For people living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema, pulmonary fibrosis or another chronic lung disease, it can be challenging to feel like yourself. Because COPD and other chronic lung diseases cause fatigue, shortness of breath and persistent coughing, many people find it difficult to enjoy their favorite activities. Many of our patients come to us after hearing there isn’t much hope for them from their doctors. While COPD, emphysema and other chronic lung diseases are progressive, meaning they will worsen over time, there are treatment options available to help people breathe easier. Traditional COPD treatments include medications, steroids, inhalers, oxygen therapy and more. These traditional treatment options manage COPD symptoms while stem cell therapy works to promote healing from within the lungs, potentially improving quality of life. Let our patient, Thomas V., give you his story and stem cell therapy review.
What were Thomas’ favorite activities before the COPD diagnosis?
Like many of our patients, Thomas loved his hobbies and activities. He enjoyed building things around his home and doing strenuous labor in the garden. He never thought about his physical abilities before he had COPD. His favorite activity, however, was ballroom dancing. In fact, Thomas and his dancing partner competed in exhibitions in New York, colleges and many other places. Thomas even travelled to Buenos Aires, Argentina, to learn more about ballroom dancing and to perfect his techniques with the great Argentine ballroom dancers. When Thomas wanted to have a good time, he went ballroom dancing. Thomas could be found dancing four or more nights a week, especially on Sundays until the places he went dancing closed for the night. He could dance six or more dances back to back with no problem at all.
As Thomas says, he was a fabulous ballroom dancer, and his “mecca was Sundays” where he would “waltz, fox trot, quick step, tango and swing dance” with the best of them. “Hey, Fred! Move over!” says Thomas.
What was Thomas’ life like with COPD and emphysema before treatment?
Thomas V. lives with COPD and emphysema. He started smoking cigarettes at the age of 15. While he smoked for many years, he finally quit. However, smoking caused damage to his body. Everything he did made breathing difficult. Thomas noticed his health and breathing deteriorating each month to the point that he was puffing for air while getting dressed. When he tried to climb stairs, he became so out of breath that he called it the “ultimate asthmatic experience.”
While his COPD symptoms had worsened over time, he was still able to dance at least a couple of dances before sitting one or two out to rest. One day while dancing, his shortness of breath became so severe that he had to sit down to catch his breath in the middle of the dance. His dancing partner, who happened to be a nurse, took his pulse and told him that he had a problem. As his symptoms continued to worsen, Thomas looked for answers and help, finding that he had few options. From not being able to dance to having trouble with daily activities, Thomas felt depressed. After seeing an ad for the Lung Institute, Thomas and his son decided to give stem cell therapy a try.
What was Thomas’ stem cell therapy review?
About three months after treatment, Thomas noticed that he felt better and that his breathing had improved. He felt stronger while walking on his treadmill and saw improvement in his abilities to perform daily activities. Thomas understands that there’s no cure for COPD or emphysema, but the improvements he has seen have given him hope for his future.
“When you can’t get air, you can’t dance.” Thomas says, “You gotta sit down or you’ll fall down. You need oxygen.” After about 10 steps, he had to stop to catch his breath, but now he doesn’t have to worry about his breathing like before. He can enjoy his normal life and says that everybody has noticed his improvement.
Thomas says he feels like he has more oxygen in his blood, feels energized and enjoys “having a wonderful feeling of wellness and good feelings.” No longer depressed, he spends time tending his garden daily, and at 90 years old, Thomas loves riding his bicycle.
So, what is his stem cell therapy review? Thomas says he’s very happy with what stem cell treatment did for him, and he hopes others will receive stem cell therapy at the Lung Institute and get better, too.
Ready to feel better like Thomas? Here’s what to do:
From checking-in with our blog to read articles on a variety of topics to help you breathe easier to learning more about how stem cell therapy works, we strive to provide you with the information you need to make an informed decision. If you’re interested in learning more, check out our most recent findings about patient improvement. You can also check out the stories of other Lung Institute patients to hear stem cell therapy review stories and more. At the Lung Institute, we’re happy to answer your questions regarding stem cell therapy for chronic lung diseases. So, feel free to contact us at (800) 729-3065 to have your questions answered and to speak one-on-one with a patient coordinator.
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