Over 176,000 people across Northern Ireland are living with respiratory conditions which are diseases that affect the lungs and airways. Billy Aitcheson is one such person. He has COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) as well as asthma and is sharing his story to raise awareness of chest conditions and the impact they can have.
Billy explains; “I was a heavy smoker for about thirty years. In the days when I started smoking most people did it and we didn’t know how damaging it was to your health. Over the years I started to feel chesty, but I didn’t think much of it.”
“I decided to try and stop smoking and started using a vape instead. One morning I was leaving for work as a school bus driver and I started to cough and thought I was going to pass out I was coughing that much. I stopped vaping and smoking all together and the coughing stopped for a while, however the damage had already been done to my lungs. I had TB in my late teens which scarred my lungs, and I had smoked for so many years. The Coughing returned and got worse, and I was referred to Ards Community Hospital where I had tests which diagnosed COPD and asthma.”
Talking about how the conditions affect him Billy says; “I am short of breath, and I do feel tightness in my chest. Walking up a hill with some shopping for example exhausts me and I would be wheezing. I have a walking stick with a built-in seat and a mobility scooter to help me now and prevent me falling. Even talking for a long while leads to me getting short of breath and my voice starts to crackle.”
“These conditions change, and I just have to get up each day and evaluate how I feel and what I might need to do or change. I’ve also learnt techniques to help with my breathing, and they make a big difference.”
It was at an appointment at hospital that Billy came into contact with Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke (NICHS). “I met Michael, one of the charity’s Care Services Coordinators, and he explained about the different services and programmes NICHS offer. He asked if I would like to come along to one of the groups and I thought, ‘why not give it a try?’. I go to the Breathing Better Wellness Sessions, and I love every minute of it. You get to meet new people, have a chat and a laugh, talk about issues affecting us, learn from each other, get ideas on how to try dealing with something in a way you hadn’t thought of before; it’s great. I have also completed the Taking Control Self-Management Programme which provides a range of skills to help you to manage your condition better and improve your confidence.”
“Michael is brilliant and the speakers and facilitators he brings in are great too. They are all professionals and the information they share and advice they give is very useful. They have pointed me in the right direction for things, but it has been up to me to take my health into my own hands and do what I need to do to try and help myself as much as possible.”
“To other people affected by similar conditions I would say, it’s about taking that initial step to go to something new and meet people you don’t know. You might worry about going somewhere for the first time and feeling a bit isolated, but the NICHS groups are so friendly. There is a real camaraderie, and we all understand what it’s like to live with a respiratory condition, how it feels and the issues it can throw up. It’s really helpful to be with people who understand and can talk to each other.”
Talking about being a respiratory Hope Hero and featuring on artwork across hospitals in Northern Ireland Billy says; “I am more than happy to help NICHS in any way I can as the charity has helped me so much, particularly Michael.”
“I am also a professional Santa and visited my Breathing Better Wellness Session group’s Christmas party last year in character to spread a bit of festive cheer and give something back for the help I’ve received.”
