Review Thursday with Pulmo

[ck101]

Me again,

Curiosity got the better of me and I went for that CT scan of the Thorax, thankfully the lungs were clear and showed no emphysema type changes. As some of you will know chronic bronchitis type changes aren't always as recognisable and the radiologist said in his eyes all was good but he’d defer to the Pulmo. They did however find a hiatal hernia, an enlarged prostate and a very small spot on my liver which he wants to follow up with an MRI.

Things have also moved quickly on the pulmonary front & I had a full PFT inc. lung volumes last week which didn’t go quite as well. Firstly in the preceding days I had bad reflux and on the day of the test I thought I may be getting a cold but was unsure if this was my imagination 🤦🏻‍♂️🤷‍♂️ I have been vax’d and limit my contacts so wasn’t overly concerned about COVID. Sure enough the cold didn’t materialise but have had morning sniffles for over a week.

Anyway I found it all a total nightmare, the fixed mouthpiece felt too high and I couldn’t give it my usual forceful blow where I end up doubled over, I sounded like cross between a moose and walrus and nearly fainted at least twice. The RRT although pleasant was the Secret Squirrel 🐿 type and wouldn’t give anything away. She did however concede my ratio was 65 on the first blow, yes that’s SIXTY FIVE, WHAT?

So back in ‘04 when all this began and I was told I was normal but felt something was amiss with my breathing I had a ratio of 75, it stayed like this till 2015. I haven’t had any serious amount of chest infections or bouts of pneumonia, neither do I work as a firefighter or welder. A ratio of 65 will have dropped my FEV1 from 4.66 to 3.75 or so in 18 years despite not smoking. I say 18 years because the 2015 tests were done not in a lab but on my personal device which also read 3.85 last week.

This is a marked change from ‘04. At the time one eminent Pulmo told me “I didn’t have COPD, I didn’t have Emphysema or even Chronic Bronchitis and never will” I have nearly a photographic memory of those words, they’re definitely etched in my wife’s brain as I’ve had them repeated to me hundreds of times over the course of the last two decades during our heated debates on my malady and perceived state of mind.

We do tend to hang onto every word that’s uttered from a consultants mouth, I wonder do they realise this? One throwaway statement can have ramifications that last a lifetime.

So off to the Pulmo Thursday, I haven’t seen him before & going private. One thing I appreciated about this guy from the off was he booked me in for a PFT without even seeing him. Normally they do this after the first visit landing themselves another fee.

The COPD nurse reckons he’s the man. Apparently he’s one of the best in the country and is on the board of the national COPD advisory team.

Fingers & legs crossed peep’s!

C.

[sassy59]

Hoping all goes well for you ck101. Thinking of you. Xxx

[Alberta56]

Good luck. 🤞🤞🤞

[tomc]

Good luck.I have been told I blew 77 but I also told Asthma, Bronchiectasis and severe COPD but I`m fit or did he say f....d ? not sure BUT I'm still here.

😅😅😅😅