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Post by eagle on Jul 20, 2008 8:26:06 GMT -5
BDG, I am glad that you insisted on proper medical evaluation. Sometimes the only way to make that happen is to be extremely persistant. Keep up being persistant. You may not like the news, but effective treatment can only be found once the diagnois is made based on the evidence. Without your complete and extensive input, important evidence will be overlooked. So keep up being perisistant. Write down your questions before you go to the doctor. Write down your symptoms, all of them, even ones that you think might not be related. Bring your notes with you to each visit with doctors. Don't let the doctor leave the exam room without going over each and every thing on your list. Write down what the doctor says as he/she answers your questions or gives explanations. Regarding possibilites from what you describe, I don't want to alarm you, but to help prepare you and give you some idea of what types of things to report to the doctor or to ask about. So I am giving you some links to read up on related topics: www.asbestos.net/pleural-disease/empyema.htmlwww.atsdr.cdc.gov/asbestos/asbestos/health_effects/www.clevelandclinicmeded.com/medicalpubs/diseasemanagement/pulmonary/occlung/occlung.htmwww.manmonthly.com.au/articles/Protecting-workers-against-dust-and-quartz-emissions_z165532.htmOne question I have is this: Do you have renal disease? Lung calcification is not uncommon in persons with advanced renal disease. I don't recall you mentioning anything related to renal disease. Asbestos exposure could occur in the home, as well as at work. I once scraped my ceiling and later found out that the coating on the ceiling contained asbestos. It is always in the back of my mind that it may have an adverse effect on me sometime in the future.
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Post by BDG on Jul 20, 2008 10:54:10 GMT -5
Thank you. No I don't have renal disease yet, I am trying to drink a lot of water to keep my lungs moist other wise I am very prone to pneumonia. I have had a few kidney infections. I do sometimes have to take fluid pills because I have swelling in my legs. Unfortunately I don't see the pulmonary specialist again for 6 months, my appointment is in January 2009. If I am still able to talk at that time I will definitely have some questions for him.
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Post by BDG on Jul 20, 2008 11:21:29 GMT -5
Thank you threeG, Fivecat, creativechaos. Three G upon typing your name it suddenly occured to me that hubby and his band members almost called their band, "The Three G's", due to all three of their first names are Gerald. My hubby met a guy named Gerald at work years ago and though they have moved onto other jobs, they have stayed friends, it turns out that he is married to a girl I knew growing up, they had a son who is a fantastic entertainer named after his Dad. So anyway they formed a country/gospel music band and used to perform at a few places, and they were trying to come up with a band name and Three G's was a strong contender. I have been trying to deep breath a lot but with my lungs working at 68% capacity I am not able to suck in much air. I think though doing this a long time ago before they calcified might have helped me keep this from happening though I don't know that for a fact. No one told me this was a possibility for me, they just kept saying that I had a lot of scar tissue on my lungs. Fivecat, I was a little shocked when he told me that there was nothing that could help me breathe better right now or nothing they could do, but surgery, I am going to talk to the nurse practitioner and request seeing someone else, though I think he might be the only lung guy in my area. Creativechaos I will try and find some websites on this, I am not against alteranative medicine at all, and have often thought it should be used along with standard treatments instead of just discounting them as many drs. do.
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Post by Fivecat on Jul 20, 2008 15:42:55 GMT -5
Try singing BDG, even if it's just to yourself and you can't carry a tune in a bucket. It's the best lung exercise i know. Seriously. Fivecat
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Post by BDG on Jul 20, 2008 17:07:42 GMT -5
I am not a good singer. I was singing once in front of my Dad and he laughed and told me that I could not carry a tune if it was tied up in a tote sack. I should have listened, my boyfriend at the time, now husband told me I could sing really good. So imagine the honeymoon, I come in decked out in my babydoll pjs and he is bent double rolling on the bed laughing because he listened to me sing in the shower. That man is lucky I have such a forgiving heart. So now I have a reason to sing. He is going to pay big time, I only know two songs by heart, Bobby McGee and Please Don't Bury Me by John Prine. Revenge is sweet and shall be mine.
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Post by Fivecat on Jul 22, 2008 0:40:15 GMT -5
ROFL!!! good for you learn ya some new songs and sing loud and often fivecat
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