congratulations on your stoke recovery and smoking cessation. i smoked 2 1/2 packs of cigarettes per day and made a conscious decision to stop before overt signs of lung or heart disease surfaced. i read that a person who stops smoking at the age of 50 adds six years to their life expectancy. people who quit smoking after having a heart attack reduce their chances of having another heart attack by 50%. but with a history of smoking for 40 years lung and heart disease can still materialize even after years of abstinence. for example i stopped smoking almost 30 years ago and thought that i was out of woods only to have been recently diagnosed with c. o. p. d. (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and a right-sided heart block. the great news is that you will have decreased by 50% after 10 years of non-smoking your chances of succumbing to cancer of the mouth throat esophagus bladder cervix and pancreas. yes it is possible that you have emphysema. please make an appointment to be evaluated by your personal physician. chances are that he or she will request chest x-rays blood work an e. k. g. and other studies. they may also refer you to a cardiologist pulmonologist gastroenterologist and other medical specialist for consultation. you've come so far and deserve an opportunity to lead a productive life. after all you're only 50 years old and should have many good years in the future. please do not dismiss the shortness of breath and changes in the anatomical look of your stomach accompanied with distress. call your doctor without delay.
50yrs old had a stroke recovered from it quit smoking. my stomach has doubled in size and its hard to breathe not fat. i smoked for 40yrs then suffered a stroke. i fully recovered from it and havent smoked since that time. its been a year and my stomach has doubled in size not from fat. it is hard like bloated and the rest of my body is fine. im 50yrs old and am very active but i get short on breath sometimes just for no reason! is it possible i have emphezima? i felt fine and had no symptems like this before the stroke! please help with answers. thank you.