The Results (a day or two late)
I met my new pulmonologist Tuesday a few minutes later than originally scheduled. Jessica offered to pick up my x-rays from the hospital and bring them to me yet on Monday a miscommunication occurred where the hospital misplaced the x-rays and left them at the radiologist's office. Thank God for cell-phones! I redirected Jessica to the other office. While talking to her she asked if she could tag along to the pulmonologist's office; I wasn't about to turn her down, I needed all the moral support I could get. The appointment was at 12:30, we were there at 12:45.
Dr. Jerry Pluss, a very professional and thorough doctor, had no issue seeing me late. He's all about the patient and my time with him took almost two hours. He reviewed the x-rays and felt that the great white spot in my lungs is more likely fat rather than pneumonia or worse. Being 6'5" and 300 pounds I know full well that I've got some excess baggage around my mid-section. Improperly trained x-ray technicians don't compensate for the excess fat and therefore don't increase the amount of radiation being delivered to properly capture the internals of the body. He agrees that there is something definitely wrong as I continue to have breathing problems irrespective of time, activity, or condition.
The doctors opinion and not diagnosis is either asthma or sleep apnea. I'm leaning towards the former as I was diagnosed with a form of asthma called exercise-induced asthma during the first couple weeks of 1995. The later, sleep apnea, usually has signs that include being sleepy during the day. During the night there are moments where breathing stops, Jessica has yet to see this occurrence and we've been sleeping in the same bed for quite some time. On Tuesday I'll be going to the hospital for a high contrast CAT scan, a six-minute walk to ascertain my oxygen levels, a drug induced asthma test where they'll continue to place increased levels of a drug into my blood stream causing an asthma attack, and a swallow study to see if my digestive tract has any erosion caused by acid-reflux. Wednesday I'll be back at the hospital for a sleep study. I'm not looking forward to any of these tests but I'll do them to help find why I keep getting these pneumonia-like problems every few months.
Since Monday I've been having my up and down days. I was really energetic yesterday but today I've had the chills with almost no energy. Monday I slept most of the evening and Tuesday I was more normal. The doctor did recommend weight-loss and since yesterday I've begun to focus on losing weight not just for me but for my family. I joined Weight Watchers again. Yesterday was my first meeting and like my previous attempts at weight loss I found the meetings to be helpful. Seeing other people who aren't overweight talking about their weight during the meeting causes me to roll-over and laugh on the inside. I drank four liters of water yesterday and three today; I'm pretty sure my body has been doing back-flips trying to figure where the caffeine went. Today I indulged a little and had a couple Diet Pepsis during and after dinner. I am drinking water right now and it tastes wonderful.
Maybe I'm not that sick but I don't think I've ever been this weak except for when I had the flu the last weeks of May. This is going to be quite an experience and in some cases an uphill battle as my mind-set has always been to eat when I'm stressed. I get stressed a lot. It isn't just my job but also my family. I've got four kids with one, Ayden, who may have another seizure at some time. I worry. It's what I do and what I've done all my life. I have a wonderful support system but I'll continue to worry. There is one thing I've wondered: what will I look like when I'm down to 220?