I have severe emphysema with 16 to 21% lung usage. I am on oxygen 24/7, I work full time. I am scared to death about dying. I am afraid of a lung transplant. I want to live. Lung reduction might help me. When I get a cold or the flu, like I did last week, my breathing is so bad, I get exhausted and scared. I smoked from 1959 to 1997. Of course I quit as soon as I was told what I was getting. Too late for me. I smoked 1-2 packs a day for all those years. My luck!! I got emphysema/C.O.P.D. Some people never get anything. I am single. No man would want a woman on oxygen. I am still considered young. I do not look my age at all, but, here I am slowly dying from cigarettes that I gave up over 13 years ago. I am scared ,scared, scared. I want to live. I also use spiriva, advair, nebulizer, oxygen fulltime and many other medications. I will pray for all of you and please pray for me. I want to live.

I was a smoker for 30 years. I stopped about 14 years ago due to heart disease. I was told I have mild emphysema.

I was diagnosed with emphysema at the age of 28. I was never a smoker, but I was born prematurely.

I'm 54 years old and female. I was diagnosed a couple of days ago with COPD and I am beyond scared! My lung function test indicated 49% capacity. After having had flu three months ago, the shortness of breath, coughing and chest pains continued even after being treated with antibiotics. I've been smoking two packs a day for 36 years. Being born without a sternum caused my ribs to be curled in just one inch away from my spine, resulting in underdeveloped lungs. At age 34 I had surgery and it was fixed. Unfortunately my smoking just caused more damage to my already under developed lungs. The problem I'm having is that I enjoy smoking and don't want to give up! Have tried twice before and nearly went crazy and don't want to go through that again. I saw the fear in my husband and children's eyes when I told them about my condition. The best I could do was to lie and tell them that the doctor said it is not that bad and that medication will assist with my breathing. The reality is that I need to quit smoking. I know that, but more than that, I need help with it.

I was 37 years old when a CT scan showed I had mild emphysema. I smoked two packs a day for most of 23 yrs. I am now 40 years old. Recently I started feeling more breathless, so I went to the doctor. My oxygen level was 89%. For the first time he ordered oxygen. I'm supposed to use it continuously. I used it most of the first two days and now am feeling worse than before for some reason. I am having a lot of chest pain and pressure.

I have never smoked in my life. I have emphysema very badly and I'm scared.

I experienced shortness of breath and a persistent cough over several months. I have never been a smoker, however. I am in the beginning stages whatever that means.

My father was diagnosed in 2007 but kept it to himself and I think because he didn't want us to harass him to quit smoking. He loved smoking and he told me once that he wasn't quitting for anyone. He was right: The cigarettes finally quit him at age 66. It got so bad at the end that he was just constantly gasping for air and had to sit up to try to sleep at night and literally had no energy at all. He was very lethargic all the time. He lost his appetite and a lot of weight, and in the end, he has an enlarged heart.

I am almost 65. I quit smoking five years ago. I smoked for 44 years. Two packs a day on average. I quit because I had pneumonia and was scared. The doctor told me 5-8 years with the emphysema COPD I have. The nurse told me the best thing I could do was exercise and firm my muscles up and lose weight. She told me that firm muscles use less oxygen. So I got rid of the 24-7 oxygen and inhalers. I lost 70ibs as well. You don't have to sit around and wait for death go do it! Exercise. I went to a gym with my oxygen tank on for 18 months before I got rid of it. At first I was embarrassed but I said the heck with it. I started slow with full cardiac and weight lifting, and the more I exercised the better I felt.