Getting used to the new me

Anita, 56, never thought she would retire in her 50s. But, after being diagnosed with COPD eight years ago, she found she could no longer manage the workload she was used to without it having a damaging effect on her condition. In this blog, Anita explains how being forced to leave her job made her rethink what made her happy in life.

I thought my COPD was stress

I was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in 2013, but I’d been struggling with breathlessness for months before I went to the doctors about it. It was a very stressful period in my life because I was running my own business and caring for my son who was unwell at the time. When you’re worried about someone else’s health, you tend to focus on that, and I just thought the breathlessness I was experiencing was stress related.

I had symptoms for about six months before it suddenly dawned on me that something wasn’t right. I was going up the stairs in the hospital where my son was being treated, and I could barely get to the top without gasping for breath. I made an appointment with my GP, thinking I could have asthma. I was referred to a specialist that diagnosed me with COPD.

I had to fight to get pulmonary rehabilitation

While I had heard of COPD before, it wasn’t a condition I knew much about. When I was diagnosed, I felt like I wasn’t given much information about COPD and how it could affect me. I was just given an inhaler and told to come back once a year for an appointment with a respiratory nurse.

It wasn’t until three years after I was diagnosed, through my own research, I found out about pulmonary rehabilitation (PR). When first I tried to get on the programme, I was told I wasn’t breathless enough to qualify! Eventually I managed to get on the course, and it was great for helping me keep up with my fitness and managing breathlessness.

Leaving my career

All while this was going on, I was working full time in senior management where I was used to the pace, demands and responsibility. However, as the years went on, I found my COPD symptoms were starting to have an impact making it difficult to continue at this level. I decided to take a less demanding role with less hours. My final job was working as a part-time cover manager for a chain of charity shops in Sheffield. Charity shops can be quite dusty places with the majority having work areas and office space in cellars and attics, only accessible by stairs. This environment had a huge impact on my COPD, so much so, it got to the point where I’d become breathless just from having conversations with customers.

Shortly before the pandemic, I got a chest infection, which although I was given steroids to treat, I never fully recovered from. I made the really difficult decision to stop working earlier this year.

Finding new ways to feel fulfilled

I have enjoyed a varied and successful career and loved being an entrepreneur and businesswoman. I have received several nominations for my business achievements, as well an award for my business insight, always believing I’d be one of those people who worked well past my official retirement date. So, after leaving my last job, there was a certain degree of readjustment to my new way of life. I had to reframe how I thought about myself, what I contributed to society and my personal sense of value.

Before, I always thought having grandchildren would have to fit around my work. But now I’m free to be a hands-on grandmother. I have two granddaughters and I feel fulfilled with being there to look after my family members that need me. I’ve even joined the British Lung Foundation Readers Panel, where I used my skills to help the charity create clear and relevant health information for people affected by lung conditions. I feel rewarded by different things now and although I'm still getting used to the new me, I’ve found my new way of life makes me so very happy.

Find out more about COPD

If you have COPD, want to learn more about COPD, or want to donate to help fund vital research and support for people with this condition, visit our World COPD Day page today.

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