I'm 70 years old. (Updated)
Last edited Fri Jan 18, 2019, 05:36 PM - Edit history (1)
This Summer I noticed that I didn't have the stamina I used to. Mowing the lawn would leave me gasping. I chalked it up to a rather slothful Winter, but then instead of getting better it got worse. By the end of Summer I was getting out of breath walking the aisles at the grocery store, and be the beginning of November, walking from one room the another would leave me panting.
Now, I'm not a big fan of running to the doctor at every little thing, but I'm not an idiot who refuses to go when necessary. So, I had an appointment coming up with my cardiologist and he always asks me about 'shortness of breath'. So, I brought it up with him. Unfortunately it turns out he is a 'heart' guy only. If its not related to your heart he isn't particularly interested. He said my heart sounded OK, but he would do an echo cardiogram to be sure and I should come back in two weeks. So, I scheduled the test and went to get the appointment, but he had evidently had forgotten that in two weeks he would have just started a two week vacations. Grrr. They had told me that it would take about 5 working days to get the results of the echo. After 7 working days, I called and was told that the doctor (the one who wouldn't be back for another 3 weeks) had to review the results before they would release them to me. Bigger Grrr.
A few days later, evidently after someone had actually looked at the results, the office called and told me that if I was still having shortness of breath I should go to the ER. Medium sized explosion!
So. I called my PCP (we used to call them GP's) and got in to see him the next day. He listened carefully and sent me across the hall for blood work and an X-ray. Later that day my PCP called and said the X-rays weren't clear enough and I needed an CAT scan, which he had already scheduled for me two days later. After the CAT scan he again called the same day and gave me a referral to surgeon for a lung biopsy. I went in this past Wed morning and just got home this afternoon. The problem is they still don't know what is causing the scaring, so they don't know how to treat it. (Really Big Sigh)
It will take 5-10 working days to get the results of the biopsy. (Whimper)
So, hopefully, we will finally find out IF we have an answer and IF there is any sort of treatment to slow things down. (Sigh)
I'll post again when/if we learn anything. But at least I found some doctors who took things seriously.
UPDATE1
1/18/19 - So, went in yesterday to finally get my chest tube out. Ouch! It hurts a lot less with the tube out, but the whole area is still very sore. I finally got a look at where they had gone in and there are a couple of incisions one under my arm, about 4" long, one a couple of inches below that, and then the hole where the chest tube drained. For some strange reason I am now getting attacks of the hiccups. Go figure. I get to take the bandage off for good tomorrow. Thank goodness.
I have to go back for a final checkup with the surgeon next Thursday (1/24) and then go see the Pulmonologist the Thursday after that. Hopefully, by that time they will have the results back from the biopsy and we will have a clue as to what is going on and what can be done about it.
Thanks for all the support. I think I've got a pretty good crew of Doctors at this point. And I'll keep y'all posted as more news developes.
= new reply since forum marked as read
And remember there are many treatable conditions that could be causing this: a vegetation, a stubborn pneumonia, to name two.
I hope you get your answers soon.
My husband got most of his answers after he had testing before hernia surgery. We are going in for a full day of testing on the 31st. But it looks like he will be having open heart surgery, valve replacement, within about a month.
Keep after these people if they don't do what you need.
Keep us informed.