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 snow mobiles.

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!

Life Before Zephyr^® Valves:

I was fortunate enough to have a job I loved and looked forward to going to everyday. 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. I was using multiple inhalers multiple times a day. It felt like I was living on my rescue inhalers. It never left my side. In the beginning of my diagnosis, 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 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. Sometimes my breathing was so bad that I couldn’t even catch my breath enough to take my rescue inhaler.  My breathing got down to 25% and that is when Dr. Juan Cevallo referred me to Dr. Nathan Do’s office and started my testing to get the Zephyr Valves.

Life Before Zephyr^® Valves:

I had COPD for a while but was told it was the bronchitis type. Then, in 2014, after an exacerbation, a CT scan confirmed I actually had emphysema. I had smoked for 40 years and quit cold turkey after receiving that diagnosis.

Emphysema is life changing. I learned to stop doing the things that caused exertion. I had to give up one of my favorite parts of my social life – dancing. I go on a cruise every year with my friends and had to start using wheelchair assistance to get on and off the ship and at airports. When walking around the ship I could stop and rest when I needed to, but I couldn’t participate in most of the fun activities anymore, like dancing. I missed out on some excursions too, especially if they involved a lot of walking. Emphysema makes living hard.

As the disease progressed, it got to the point where I couldn’t do daily tasks like housework, going up stairs, and carrying out the trash. I needed help with almost everything that caused exertion. I could cook, take care of personal hygiene, and dress myself, but not without oxygen.

My disease was taking a physical toll, but I am not the kind of person to let it get me down. I was always determined to try to make my condition better. I received a lot of support through friends and Facebook groups. Pulmonary rehab is a very important component to being able to get my health to the best I could make it. I was able to wean myself off of oxygen by exercising to build stamina and strength but, even with that, I still kept the oxygen nearby and my lung function was still pretty low.

I had at least one hospitalization every year. The longest stay was 11 days in 2018, and that’s when my pulmonologist asked me if I would consider a lung transplant. My lung function was down to 31%. That’s when I spoke with a Dr. Michael Simoff at Henry Ford Hospital who said that I might be a candidate for treatment with the Zephyr Valve. After taking all the tests, I was very happy to learn that I qualified!

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.