New Columbia man living better life with severe lung disease

Terry Loss, 58, of New Columbia was in such bad shape healthwise, he began preparing for death. In 2017, with his health deteriorating, he took a severance package from his employer.

“I was having trouble making it through a day,” said Loss, a longtime smoker. “It was becoming harder and harder to do tasks that used to be easy for me without being short of breath.”

Things didn’t get much better following his retirement, and he found his breathing becoming even worse. During a doctor’s visit in February 2019, he was put on oxygen to help. 

“I went downhill big time. [My wife] Linda had to help me get dressed and get undressed,” said Loss. “Just getting to the car, I would be worn out, and I would cough so bad.”

In May 2023, Loss went to the bathroom and couldn’t get himself off the toilet. His wife had to help him. He was very disoriented, and she immediately took him to the hospital.

“I couldn’t breathe and when we got to this hospital, the doctor said my lungs were going to collapse,” Loss said. “Even on the highest amount of oxygen, I was not able to get any air into my lungs.”

That is when he decided to quit smoking.

After a week in the hospital, he returned home and was basically bedridden. He started giving away some of his possessions to family and friends.

“I thought my days were numbered,” he said. “I started giving away tools and clothes.”

The Losses even made his funeral arrangements with a local funeral home and ordered their headstone for the grave. “The headstone is now on our cemetery plot at Harmony Cemetery (Milton),” Linda Loss said.

Terry Loss was suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and emphysema from his nearly 4 decades of smoking. COPD is a lung condition caused by damage to the lungs, while emphysema is a lung disease that damages the air sacs in the lungs. Both of them combined make breathing extremely difficult and are life-threatening.

“I was a very heavy smoker, probably smoking close to three packs a day from the time I was 18,” Loss said. “I worked mostly in maintenance and could smoke anytime I wanted.”

Breathing got so hard for Loss that he couldn’t walk more than 20 feet without being completely out of breath, even on oxygen support. Severe disease like his causes air to get trapped in the lungs and makes it very hard to breathe.

“I was in so much trouble,” he said. “My chest would swell, and I wouldn’t be able to expel the air from my lungs.”

Loss was referred to Ngoc-Tram Ha, M.D., Geisinger’s director of interventional pulmonology, to determine treatment options for his condition. After further testing, the pulmonology team determined that Loss would be a great candidate for an endobronchial valve procedure.

“Mr. Loss came to us in October 2024. At that time, he did not have a good quality of life,” said Lynn Bingaman, a Geisinger certified registered nurse practitioner in pulmonology. “He had supplemental oxygen with exertion and was compliant with all of his medications, but was still having a significant burden of symptoms.”

Loss met all the criteria for a valve placement surgery. His lung function was at a level where the procedure could help. He was at a good body weight, and, most importantly, he had quit smoking. He was scheduled for the procedure in December 2024.

“Before the procedure, Dr. Ha came to talk to me and she asked if I was nervous,” Loss recalled. “I said, ‘No, let’s get this done.’  I had nothing to lose at that point.”

Dr. Ha used a bronchoscope to place three valve devices in the airways of Loss’s lungs. The valves work to divert air into less-diseased portions of the lungs, while allowing the worst parts of the lungs to deflate. The new distribution of air would take pressure off of his diaphragm and made it easier for him to breathe.

“Since placement of the valves, Mr. Loss has had significant improvement in his qualify of life,” said Dr. Ha. “He has been able to be weaned off supplemental oxygen and is much more active.”

Which has been a blessing for the Losses.

“I really thought we wouldn't see our 36th anniversary, and now, two years later, we celebrated our 38th anniversary on a cruise five months after his procedure,” Linda Loss said. “We are so grateful for Dr. Ha, Lynn and the entire pulmonary crew!”

“I no longer have to use oxygen during the day,” Terry Loss said, noting that he still uses oxygen while sleeping. “I can go to the store and walk around outside with no issues. I have been doing a little bit more, like helping with the dishes, running the vacuum and doing some work around the house. I like woodworking, but I haven’t fired up the equipment since my procedure. Maybe sometime soon.”