CHEST Guidelines-COPD

COPD_chest

Pdf Summary

The author of the piece titled "COPD" explores the complex reasons why individuals continue smoking despite being aware of its detrimental effects, particularly in relation to conditions like Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). The narrative delves into the disconnection patients often feel and the challenges they face in communicating effectively with healthcare providers and loved ones about their experiences and emotions.<br /><br />In this poetic narrative, the speaker, who grapples with COPD, describes being blamed for their condition due to smoking, while acknowledging other contributing factors like genetics and environmental influences. The speaker shares a poignant personal experience of needing to sleep on the couch because climbing stairs became too challenging due to shortness of breath. To illustrate the severity of their condition, they compare the struggle of breathing to attempting to inhale through a piece of uncooked macaroni, a vivid metaphor shared with their husband to convey the reality of their breathing difficulty.<br /><br />Despite the health warnings, the speaker reveals that smoking provides a fleeting sense of cleanliness, driven by the sensation of a sharp inhale and the subsequent release. This highlights the complex relationship and psychological grip that smoking can have, even amidst understanding the health risks involved.<br /><br />This narrative, written by Sophia Valesca Görgens, a second-year medical student and Editor-in-Chief of Emory University's medical school literary and arts journal, "The Styloid Process," provides an intimate glimpse into the internal conflicts faced by those managing COPD and the underlying reasons behind continued smoking. It ultimately underscores the human struggle between detrimental habits and the comfort they may paradoxically provide.

Keywords

COPD

smoking

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

healthcare communication

genetics

environmental factors

breathing difficulty

psychological grip

Sophia Valesca Görgens

Emory University