Richard

Birth Date
7/27/54

Gender
Male

Heritage
Scottish, English,
French, German

Nationality
American

Alpha type
lung

Alpha level
25

Alpha gene
ZZ

Last FEV1
32%

Diagnosed
1996

Treatment
Prolastin, Spriva,
Flovent, Serevent,
Proventil

Richard Affleck

richard_affleck@urscorp.com

I live in New Jersey.

I am an Archaeologist.

My favorite color is Blue.

My favorite book/movie is The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

My favorite music is classical/jazz/rock and roll.

My favorite pastime is photography.

For pets, I have cats.

My favorite quote is "The important thing is not to stop questioning" Albert Einstein

7/18/2005 I suppose my story is pretty typical. I first realized that there was something wrong in 1992. I had gone for a hazmat physical and the spirometer test indicated that there was a problem with my breathing. Even then I can't recall having experienced any shortness of breath, but went to my family physician who put me on Atrovent. For the next couple of years I seem to have remained more or less stable.

By 1996, however, I was beginning to get short of breath during physical exertion. My physician referred me to a pulmonologist, who tentatively diagnosed me with Alpha-1, a condition that I had never heard of before. Once the results of the blood tests, chest x-ray, and catscan came back, they simply confirmed what he already suspected. He put me on various inhalers, which helped me stay functional.

It wasn't until late 1999 that I was able to tap into the supply of Prolastin, through the Bayer Direct program, and began getting infusions every two weeks early in 2000.

I've been more or less stable since then, although the last year was a bit rougher than most, with several upper respiratory infections and one major exacerbation. This last landed me in the hospital while on vacation in southern Utah this past April. I've made a full recovery, but took this as a warning that I need to take extra precautions when traveling, especially by air.

I've tried not to let my condition run my life. It's not always easy, and I've had to make adjustments--physically, mentally, and psychologically. Perhaps my profoundest realization was that I'm not alone.

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