I have not had the Zephyr valves inserted, but there are many, many people who have had them; lots here and many more in Europe where they've been in use for over 10 years. You need to be evaluated to determine whether you're a good candidate for the valves by one of the centers where the valve procedure is done. Use this link to find a center near you: https://pulmonx.com/zephyr-centers/

Once you've found a center, you can learn about the procedure from that website and determine whether you want to be evaluated. If you are approved for the procedure you can go ahead or still bow out if you want. It's worth being evaluated as you will learn a tremendous amount about your COPD if you pay attention and ask lots of questions.

People who have had the procedure have had varying degrees of success. You'll want to ask about success rates, how long the valves have remained in place for people who had the procedure right after it was approved by the FDA, what the side effects are (most common are pneumothorax and pneumonia), what's the center's experience in recovery from the side effects, etc. Ask if you can talk with someone who's had the procedure done. There's also a bunch of FB pages that have mostly positive information (people who didn't have good experiences don't post there much!).

I was wondering when you had the Pulmonary test, and didn't quality why didn't you quality? Was it because you were not that bad or was it because you were bad, and it wouldn't help you?

Pulmonary function test. I had one but I didn't qualify for the zephyr valves. I do know a woman that was able to get it done and she's very happy she did. Last time I talked to her she was doing well. She has hers done at UAB. I've talked with the nurse there and they are wonderful.

what is PFT. i would love the zephyr. seems to give a whole new quality of life

I know someone one who did and she is doing great. I tested to have it done but my PFT wasn't enough to be eligible. Very disappointing.