Now the above patient is par for the coarse. End stage lung disease is not pretty. I see this all the time. The funny thing is every single one of them thought "not me", or "well we all have to die of something". Little did the know how God awful it is to gasp for air like a fish does when it is out of water, and YES this is what they look like as they die.
OK. I have given a description of your typical “Lunger”. Then we have people who are there because of other lifestyle choices. The other type that comes to mind is the sedentary lifestyle group. It makes my mind ache (and scares the hell out of me) to see people just 3 to 4 years older than me with chronic health problems. I see folks 34 to 36 years old with poor health, and the main reason I can discern is that their entire life consisted of one TV episode to the next! Or another thing that happened was they lived from one donut or one drink, drug, or cigarette to the next.
Our healthcare system is being raped by people’s poor lifestyle choices. Every day I see people 300 plus pounds on welfare because they are to fat to go to work. How are their bills paid? Through tax dollars or the Hospital absorbs the cost.. thus driving up the bill for paying folks.
Our hospital’s two biggest money makers are Gastric Bypass surgeries and Open heart Surgeries. Sad. Frustrating as hell.
Now I know I am preaching to the chior. Most that read these forums are practicing Karateka who enjoy feeling healthy. I have thought about this subject extensively and thought I’d put it out here for folks to read. Maybe someone can tell a friend or relative who smokes about my patients. Be sure to tell them they may not be able to reverse damage done to their body but they can stop it from getting worse. Who knows maybe they can prevent the Lung disease before it happens.
A few months ago I had a high ranking Dan rank say to a group of us, "look to the right of you. You should strive to be in as good of shape as them and those to the right should be in better shape than those to the left of you" I went on a diet the next day. He also talked about keeping active. He said he didn't want to be one of those who slowly deteriorated from health problems he wants to go (snaped his fingers) quick.. he wanted to remain active. This speach had a strong effect on a 65 year old student in our class. Here he is 65 and just one year as a Karateka!!
He also wants to go go go ...and then go.I think that's what I want too. Shoot me if I ever quit excersize.
