Pamela’s Story
“After the procedure, I had a great ‘wake up’ because I was able to really take a deep breath! The valves release the trapped air and not having that pressure on my chest felt good!”
Procedure Details:
Age at Treatment: 61
Date of Procedure: March 2021
Hospital: Franciscan Health, Greenwood, IN
Hometown: Indianapolis, IN
Pamela’s Story
“After the procedure, I had a great ‘wake up’ because I was able to really take a deep breath! The valves release the trapped air and not having that pressure on my chest felt good!”
Procedure Details:
Age at Treatment: 61
Date of Procedure: March 2021
Hospital: Franciscan Health, Greenwood, IN
Hometown: Indianapolis, IN
Life Before Zephyr® Valves:
I have never been someone who lets things get me down. But a few years after being diagnosed with emphysema, I was no longer able to live the active, full life I once had.
I had been treated for asthma for years and then at age 54, I was diagnosed with emphysema. Initially, I just used the same inhalers I’d used all along. I worked full-time as a counselor, working with troubled youth in many different capacities trying to help them to graduate. I was active in my church, the community, with my 6 kids and 8 grandkids. I didn’t have a lot of limitations but by the time I was 55/56, I began having trouble breathing. I was able to continue working with the support of my coworkers. I took my oxygen to work and luckily there was an elevator. But as the emphysema worsened, I eventually had to leave the job I loved and go on disability.
I had exacerbations that put me in the hospital every summer since I was 55. I have been on a ventilator twice due to pneumonia. One time it was so bad that I drove myself to the hospital, beeped the horn for help, and passed out. They ended up transferring me to a different hospital where I woke up a week later on a ventilator. It was so very scary. Most people don’t realize you can die on a ventilator.
Eventually, I was on oxygen, 8 liters resting. Although pulmonary rehab did help me a little, it really didn’t allow me to be active like I had been. I’m a very upbeat person and I didn’t get depressed, but I did develop anxiety.
Physically, I became a couch potato. It was hard to do laundry and household chores. It would take me an hour and a half just to get dressed. Extreme weather made it even more difficult to breathe. I could feel the change in the air throughout my whole body. My husband and I are raising our granddaughter, whose mother passed away unexpectedly, and my husband lives with some physical pain himself, so it was really difficult for us all.
I first heard about the valves in an online support group I belong to called ‘My COPD Team’. A gentleman who had just had the Zephyr Valve procedure was recommending it. So, I did my research and when I went to my pulmonologist and talked to him about it, he said he’d talk to a doctor who performed the procedure who was in that same medical group.
Right then I had a great feeling about this. I truly believed in my heart that I was going to have this procedure. I have such strong faith and I had everyone in my church praying. Insurance denied me a couple of times, but with the help of a representative on my hospital support team, we had my case reviewed by an independent evaluator whose President called me himself to tell me I qualified!
– Pamela
Life After Zephyr Valves:
After the procedure, I had a great “wake up” because I was able to really take a deep breath! The valves release the trapped air and not having that pressure on my chest felt good! Even the doctor was saying how remarkable my recovery was. I was very blessed in that I accomplished in 3 days what I’d been trying to do for over 2 years…I was able to breathe easier.
Now, my recovery wasn’t without some setbacks. I had a pneumothorax and stayed in the hospital longer, but I was still in good spirits because I could breathe. I returned home and had my 2-week follow-up appointment on a Friday. Over that weekend, I coughed up some blood a couple of times, but I was not in any pain. I went to the ER and it turned out I’d developed pneumonia so they treated that. Even though I had those two complications, I would do it again in a heartbeat. It was very minor compared to what I’d been through before on the ventilators.
I still take the same medications but lower doses. In early August I did my PFT and my lung function has improved by 36%! I can go out shopping, do laundry and cleaning, and drive more places – all using less oxygen. Extreme weather isn’t so difficult to handle anymore. Strong scents used to really bother me but now I can indulge my girly side with the scented candles I love. Apple pie is a favorite. And I can go to the salon for a facial and a mani/pedi!
I’m active in my church again and going to the jazz club with friends. I haven’t been out to have fun in 6 years, so it feels amazing to be able to do fun social things again. I’m going to the casino to celebrate.
When I had to leave my job, I never intended to stay on disability. I took online classes working toward my Master’s degree in Community Psychology. I will graduate in 2022 and am looking forward to my second career.
The Zephyr Valve has given me a new life! I would shout it from the rooftops if I could!
Results from case studies are not necessarily predictive of results in other cases. Results in other cases may vary.
GLO-EN-1163-v1
What is the Zephyr Valve procedure?
The Zephyr Valve has been shown to help patients breathe easier, do more, and enjoy life.1
Despite taking the best available medications, many patients with severe COPD/emphysema suffer from hyperinflation of their lungs where air becomes trapped in the lungs, preventing fresh air from entering and thereby causing severe shortness of breath.
The Zephyr Valves reduce lung hyperinflation by allowing trapped air to escape and preventing new air from entering that diseased lobe. This allows the healthier parts of the lung to function better and results in patients being able to breathe more easily and experience less shortness of breath.
The valves are placed via bronchoscopy, with no incision or cutting, so these benefits are achieved without the risks of traditional surgical options. The procedure is usually complete in under an hour.
Complications of the Zephyr Endobronchial Valve treatment can include but are not limited to pneumothorax, worsening of COPD symptoms, hemoptysis, pneumonia, dyspnea and, in rare cases, death.
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I have never been someone who lets things get me down. But a few years after being diagnosed with emphysema, I was no longer able to live the active, full life I once had.
I had been treated for asthma for years and then at age 54, I was diagnosed with emphysema. Initially I just used the same inhalers I’d used all along. I worked full-time as a counselor, working with troubled youth in many different capacities trying to help them to graduate. I was active in my church, the community, with my 6 kids and 8 grandkids. I didn’t have a lot of limitations but by the time I was 55/56, I began having trouble breathing. I was able to continue working with the support of my coworkers. I took my oxygen to work and luckily there was an elevator. But as the emphysema worsened, I eventually had to leave the job I loved and go on disability.
I had exacerbations that put me in the hospital every summer since I was 55. I have been on a ventilator twice due to pneumonia. One time it was so bad that I drove myself to the hospital, beeped the horn for help and passed out. They ended up transferring me to a different hospital where I woke up a week later on a ventilator. It was so very scary. Most people don’t realize you can die on a ventilator.
Eventually I was on oxygen, 8 liters resting. Although pulmonary rehab did help me a little, it really didn’t allow me to be active like I had been. I’m a very upbeat person and I didn’t get depressed, but I did develop anxiety.
Physically, I became a couch potato. It was hard to do laundry and household chores. It would take me an hour and a half just to get dressed. Extreme weather made it even more difficult to breathe. I could feel the change in the air throughout my whole body. My husband and I are raising our granddaughter, whose mother passed away unexpectedly, and my husband lives with some physical pain himself, so it was really difficult for us all.
I first heard about the valves in an online support group I belong to called ‘My COPD Team’. A gentleman who had just had the Zephyr Valve procedure was recommending it. So, I did my research and when I went to my pulmonologist and talked to him about it, he said he’d talk to a doctor who performed the procedure who was in that same medical group.
Right then I had a great feeling about this. I truly believed in my heart that I was going to have this procedure. I have such strong faith and I had everyone in my church praying. Insurance denied me a couple of times, but with the help of a representative on my hospital support team, we had my case reviewed by an independent evaluator whose President called me himself to tell me I qualified!
-
After the procedure, I had a great “wake up” because I was able to really take a deep breath! The valves release the trapped air and not having that pressure on my chest felt good! Even the doctor was saying how remarkable my recovery was. I was very blessed in that I accomplished in 3 days what I’d been trying to do for over 2 years…I was able to breathe easier.
Now, my recovery wasn’t without some setbacks. I had a pneumothorax and stayed in the hospital longer, but I was still in good spirits because I could breathe. I returned home and had my 2-week follow up appointment on a Friday. Over that weekend, I coughed up some blood a couple of times, but I was not in any pain. I went to the ER and it turned out I’d developed pneumonia so they treated that. Even though I had those two complications, I would do it again in a heartbeat. It was very minor compared to what I’d been through before on the ventilators.
I still take my same medications but lower doses. In early August I did my PFT and my lung function has improved by 36%! I can go out shopping, do laundry and cleaning, and drive more places – all using less oxygen. Extreme weather isn’t so difficult to handle anymore. Strong scents used to really bother me but now I can indulge my girly side with the scented candles I love. Apple pie is a favorite. And I can go to the salon for a facial and a mani/pedi!
I’m active in my church again and going to the jazz club with friends. I haven’t been out to have fun in 6 years, so it feels amazing to be able to do fun social things again. I’m going to the casino to celebrate.
When I had to leave my job, I never intended to stay on disability. I took online classes working toward my Master’s degree in Community Psychology. I will graduate in 2022 and am looking forward to my second career.
The Zephyr Valve has given me a new life! I would shout it from the rooftops if I could!
-
The Zephyr Valve has been shown to help patients breathe easier, do more, and enjoy life.1
Despite taking the best available medications, many patients with severe COPD/emphysema suffer from hyperinflation of their lungs where air becomes trapped in the lungs, preventing fresh air from entering and thereby causing severe shortness of breath.
The Zephyr Valves reduce lung hyperinflation by allowing trapped air to escape and preventing new air from entering that diseased lobe. This allows the healthier parts of the lung to function better and results in patients being able to breathe more easily and experience less shortness of breath.
The valves are placed via bronchoscopy, with no incision or cutting, so these benefits are achieved without the risks of traditional surgical options. The procedure is usually complete in under an hour.
Results from case studies are not necessarily predictive of results in other cases. Results in other cases may vary.
– Pamela
