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PATIENT PROFILE

Betsy
COPD
Opelika, AL

Betsy was used to life on the road. As the Vice President of Sales for a CD and DVD packaging company, she often had to travel three weeks per month. She was completely focused on her career, and a diagnosis of COPD in 2000 came as a total shock. As the disease progressed, her doctor told her she had to stop traveling if she wanted to keep her quality of life.

"I had an identity crisis. I'd been working nonstop for 26 years, and all of a sudden I couldn't. It was really hard at first."

At first, she was depressed at the thought of having to use oxygen. She worried about the emotional, physical, and financial impact it would have on her life. And her relationship with her doctor wasn't as good as she thought it could be.

Today, she's overcome many of her initial fears. She has stayed busy doing volunteer work in her community and caring for her husband. She's keeping her condition in check, and only really has to use oxygen at night. And after a bout with pneumonia, she felt empowered enough to seek out a new doctor, who she loves. She has participated in a humanitarian trip to an orphanage in Honduras, and plans to go back as soon as possible with the help of a new portable oxygen concentrator.

Betsy Says:

"I view oxygen more like a minor hassle than a total life-changing thing. It doesn't have to be a big deal if you have the right attitude."

"Talk to other people who have been on oxygen for a while, and get yourself into a pulmonary rehabilitation program."

"Remember that you're not alone! Make the best of every single day."