Re: The sound of zebras...?

On Jun 6, 3:16 pm, Lizzy <dizcov...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Jun 5, 6:35 pm, "Jef." <jefATquitbuddiesDOTorg> wrote:



Some will recall Dawn (Black Sheep) posting some time ago:
"When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras."  This is often said to
inexperienced interns, who tend to favour
the rare and exotic diagnosis, instead of the commonest cause of the problem
they are seeing...

I had my super-physical today. The doctor Marsha and I see (who also treated
my father-- outside of his no-Medicare-patients restrictions, and **at no
charge**, I might add... helluva guy!) recently switched his practice over
to a sort of "concierge medicine" situation. He sees fewer patients, there's
an annual fee, and you most often can get same day or next day appointments.
He spends a LOT of time with you, and is very thorough. One of the pluses is
an annual top-to-toe physical, where they do an EKG, hearing and vision
tests, all sorts of bloodwork, the usual "turn your head and cough" and
"bend over and spread 'em" kinda things, and a ton of Q and A about
everything from your diet to your mood.

Part of it was a spirometry test. This measures lung function. You blow into
a tube and they take readings that determine your lung capacity, the volume
of air you can expel in a given time, and how well you can yodel. I made
that last part up. Because I'm nervous. I've been a little breathless in
recent months. Turns out there's a good reason for it. I have decreased lung
function, most likely due to smoking. I have COPD, and what may be the
beginnings of emphysema. As I absorbed this news I couldn't help but think
that his was rather like the route that my closest Quit Buddy, Dawn,
followed. We quit in the same week; we smoked for the same length of time.
Her situation was just fine for quite a while-- until it wasn't, and then
she developed lung cancer and died. I'm scared shitless and wondering if *I*
managed to quit in time. It's the 800 pound gorilla in the room for all of
us, isn't it? Have we dodged the bullet, or do we just not feel the wound?
What the *** did we do to ourselves, and how could we have been that
willfully stupid for that long...?

I have the lungs of a much older man, the doctor tells me.  He wants to set
me up for a comprehensive chest X-ray series and possibly even a CT scan--  
although he says the benefits of the latter in detecting lung cancer are
pretty negligible, at least in terms of having any effect on determining
treatment. He did not say "You have lung cancer" or "You might have lung
cancer". He's a thorough man, and wants to check things out as best he can.
A step at a time.

Maybe it's nothing to worry about. Maybe it's just a simple, diminished
capacity for breathing and a short-windedness that's due to abusing my lungs
for too long and being in such otherwise shitty shape. I hope it's just
horses I'm hearing. Spare a kind thought if you're inclined to, please.

Dearest (((((((Jef))))),
I also have been diagnosed with COPD, at times I have a cough, only
during the night,  that sounds like whooping cough, but then I go for
months without.
When I quit I did not cough up cookies like most people here, so all
that stuff maybe still down there.
I had X-RAY and the pulmunary function test and did great.  I have a
little breathing machine that strengthenes the lungs, you inhale
through it and try to keep the needle at a certain point, they sell it
at the drugstore, it sure does help to increase your lung function.
I did however develope tachycardia, probably from smoking and I'm out
of breath all the time, just walking from one room to the next.  Now
when I go shopping I hop in one of those motorized shopping carts and
off I go.  Eveybody get's out of my way and also I get help with my
bags, and they insist on it. :-)

I don't think you have anything to worry about as far as the cancer.
Lung cancer showes up on an x-ray as small white spots and the doctor
would have noticed them as did my husbands doctor.  Even then it can
not be certain without a biopsy.  SO QUIT WORRYING!!!
Hear the horses?

Love Lizzy

(((((((((Jef)))))))))))))))

I hear horses too Jef.

Big Man-Hugs,
Marvin
.

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