Diagnosed with severe emphysema
Mr. Loftin is a 78-year-old man who has been diagnosed with severe emphysema. He has been a heavy smoker since age 12 and continues to smoke. He complains about his shortness of breath, stating he cannot do more than walk across the room without gasping for air. He has been cautioned about the effects of his continued smoking, but he responds with statement such as, What difference does it make if I quit now? I’ve smoked all my life and you can’t go back and change that.” How would you respond to this statement? Is it too late for him to quit and receive some benefits of that behavioral change? Is any of the damage from smoking reversible? How can you explain this to Mr. Loftin?
Sample Solution
It is never too late to quit smoking, even if you have been a smoker for many years. Despite the damage that has already been done to your lungs and overall health, quitting smoking can still help you improve your quality of life in many ways.
Quitting smoking can reduce shortness of breath and chest tightness, allowing more oxygen into the bloodstream and making it easier to walk across the room without gasping for air. Quitting also helps reduce inflammation in the lungs which will further improve breathing capabilities. Additionally, once you stop smoking your body will begin repairing itself from any cells that had previously been damaged by smoke or nicotine - this means that some of the damage caused by long-term smoking can actually be reversed! In fact, within several years after quitting smoking your risk of developing lung cancer will be cut in half compared to if you continued to smoke.
I understand that it may seem hard at this point due to all these years of habits but there are services available such as counseling sessions or support groups specifically designed for those trying to quit smoking which could really help you through this process as well as make it easier on yourself. It might also help provide motivation knowing that even though you cannot go back and change what has already happened, you can choose differently going forward in order to improve both your physical and mental health outcomes. This could be a great opportunity for Mr Loftin – while he cannot undo time he has smoked he certainly isn’t tied down by his past behavior choices; instead he still has the power today ‘to decide’ whether or not he wants continue on this path moving forward towards improved physical health outcomes so I believe it would be beneficial for him start looking into local resources available in his area so he can take steps immediately towards improved wellness goals , such as improving his breathing capacity .