Re: Value of A Second Opinion

[Guest guest]

Amen Sue...God works in mysterious ways...

MamaSher, age 70. IPF 3-06, OR. NasturtiumsDon't fret about tomorrow, God is already there!

Value of A Second Opinion

I had an acute exacerbation of my pulmonary disease in December. MyCAT scan showed some fibrosis but also a lot of "ground glass." I hadhad some stable fibrosis for about 5 years that could have resultedfrom inhalation of pastel dust in 1985. I had to go on O2 24/7. Mydoctor with the "big" reputation told me the ground glass was allfibrosis in the early stages. He would not even consider that therewas inflammation in my lungs. I had been exposed to someone in ahospital emergency room who was very sick. I was there because I hadextreme chills. I was probably getting sick myself. That night, Ihad trouble breathing and I felt light-headed. I got progressivelyworse in the next ten days as it got harder for me to breathe. I wentto my GP who put me in the hospital. That is when the CAT scan gotmuch worse. This doc told me there was no treatment that had a chanceof working.The "big" pulmonary doc told me I had 3 months to 2 years to live. Iam 83, but I am completely healthy with normal circulation and a greatheart. My daughter believed that this was inflammation from the virusor whatever I caught in the ER. She refused to believe this doc wasright. I got opinions from two other lung docs. One reviewed severalCAT scans spanning five years and told me I could have inflammationand may respond to treatment. Since I was slowly getting better, hedid not want to try treatment at that time. If I started to getworse, he would then start steroids and Imuran.Over the next six months, my pulmonary function studies stabilized. My last visit to the "big" doc was in June, and he still believed allof it was fibrosis, rather than stable fibrosis and inflammation. Iasked him if it could be both, and he told me that no one has both intheir lungs at the same time. I asked him if this could be a reactionto the virus exposure, but he told me no. I just went back to see him, and he was amazed with my progress. Hedid not stop smiling and laughing the entire visit. When he walkedin, he asked me, "did your daughter do the breathing test for you?" The machine reported that my spirometry was NORMAL. My graph thatshowed the levels visit by visit had jumped up at a 60 degree angle. He said he never saw that happen before. Without seeing a new CATscan, he said the fibrosis was stable and I must have had inflammationfrom whatever I was exposed to. He originally told me I would neverbe off the O2. Now, I am off the oxygen except when I sleep and whenI exercise. The "big" doctor was wrong, and the other doctor was right. Mydaughter was right as well. The moral of the story is get anotheropinion and don't believe everything they say.Sue