How fantastic to come home on vacation, and know I have my life and job to go back to at my other home. Even better, I've done the things I hoped to: visit family, drive my car, drive my car, sleep under the stars (REAL STARS! YOU CAN SEE THEM!), see family, and go to an American doctor for a checkup.
SCREEEEECH!
I gave the doc my list of questions. He went into triage mode: "What do you want to talk about first, because this list will take all day and I can't do that." (God bless American efficiency)
It turned out to be moot because as soon as he put his stethoscope on my back his eyebrows went up and he started speaking much more quickly: How long have you had this wheeze? Are you out of breath? What happens when you exercise? What do you cough up?
My cough has improved considerably since coming home, and the phlegm has gone from dark brown to white, so I didn't think much of it--this is what happens when you walk in a cloud of unfiltered exhaust and breathe smoke from burning trash piles of primarily plastic and styrofoam.
The doc didn't see it quite that way.
How nice to understand instructions from the X-ray tech!
And then to understand what the doc is talking about while interpreting the films is, well, nice but without carrying relief.
It could be something scary, terrifying, or terrible, so I should come back in a couple of days after the doc consults with a radiologist and pulmonary specialist.
This is not a comfortable anticipation.
"probably not tuberculosis, but it could be a fungus or parasite. Or cancer, but that's not likely at your age.
"after consulting with the radiologist and pulmonary specialist, we are all in agreement that you should postpone your return until we know what this is. You'll need to get a CT scan and then probably a bronchoscope, and then we should have an idea of how to move on."
So there's more waiting.
And how fortunate I am to wait in such a beautiful place as the fall colors erupt and the critters go crazy, and how wonderful to trust the medical community and be able to ask and answer, and how great to be making progress in identifying and resolving whatever it is that's set up such a roadblock to wellness.
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There's so much to be said for American medical practices. We complain about it all the time, but it's still comforting and encouraging once you've seen what there is outside the U.S.. We're all anxious to hear what the diagnosis and treatment are for you. I'm glad you can take it easy and enjoy the view.
ReplyDeleteLinda