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Hello All:

If anyone remembers my brief appearance in this forum I can't

imagine why you do, but you have a fantastic memory!

I was diagnosed with IPF in April, 2006, and a few months later

went off to teach English in S. Korea. I had almost two wonder-

ful years there, before the IPF caught up with me and I landed

in a Korean hospital...this was one of the more interesting

experiences I had in Korea, and most of the two years was inter-

esting!

Fortunately, Korean doctors are well trained, and although medical

services are delivered differently, they are on a par with medical

care here, with the exception of cost. My 12 days in the hospital,

including 2 in intensive care, cost the equivalent of $320 US and

my Korean health insurance paid another $650. My share included

the 24hr a day services of a pbyongwon-a, or substitute family

member, as I had no family in S.K...amazing how one can

communicate without speaking each other's language...

Anyway, I'm back in the US with blood oxygen hovering at 90-91

(and lower, of course, if I do something like walk across a room...)

I do not have health insurance, and only a modest amount of money,

most of which I need to live indoors and all that good stuff. In the

US I have not seen a pulmonologist, and where I live in N.C. no pulmon

ologist will see you without doing a lot of invasive (and very

expensive)procedures. Several doctors in S. Korea, and one US

internist told me that I would not benefit from these procedures.

Another friend, an RN, has told me that I MUST, MUST, MUST have a

lung biopsy and a couple of other things, I'm an idiot if I don't do

it even if I have to live in a tent yada, yada, yada. However, she

got a little iffy on the answer to " How will this benefit me? "

Can anyone here suggest a concrete benefit to me of these procedures?

The best I've gotten from a doctor was " Well, then we'll know what's

going on in your lungs. " When my follow-up question was " Will it

change how you treat me? " the response was, " well, maybe... "

spoken in tones that lead me to think the answer was really " well,

no, not at all. "

The trade-off for me is that I might rapidly outlive my money with

even a very short time horizon if I'm spending $$$$$ on medical care.

Medicaid is not possible in N.C. and I don't want to move to another

state where I know no one. S.S. Disability is problematical because

1) they told me I had to be diagnosed by a pulmonologist (and have

all those tests) and 2) it would take two years to be approved and I

can't receive Social Security Retirement while waiting. (I'm 63)

As of right now I'm not on any medication (I was given steroids in

S.K., didn't respond) but about to start on oxygen as needed. And one

more thing...I really have no interest in a lung transplant.

How do you all vote on lung biopsy, bronchoscopy and whatall for some-

one in my financial position? And why?

n