I watch a leaf falling from the tree on a day when the wind is quiet, with just a tiny breeze now and then, and it reminds me of my journey with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
When the leaf is still on the tree, it represents our healthy lungs when we were younger, before the onset of COPD. Once the leaf falls, we enter the disease phase of our journey, which can be quite unpredictable, like the leaf’s journey to the ground. It can feel like we are being pushed by the wind, with no control over our course.
The leaf starts falling slowly, and as gravity takes over, it picks up speed. This represents the loss of lung function that happens as we age, and then an external force causes the loss to increase. This external force might be smoking, environmental pollution, or a lung infection.
The downward trajectory of the leaf is interrupted by that gentle breeze, which makes the leaf travel a short distance horizontally. It flips and twirls and then continues on its downward path.
Now imagine that the interruption in the downward path represents when we quit smoking and our lungs begin to decline at a normal rate due to aging. We may feel much better and seem to breathe more normally. We may cough less and have a reduction in inflammation. At this point, the leaf is halfway down and begins to fall at an angle toward the ground again, representing the return to the normal progression of the loss of lung function due to age.
Meanwhile, other leaves have a completely different journey. Some aren’t caught up by the gentle breeze and continue to pick up speed as they fall to the ground. These represent someone who continues to smoke after they are diagnosed with COPD. This person is continuing to damage their lungs, so the reduction in lung function over time is compounded.
People who continue to smoke are also increasing their risk of heart disease, lung cancer, and stroke. A timeline of the benefits of quitting smoking makes this decision seem like an excellent choice indeed. Particularly if you are a leaf riding on the winds of a COPD diagnosis, quitting smoking has been proven to make your journey to the ground slower and more predictable.
On my own COPD journey, I had a pneumothorax that left me with a dreadful feeling of being unable to take a deep breath, as well as pain in my back and chest. This terrifying experience provided me the incentive to commit to quitting. I had tried to quit smoking several times before that, which is the usual pattern for someone who successfully quits.
If you want to quit smoking, help is available, so keep trying until you succeed.
Note: COPD News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of COPD News Today or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.