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Although reported by the Victoria Advocate in the February 10, 1997 (Part 1, Part 2) and June 5, 1998 editions that my Dad suffered from and succummed to emphysema, that is not the case. Emphysema is the inflamation and distention of the air sacs in the lungs restricting lung capacity and air flow. My Dad did have one over-inflated air sac in which was removed in surgery in St Louis, Missouri in January, 1997. This was a result of a blood clot and infection in his lungs. Dr Cooper, the renowned pulmonary surgeon in St Louis, explained that Dad's lung damage could not be from emphysema because it had progressed far too rapidly. Dr Cooper thought that Dad could benefit from lung reduction surgery, however. That surgery is typically performed on emphysema patients to remove a damaged section of lung and allow the remaining lung tissue more space to operate properly. Even before the surgery, Dad was warned that there was another variable to his equation that was unknown and that the surgery might not be totally successful. At his post surgery check up in St Louis, it was determined that Dad was moving normal volumes of air in and out of his lungs. The surgery had been "successfull". However, Dad was no better. The oxygen was not being absorbed into his blood stream and the doctors could not determine why. A nurse explained to me that the correct term for Dad's ailment was Chronic Pulmonary Obstruction Disease or CPOD. Dad had quit smoking almost 20 years before his death, but it is almost certian that cigarettes contributed heavily to his disease. His lungs could not stand up to the smoking he had done in his younger days because he possessed a certian genetic tendency to CPOD. What difference does it make, whether you say that Dad died from emphysema or CPOD? It doesn't really, I guess. I just feel that numerous people lump emphysema and lung cancer together and associate both diseases with life long smokers. Oh, they feel sad when such a person is lost to cancer or emphysema, but many possess the attitude that the deceased "chose" to acquire the disease or even "got what they were asking for". My friends, nobody would chose to suffer with one of these diseases or deserves to do so. Please, never let an attitude like that take home in your heart. |
