Smoke and Die?

My mother-in-law, Bev, has not been feeling well lately. She has the same complaints as always, but has been expressing them more frequently the past few weeks. Her doctor examined her today, and verified that her oxygen level is dangerously low - 89%. Unfortunately, Bev will only use her oxygen when she sleeps at night because it interferes with her chain smoking during the day. Since she has end-stage emphysema, her feet are swollen due to the fact that her blood is no longer circulating freely. Her breathing is labored and her legs & back are in constant pain. Her doctor prescribed oxygen 24 hours a day and insisted that she quit smoking immediately. Bev always feels quite a bit better and her memory is somewhat sharper when she uses her oxygen, but she would rather smoke than feel good. I know that smoking is highly addictive, but, really, if your doctor told you to quit smoking or die, what would you do? I am going to query every smoker I know to find out if Bev is more the exception or the rule.

Now, since Bev won't quit smoking, I wish that she would at least use her oxygen a bit more often. When Jim and I stopped by to visit her last weekend, we opened the door to her room and thick smoke poured out as if there was a fire smoldering in there! Seriously. I stood in her doorway and chatted from there because it was honestly that bad - one hundred times worse than any bowling alley! Bev made it clear years ago, and she has reiterated again and again to everyone who will listen, including her doctor, that she will never, ever quit smoking no matter what happens. But it is difficult, particularly for Jim, to sit and watch Bev self-destruct. I think that he has accepted the fact, though, that if her Alzheimer's doesn't kill her soon, her lack of oxygen will.