Personally the worst places are polluted cities..I was born in Paris and I recall always having chest infections. GP used to send me to a French mountain resort for children in summer, I had a huge thyroid cyst out and they thought I had a rare form of TB in those days.
Then I forgot all about that, felt young and free, moved to England I was 20 and became a teacher, always caught bugs from the children, had chest infections mainly in winter and allergy season. I loved the English countryside. I had a beautiful daughter. Didn’t know I had LAM there either but I was on progesterone and doxycyclin most of the time.
Got a teaching post in Switzerland I was 35. I lived well in the Swiss mountains for 15 years. Always had allergies and rhinitis but no asthma. Didn’t know I had LAM then either. I was fed up with snow and harsh winters so was offered
a principal post in Barcelona.
Problems started. They were all smoking heavily around me. I remember coughing for weeks, went to the Spanish doctor, had a xray he was cross and said you have a very bad bronchitis, got my first Ventolin and 3 weeks doxy. Forgot to say I had developed an allergy to penicillin so left with what he called a third rate antibiotic!
Didn’t know I had LAM there either.
I loved the tapas and the sea air...
But I was bored with admin I was a teacher.
Moved back to England, London, teaching in a difficult school. Couldn’t breathe much, lots of ventolin, never sent for an xray, CT scans were expensive and rare in the NHS.
So I survived 62 years not knowing I had LAM. I think I told you the rest before, how it escalated and I had my CT scan on holiday in the south of France where Mum lives.
Anyway I have been living in Switzerland again by the lake, it is humid and I hate the long winters..medical care isn’t great in the public sector, pretty basic I would say. Everything is private and expensive. I am lucky I found kind doctors who found my case interesting but I went across the border to Lyons to see a LAM specialist. There are 20 of us in Switzerland so I don’t think they care. I know they don’t because they call us for an appointment every 2 years and can’t even be bothered to send a report to the local pulmonologist. Although the specialist is a big name, he publishes a lot.
In Lyons, France Pr. Cottin is very competent and kind, I can email him my local scan and results. He will give me advice.
To finish my story I am down at Mum’s again in the south of France, got sick straight away, Hyères humid city I suppose, 5 km from the sea but Mum has the aircon full blast!
How do you recognise a LAM patient she is all dressed warmly with a cardigan, a scarf and bag full of meds 😃 and watching the World cup on telly when everyone is at the beach!
Anyway I am here looking at the sunshine, getting ready for my respiratory physiotherapy. Thank goodness I met him 4 years ago and here we are again fighting against pleurisy I would say, my fractured thoracic vertebrae not helping.
Pop in a paracetamol Fran, stop feeling sorry for yourself, have some George Clooney espresso and get out there!
Love to all of you 💕
Fran
x
xx
Lake and Mountains..
Room with a View?
