Air Dead - Emphysema

Our families have a history of emphysema deaths. It is with this in mind that we found this story from the United Kingdom's Burton Mail that we wanted to call to your attention. Medical mistakes aren't just an American phenomena.

"Mrs Margaret Jee, of Curtis Court, Horninglow, 73, suffered a heart attack on July 3, shortly after completing ‘gentle exercises’ at Hill Street Health and Wellbeing Centre, in Stapenhill; an activity recommended to her by her doctor to help her lose weight."

"[C]onsultant pathologist Dr Peter Acland said his examination confirmed Mrs Jee, who had underlying health problems including angina, arthritis and type two diabetes, had stopped breathing because of a heart attack. He said he had found evidence of surgical emphysema; air entering body tissue, indicating that air had been ‘going into the wrong place’, but it was ‘hard to say’ whether this had happened while she was alive or at the time of her death."

OK maybe it was that "gentle exercises" that we wanted to call to your attention after the earlier story about strenuous exercising to reduce prostate cancer that made us find and include this story or maybe not. We're concerned about what was done to Mrs. Jee. We really are concerned. While we don't know Mrs. Jee and the specific problem of medical emphysema hasn't been studied she could be our Mrs. or your Mrs. or she could be one of us or Amy Winehouse. We probably do need to lose weight and probably will. We just think it should be noted that there is a down side to physician ordered exercise. So let's be careful out there!


If you're suffering from emphysema whether major or minor and are in the District of Columbia the Joint Commission gives their "Gold Seal" for Emphysema Treatment to the four (4) following hospitals: Howard, Providence, The Specialty Hospital of Washington-Capitol Hill and Walter Reed. To see their selections for the state of Maryland six (6), North Carolina seven (7) and Virginia fifteen (15) hospitals select the appropriate state's name to get to the link page with that information.