What do you know about emphysema?

[callous taoboy]

I turned 40 back in March, have been smoking weed since I was 15 pretty consistently but with periodic breaks of several months. Diet is good, weight is normal, exercise level has been not bad but not zealous by any means, alcohol intake very moderate. I have not been into tobacco really at all (maybe 50 ciggies my entire life).

I guess my concern is due mainly to turning 40 and not liking the fact that I've been smoking pot for more years than not. I have slowed down a whole lot in the past year because of health concerns and because I've not been enjoying it as much as when I was younger. I noticed a couple of years ago that I would get a smoker's cough fairly rapidly upon picking up the pipe after a respite. During the last year the cough gets decidedly bronchial, but this may be due more to having relocated to an area that has many allergens in the air. Mold is also very bad in the area. The cough is phlegmy but goes away several days after cessation of smoking. When I exercise lightly, or mow the yard or what not I am not out of breath. When I do a fast sprint around the track I am gasping for air for several minutes. I do get wheezy when I am with pipe, but that goes away after cessation. What's really been bugging me lately is this constant urge to swallow, like I have something in my throat that I can't swallow. Some days, like today, are worse than others, and some days this is not a problem at all. This problem is more acute in the mornings and tends to dissipate by evening, and I've heard that allergens are most prolific from pre-dawn until late afternoon.

The mold count is high right now. Could this swallowing issue be due to mold in the air? I mean, I figure I have probably done some damage after all the smoke I've taken into my lungs and, though I'm not a hypochondriac, I do have a valid concern. The articles I've read on emphysema all state that shortness of breath is the key symptom.

Any feedback on this would be greatly appreciated.

[WCGreen]

1. You stole my sig line...

Kidding...

I have a touch of Emphysema myself.....

But, it is just a small portion of my lung. I quit smoking 21 years ago, smoked a lot of pot when I was young but....

You should get yourself checked out. Really. They have wonderful treatments for all things that effect your pulmonary health...

Get a breathing test if you are short of breathe...

At the very least, get a chest XRay....

I put things off and put things off and well, I am disabled, not because of the Em but because of all the other things wrong in my lungs that I neglected to treat...

[callous taoboy]

4. Would a chest x-ray confirm?

I have lousy health insurance so my doctor is questionable / not very helpful. I asked him about it and he said that if I had emphysema I would be out of breath easily. It was the way he said it, dismissed it so quickly that left me feeling less than satisfied.

[WCGreen]

5. Well, a chest XRay will only show the reflection

of problems, as My pulmonary doc told me...

But problems show up there first.....

But you should definatly see a doctor if you are feeling less than perfect....

BTW, make sure that the person who reads your XRay is covered by your insurance. Otherwise, you could get a fairly hefty bill...

[Spider Jerusalem]

2. Doesn't sound like emphysema.

And smoking weed doesn't cause emphysema; the smoke particles are larger than those of tobacco smoke, and so aren't inhaled as far into the lungs...it doesn't damage the alveoli as tobacco smoke does (examination of longtime heavy marijuana smokers who weren't cigarette smokers has confirmed this). Your swallowing problem sounds like it's esophageal...

[yellowdogintexas]

3. Get to the doctor.

all the allergens etc in the air are not helping.

You could have some reactive airway (a type of asthmatic reaction) going on.

Emphysema is the hardening or firming of the air exchange sacs in the tiny areas at the end of the brachial tree. They will expand, but won't contract: result is reduced oxygen exchange.

The good news is that the lungs have a considerable amount of recuperative ability. Quitting the major irritant (smoke) and staying quit will reduce the inflammation and allow your lungs to do some healing.

Mold is abominable, pollens, etc are very irritating.

If you can get it under control now, you can avoid misery down the road (oxygen depencence, crippling weakness, lack of oxygen to the brain contributing to various dementia, etc.)

[misanthrope]

6. I have advanced emphysema...

...and contracted it before age 40.

Go see a pulmonologist. Get an x-ray.

Get tested for alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. This a genetic condition whereby your liver doesn't produce one of a pair of enzymes needed to repair alveolar damage. Instead, what happens is that the singular enzyme destroys the elasticity of your lungs over time. The alveolar walls retain their gaseous permeability, but will not contract.

In 1998, I was commuting by bicycle in addition to riding off-road like a maniac. Now, less than a decade later, I have trouble even walking less than 50 yards and I cannot leave air conditioning for long periods of time.

I've had a couple of spells of pneumonia and am waiting on that last big bout to do me in as it does so many emphysematics.

Alpha-1 is very rare, affecting only one in every quarter million folks. This also means that treatment for the condition is so expensive as to be economically prohibitive. If you don't have insurance, like me, your goose is cooked.

Also, don't listen to old wives' tales about the lungs' recuperative powers. The only organ in your body that can completely repair itself is the liver. The restoration your body performs on the lungs is only partial.

Your problem does sound esophageal in some regards. It sounds like it could be related to your environment as well. If you live in an area with high humidity, allergens and mold, I would seriously consider relocation. DO NOT move to the Gulf Coast.

Another interesting tidbit: one of the effects of THC on the body is that it works as a broncho-dilator, like a lower-powered albuterol. The delivery system (smoke) is what is dangerous.