Questions and more...

I'm new to this. A year ago I got a cough that kept me in bed for 8 days, it was awful. I'm 73, I have zero other health issues, And now I have found, as I've gone through various facets of "this," on and off cough and shortness of breath, that it's emphysema. I coughed for 4 months, at the end of which I got pheumonia. The local GP gave me an antibiotic which killed the pneumonia (AND the cough, but I wonder if that was a coincidence?). Of course I smoked tobacco for 20 years but gave it up 35 years ago. And up until a few months ago (when I got my diagnosis) I smoked weed once a day, not much by many standards. Now I just eat it if I feel the need. But here I am, with this, surprisingly short and powerful. I'm laid low, on and off. A week ago I felt great and took a wonderful 4 mile hike on the beach. 2 days after, I began coughing again and it's worse than ever. I have and am learning to use albuterol. The pulmo doc gave me Anoro which he said would "help me with my breathing," but since I was having no breathing problem then, I haven't started it. Expensive! Canadian/foreign pharmacies have it much cheaper but can they be trusted (recommendations?). I've been getting no exercise, in part because it's dark and cold (even in California!) and therefore easy to avoid, but I felt no ill effects after the beach hike. Since this latest round of coughcoughcough I haven't thought about exercising. Today I tried albuterol, waited 10 mins, and got on my elliptical. I took it real easy, did 7.5 mins at low intensity, and made it! I was def. out of breath at the end but not at crisis level. Now I'm resting and wondering how long and how bad it'll get before either it kills me or I take care of that myself. I don't have a family, daughter is grown and moved away~we're not close, although cordial mostly.

How can my lungs produce this much shit? Sometimes it's clear and foamy liquid~y, sometimes it's more solid goobers, sometimes both or a combo. It seems to me (what do I know? Next to nothing!) that this discharge is indication of infection and isn't there something I can take to clear/kill the infection? Antibiotics? Or are there other weapons?

How do you all survive? Some of you have had this for years! Unimaginable to me. Anyone want to tell some stories? Thanks loads, you seem like a small but nice and supportive bunch. I guess it wasn't always that way...