What, me worry?

I am new to chronic illness, relatively speaking. Until I got the diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension five years ago, my life included no illnesses to speak of. Oh, I had the usual mumps, measles (both kinds, the big tough kind at 6 months old) and chicken pox. I had my tonsils and adenoids taken out when I was 6ish. But most of my adult life I have bragged about my health.

The summer of 2005 changed my life. Work, as always, presented deadlines and stressors. The heat of August wiped me out. I could not take more than 10 steps without gasping. I attributed my condition to smoking and weight. I finally went to my PCP when my feet were so swollen I could not get them in my shoes.

My PCP, bless his heart, is a good guy, but a PCP nonetheless. He diagnosed COPD but he noticed on an X-ray the right side of my heart was enlarged. Thus a referral to who now serves as my heart doc. Heart doc did an echo and stress test. He told me the pressures in my pulmonary artery had to come down and I had to quit smoking or I would need a heart-lung transplant and that wasn't going to happen.  Heart doc referred me to lung doc, who saved my life.

Doc performed a battery of tests to confirm the PH diagnosis. He eliminated many conditions and prescribed treatments for others. I took another 8 months to quit smoking. The COPD medications worked and I got Tracleer and went about my life again. Sometime along the way, doc added Revatio, two diuretics, etc., etc.

Now my PH shows signs of worsening. We shall see. Round Two coming up.

At the beginning of my PH trip, I read lots of inaccurate information. Scared the poo out of me. Though medicine progresses, PH remains a rare disease with no cure. Death or transplant.

To read more about PH, check out the link. The PHriends saved my sanity.

http://www.phassociation.org/Page.aspx?pid=429

Drini and Ali stopped in Amarillo for a late lunch on their way to California and the PH conference. We met at a Thai restaurant. I enjoyed meeting my PHriends. Drini and I are rather quiet, so that left Ali to carry the conversation. I confess awkwardness turned up and I feel badly it hung around. Sorry, ladies.

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The WC still surprises. The brackets for the beginning knockout rounds slowly start filling in with some interesting sides coming through. Hmm.

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I find myself wanting to hide again. That sucks but is safe.

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I am telling you, dude.

Later.