Just breathe

So I drove myself to the ER. Don’t you love it when a story starts like that? Because you know the person telling the tale is either someone who lacks perspective on what a real emergency is, or really stupid and lacks perspective on the real nature of their emergency. You be the judge.

So I drove myself to the ER on Saturday after a breathing attack. My ability to catch my breath had been deteriorating for about a few weeks to the point where I could only take shallow breaths and getting down the stairs to get my cereal required multiple stops. So I fixed the problem by barely getting off the couch. Then the breathing attacks started when I did exert myself (like walk to the bathroom), so I pulled out an old puffer I was prescribed BC (before cancer) to help.

Finally I had an attack Saturday afternoon that left me seeing stars and that scared me into going to get it checked out. Of course I waited until my family was out of town and the doctors offices were closed, so I drove myself in the snow storm to the ER.

I was into see a doctor in good time and then a few tests. I did a chest x-ray, and ECG and blood-work that included a D-dimer test. The x-ray was of no help, the ECG showed tachycardia (rapid heart rate) and I tested positive for a possible blood-clot… oh and low blood pressure. The doctor wanted me to have a lung VQ scan which would show us what we needed to know, but the machine wasn’t available on week-ends so he insisted on a CAT scan to look for the clot and I said “no way!”

I have had 3 or 4 CAT scans this year during the diagnosis phase; 2 of them nobody bothered to put the protective skirt over my reproductive parts and I didn’t know any better. Anyways I explained to him that I had applied for the PET scan program for my after chemo scan in January to avoid more CAT scans aka. radiation as I wasn’t keen on unnecessary scans and I would wait until Monday for the lung VQ. He told me I might die in my sleep tonight and I was getting the CAT.

I gave in but my body would not. My destroyed circulatory system refused to provide a vein big enough for the contrast dye injection so I was given a 24h shot of Heparin (blood thinner) and sent on my way with a referral for a lung VQ, junkie looking arms, a smug smile and a new phobia about going to sleep.

I spent most of Sunday in the Thrombosis department getting a lung VQ (open on the week-ends!!!) which was inconclusive. So I was given another 24h shot of Heparin, a referral for a leg ultrasound… because I guess that’s where blood-clots hide and guess what another CAT scan suggestion!

By Monday the ultrasound showed no clots and I was feeling better, so it could have been that the Heparin did the job or this may just be what it’s like at the final stages of chemo? (God how awful!!!) My body just might be so run down and attacked that some of my organs are having a little trouble doing their job. If that’s the case I would think they would function better again as my body repairs and recovers from chemo? I have a Cardiologist apt in a week to assess this.

Moral of the story: Don’t wait till you can’t breathe, don’t drive yourself anywhere when you can’t breathe and don’t hang on every breath of every doctor you encounter… because if they are only looking at one part of you, they are not looking out for all of you.