shows. It got to the point where I didn’t want to do anything.

My wife is amazing. When I would have a bad episode, I’d be purple and gray and she’d ask, “Can I call 9-1-1?” I would tell her no, even though it felt like I’d die before I’d recover. Finally, Diana asked, “Then when can I call 9-1-1?” and I said, “When I can’t tell you not to!” Needless to say, this disease was hard on both of us. My wife worried but was always there to help. If I was having an anxiety attack because I couldn’t breathe, she rubbed my back and that meant the world to me knowing someone was right there with me.

About two years ago, I began needing oxygen. Carrying that canister around wore me out, so I got an air concentrator that’s only half the weight. I took Advair^®, Combivent^®, Albuterol^® when needed, and prednisone as a backup. Over time, I could feel the medications working less and less for my symptoms. I felt myself slowly slipping away. I told my wife we need to get our stuff in order because I don’t feel like I’m going to be here for long.

I heard about the Zephyr Valves from a friend in our park who also heard about them from a friend. Word of mouth is a powerful tool. I was reaching for any straw, so I did my research and found Dr. Do at AdventHealth in Tampa. He was so informative, straight up and honest, and explained all the pros and cons. I completed all of the tests and I was told I was a candidate!

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 I 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 DISKUS® 500/50, 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 4 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. I had to fight for coverage with Anthem Blue Cross, and the Pulmonx Reimbursement Team submitted appeals on my behalf. It took eight months, but I got coverage for my valves.

Life Before Zephyr^® Valves:

Before my diagnosis of COPD, I lived a very full life. I’ve been married for 45 years, raised three kids, and now have nine grandchildren. The grandkids all live close by and are such a big part of our life. I work as a real estate professional specializing in selling new homes for a national builder. In our spare time, my wife and I enjoy our small beach house in Ocean City, MD.

I was very healthy before this disease. Growing up in New England, I loved the ocean and swimming became my sport and passion. I was a New England swimming champion in my junior year of high school, and I coached for many years. I swam almost daily until about five years ago when my lungs just wouldn’t allow me to get in the water anymore.

I smoked for about 30 years, but I had quit five years before my pulmonologist diagnosed me with COPD/Emphysema. The first time I used oxygen was back in 2005. I got very sick and was diagnosed with congestive heart failure, but that was a misdiagnosis. What I really had was pneumonia. My lungs deteriorated from then on. By 2018, I needed the oxygen full time and for the past 12 months, I didn’t have the lung capacity to support walking, even with oxygen. If I went to the grocery store, I had to use the handicap cart. I couldn’t even make the bed. The simplest tasks were not possible anymore.

This disease robs you of your life. My life became limited in so many ways. I couldn’t swim anymore, and socializing was difficult. It is hard to join in conversation when you are struggling to breathe. You really start feeling like a smaller version of yourself. It truly is depressing.

When my pulmonologist brought up the Zephyr Valves and referred me to Dr. Mahajan. I said, “sign me up!” Dr. Mahajan’s nurse, Nancy, explained the procedure to me and arranged all the testing. I was supposed to have my valves in September, but it was postponed a few weeks because I needed a cardiac clearance.

Life Before Zephyr^® Valves:

I had a very full life before COPD and emphysema. I was a real outdoors person. I loved to snow ski, camp, and fish. I was raised in Idaho in a mining family and we spent most of our time outside. We’d go to the creek and make dams and tree swings or ride mini-bikes and snowmobiles.

Growing up in a mining town had its benefits but it also meant I went to school very close to the refineries. The smoke would fill the playground so bad sometimes we couldn’t go out for recess. I was diagnosed with COPD and emphysema in 2008 at age 44. The doctors said that even if I had smoked a pack a day for my entire life, my lungs wouldn’t have been so bad at such a young age if I hadn’t been exposed to the smoke from the refineries as a child.

I was living in Nevada with its harsh winters. I kept getting bronchitis and that led to my diagnosis. By 2010 my breathing really started to get difficult. Just going out into the cold air in the morning to get to work made my breathing difficult. In 2011 I moved to Arizona to get away from cold. It was a tough decision because my dear husband had to stay in Nevada for work, but my lungs could not tolerate that cold air anymore.

In the Fall of 2015, my primary care doctor finally sent me to a pulmonologist and I found out I was in the end stages of COPD/emphysema. They said I would be lucky to get 5 more years. It felt like my life was falling apart. I have full custody of my two granddaughters. I am a mom to them and at this point the oldest was just in preschool, but my outlook was not good. By 2016 I had to start wearing oxygen just to be able to function. My pulmonologist suggested I go on the transplant list, but I wasn’t ready for all that.

My situation went from bad to devastating quickly. I couldn’t take care of my little girls. I felt like I was losing my identity. I couldn’t clean the house or cook. I couldn’t volunteer at the school. Everything that was dear to me was getting taken by this disease. I became very depressed. It is not easy knowing you are dying and worrying about who will raise your kids when you are gone.

At one of my appointments in the summer of 2018 my doctor said he would see me again in two months and I told him I didn’t know if I would make it that long. That’s when he sent me to Dr. Sue to discuss the Zephyr Valve treatment. Within a week my procedure was scheduled.

Life Before Zephyr^® Valves:

Before COPD/emphysema I was always on the go. Living in Florida, I grew up on the water and love surfing and scuba diving. In my career I was a domestic violence counselor, Juvenile Justice Resident Officer, and a property manager. I was also a cheerleading coach and gymnastics instructor. Needless to say, I kept very busy!

About 10 years ago, I had to call 911 because I couldn’t breathe. I was put on a ventilator and in an induced coma. They thought it was an allergic reaction, but it was my lungs. I had a new grandbaby that was only 15 days old when that happened. It scares me to think of all I almost missed.

Once I was diagnosed with COPD/emphysema, I tried to go on living life, but I kept getting sick. I was on prednisone several times a year. I did go to a pulmonologist, but I didn’t like what he had to say. He told me all the things I couldn’t do, and I was shocked when he recommended that I get on the lung transplant list.

Then about five years ago, on a trip to Hawaii, I realized I was really struggling with all the walking. It wasn’t too long after that trip that just walking to the car had me winded. About four years ago they put me on oxygen. I was a “closet user.” When everyone else took a lunch break, I’d go in the car and drive around to use my oxygen where no one could see. I didn’t even want to tell my kids.

My big life started to shrink. I used to teach diving and swimming lessons, but it got to the point where I couldn’t even clean my pool anymore. Some days I didn’t even care if I ate. This disease was taking both a physical and mental toll on me.

I still had some fight in me, though. I have four biological grandkids and five step grandkids, and for some of them I am the only living grandparent. I wanted to be there for them. After seeing a post about the Zephyr Valves on Facebook, I asked my doctor about them. Well, he didn’t know too much but said the procedure wouldn’t work for me because my lungs were already too far gone. I told him we’d have to agree to disagree, and I went to the Mayo Clinic where the valves were offered. Dr. Bussy explained the guidelines and answered all my questions. After all the testing, they called to say I qualified….and boy was that a reason to celebrate!