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Post by John on Feb 21, 2017 7:12:22 GMT -5
welcome bella
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Post by bella on Feb 21, 2017 9:19:45 GMT -5
Thank you! Enjoy your day!
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Post by joany on Feb 21, 2017 10:12:19 GMT -5
Welcome bella,
βMake the choice to embrace this day. Do not let your TODAY be stolen by the ghost of yesterday or the "To-Do" list of tomorrow! Itβs inspiring to see all the wonderfully amazing things that can happen in a day in which you participate.β
β Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free
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Post by ozboy on Feb 21, 2017 13:30:54 GMT -5
bella
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Post by lavishgail on Feb 21, 2017 14:45:55 GMT -5
Welcome Bella-
I'm so happy you have joined us at the fence, it's going to be fun to get to know you. And I look forward to hearing you're story! Gail.
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Post by bella on Feb 21, 2017 19:04:12 GMT -5
I'm not too sure what you want me to say. I have mild-moderate COPD. I am 68. Retired from Orange County Superior Court in Orange County, CA. Grew up in San Diego. Went to high school near San Francisco. After graduating, I moved with my parents down to Orange County. Met and married my ex-husband. We started a family. He went into the service, and we spend ten years living all over The US and three years in Germany -- it was a three-year vacation. Got out of the service. Came back to Orange County. Went to work for OCSC. Retired at 57. Moved to Albuquerque, NM, two weeks later. :-) About 2-3 years ago, I was diagnosed with COPD. In that time, I've gone from mild to almost moderate COPD. The funny thing is this: A little less than a year ago, I was diagnosed with high BP. Was put on a medication called "Losartan" (which I originally took before bed). The next morning -- after the very first dose -- I woke up, and I could breathe. And the next morning and the next morning. Finally I decided to do some research. It's still being tested, both here in The US and in Great Britain, but it appears that Losartan arrests or greatly slows the progression of COPD. Losartan doesn't 'cure' COPD, and it doesn't repair the lung damage that has already been done, but it does appear to arrest COPD or greatly slow the progression. And I think I have an article, that I downloaded on my computer, about this -- I know I printed something out and gave it my GP (which he ignored, of course). If not, I'll try to find the articles on the web again.
I AM NOT AT ALL SUGGESTING that everyone with COPD take Losartan. It doesn't work, even as a BP med, for everyone with high BP. And I certainly wouldn't be taking Losartan if I didn't have high BP. I'm simply saying that it was so strange: that overnight, with just the first dose, I could breathe when I woke up. Which, of course, has made it less imperative, to me, to quit smoking -- that's the down side.
The other down side is that New Mexico is still The Wild Wild West. There is ONE GP/FP for every 1000-1100 residents (according to our state department of health), there are only 29 pulmonologists, and there is only ONE pulmonologist who is worth anything. So it's almost impossible to be treated properly, for COPD, in New Mexico.
Returning to Southern CA is NOT a possibility, even though my BP would go down and even though just living at sea level would help my COPD. I can't live in that rat race, with earthquakes, anymore. Forty-seven years of earthquakes and that horrible traffic was long enough. The last five years I was there was like living in a sardine can. :-)
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Post by David on Feb 21, 2017 21:34:53 GMT -5
"Welcome bella"
My name is David and on behave of COPD in Canada & the World I want to extend to you a warm welcome.
You will find a lot of information here .
So look around and when you are ready please join us at the fence".
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Post by David on Feb 21, 2017 21:41:06 GMT -5
I have been taking Losartan for years. I have read about it being good for slowing down COPD. I am in the severe stage but last CTscan says I have stabalized. So, who knows, maybe the Losartan had something to do with that.
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Post by lavishgail on Feb 21, 2017 22:23:07 GMT -5
Hi Bella, Very happy to meet you. I just meant I was looking forward to getting to know you. π Gosh, you didn't have to say anything but . I hope you didn't feel like you had to tell us everything. I'm sorry if I made you feel that way. π I'm Gail and I've been married for 22 years and together for 24. Well we have had our fair share of problems, marriage is hard sometimes I'll be the first to admit. Could be easy to just run away sometimes, . I'm on Losartan potassium too also hydrochlorothiazide. I have bad high blood pressure, so I'm on a lot of meds for mine to be controlled. Even then it goes up high at times. I have not had to use my 02 for a while. I've been able to walk and breath okay so far for about a month. Sounds like you had a wonderful life being able to see different parts of the world! I live in the Berkshires Massachusetts. I do love it here. We have so many things to see and enjoy. I also love the opportunity seasons. I don't think I could be happier anywhere different. I'm glad you're here with us. As far as you're cigarettes, thats not my business. But for me I had to quit or die. I was always sick when I smoked. Since I have stopped smoking the doctors did many tests and said they never knew I was a smoker, ( this is my new pulmonary doctor) She said you lungs look like non-smoker lungs with no sign of copd or anything. But I have Lupus and they're are calling my lungs disease Lupus pnemanitis. But I've been going through extensive test. I'd had problems for the last five years, bottom line they don't know what is wrong with me bc when I'm good I'm good and when I'm sick I'm so very sick and unable to breath. One day I hope to find out what is wrong with me. In the meantime thank you for sharing. I have to son's, my youngest is soon to be 32, and my oldest is soon to be 36. Whelp my meds are kicking in so night night. Love Gail.
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Post by bluebird on Feb 21, 2017 22:50:36 GMT -5
Welcome, Bella. π
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Post by jarca on Feb 23, 2017 1:20:13 GMT -5
wow! thank you for sharing bella! it's nice to get to know people better. many join this site, but never share so it's refreshing to hear some new .. (i want to say voices, but...) interesting about the Losartan. I started losartan in 2014 & I didn't feel any relief in my breathing, but in 2015 my HRCT showed my lungs slowing down progression. (still severe, but not worse) This is the 1st i've heard about losartan helping....interesting. I love when people share, i learned something new again. BTW; i was diagnosed "mild" with COPD in 2010. in 2012, I had a bad exacerbation & severe pain coursed thru my body. My GP didn't treat me correctly so i got worse & worse until finally hospitalized on deaths door & writhing in pain. The closest Pulmonary Specialist is 165 miles away, but I finally saw one. I had my 1st HRCT & found out I had pulmonary fibrosis (PF)& copd (emphysema) --(moderate/moderate) I fired my GP & hired the one I see monthly now. Yearly I've had an HRCT & 2014 I was termed "severe/severe" As I said in 2015 I tried a new Pulm Specialist (185+ miles away) & that is when my HRCT showed that both my COPD & PF had slowed down dramatically. The new pulm said that my GP here could do tests & "consult" so I wouldn't have to travel so far as it's hard for me to drive that far now (mainly due to pain). I'm lived in southern california until 1990 when I moved to utah.....where i live still. Cold winter have gotten harder on me & I thought of moving back to S. Calif, but all my family is in utah now, so i guess this is where i'll stay. Nice to hear & get to know you, bella AND everyone else who has shared!!!
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bella
Feb 23, 2017 16:58:55 GMT -5
via mobile
jarca likes this
Post by lavishgail on Feb 23, 2017 16:58:55 GMT -5
Thank you Bella and Jarca for sharing. ,πππ
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Post by jim on Feb 23, 2017 20:53:34 GMT -5
Hi bella,
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