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Currently there is much information on how the cigarette affects health, detailed descriptions of the diseases it causes and quite graphic images of the irreversible damage suffered by the lungs and other organs.
The purpose of this post is not to mention the abundant information that exists on this subject, but to show what they never tell you about how this vice affects family, friends and others that surround the smoker.
I want to tell you about my experience as a close relative of a smoker. Currently my father is 67 years old and more than 10 years ago he was diagnosed with COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease).
For a time he said nothing about the disease, as if he believed that by ignoring it, it would disappear. He simply limited himself to "controlling" episodes of coughing with cough syrup and unfortunately he continued to smoke.
More than a year ago he suffered from bronchitis and since then he has gone through several quite unpleasant situations. The following months were downhill because he even had a faint and convulsions. The doctors confirmed that his right lung does not respond by 90% and that this does not regenerate.
The next thing that happened is that our lives had a radical change. We had to adapt to his condition since he had stayed in bed. We had to feed him, bathe him, clean him. We took turns sleeping with him and watching his breathing during the night. As he had stopped smoking suddenly since he had bronchitis, he developed anxiety for abstinence, presenting constant attacks of panic and melancholy. The impotence we felt was enormous.
The medical expenses that included: the endless trips to the clinics and medical centers, the continuous search for medicines (it has been treated for life), the wheelchair, the oxygen cylinder, the nebulizer, the bottle mask and a mechanical BIPAP type fan that we could not get because of its high cost, were added to the whole situation.
It was a very stressful moment for everyone.
Very slowly he was recovering. He has been left with some restrictions such as walking only on flat ground, not using stairs, etc.
Although it was a hard trip we are more than happy that he is still alive; I hope this serves as a reflection for those smokers who think it is a problem that only concerns them.