November health update

Well, now that I've vented my spleen regarding Mr Trump on Facebook, I'll fill you in on the health update.

I've just taken the Pulmonary Fitness Test and the primary result (the DLCO which measures the lung's ability to transfer oxygen to the blood) declined to 27%.  As I wrote before, the  lower the value, the lower the ability to transfer oxygen. In general, a healthy individual has a value between 75% and 125% of the average.

Here's mine over the past year:
Nov-15: 34%
Jan-16: 35%
Aug-16: 32%
Nov-16: 27%

I had expected a decline based on my symptoms ... needing oxygen more frequently and at a higher level. Unfortunately, I find that even short walks of 50 or so feet are becoming more difficult without using oxygen since my saturation levels drop fairly quickly as I walk. And I plain tucker out much more quickly and just don't have a whole lot of energy in general.

Plus, it seems that attending the theatre is a trigger event! I was first diagnosed when I passed out after climbing three flights of stairs at a community playhouse a year ago. Then, a few weeks ago, I passed out at the Guthrie after walking up a set of stairs and a sloping ramp. As I told Barb, both events were breathtaking!

My pulmonologist has suggested we change medication from the current wonder drug (Esbriet) to an alternative wonder drug (Ofev). So, we're now heading down that path ... which includes seeing if we can obtain assistance in copayments as both medications require fairly stiff copayments under Medicare's Part D coverage until the "catastrophic coverage" kicks in. (Esbriet required a copayment of $2700/month which dropped to about $400/month once the catastrophic coverage began). Fortunately I qualified for a grant to cover the Esbriet and understand there are similar grants available for the new medication. Costs for both are relatively similar ... and neither cures the fibrosis but is believed to slow the progression.

Other than that, we'll just keep on keeping on. Later we're visiting Chicago with our adult kids and grandkids. I'm looking forward to that. Plus my brother, Roy, and his wife are joining us to celebrate Thanksgiving.

In February, I'll take another fitness test and have updated readings plus a CT scan of my lungs which will more specifically measure the degree of how much the fibrosis has advanced.