April 22nd - Full Pulmonary Test, this involved a trip to Oahu and took place at the Kaiser Moanaloa Clinic. This was about a half hour test, sitting inside an enclosed "box" connected to a computer controlled breath analyzing apparatus. For basically just having to "sit and breath", this was actually kind of a tough one.
April 25th - Abdominal Ultra-Sound. This took about a half hour and required a 12 hour fast beforehand, evidently to keep down stomach and intestinal noises...
May 1st - another Blood test. The sad truth here is "blood tests" have become so routine that I'm no longer even phased by them. There was a time, when having to sit for one meant a great deal of mental anguish, and an extra 20 minutes just to get my blood pressure down low enough so the could draw the blood.
May 2nd - Today I drove down to Kihei to pick-up a second hand Portable Oxygen Concentrator, something I'd need to travel by plane to the Mainland or any extended traveling. I managed to find a Resteronix unit that retails for $2,500 or so, and was able to pick it up, along with an extra battery, for $1,000. (Side note on this - turned out later that it needed some work. The separator unit needed replacing and the extra battery was no good. It wound up being a bit of a challenge to find out just where I could get it serviced and to arrange for the repairs. When all was said and done it wound up costing about $500 for the repairs and shipping.)
May 8th - Consult with Dr. Kahn. So far none of the tests revealed any particular cause, and the most likely contributor was simply Heredity. She indicated that she would like to do one further test, a Lung Biopsy. Amanda was with me for this visit, which was a big relief, just to have somebody who knew what was going on... Not one to miss an opportunity for another "fun" trip to Oahu, of course I agreed.
June 4th - While not exactly related, today was my annual Follow-up with the Oncology Department. I was seen by Linda DeGinnaro, a rather chipper Nurse Practitioner (since Maui is presently seeking a staff Oncologist, given the last one had recently retired). The good news being I'm definitely 5+ years Cancer Free! YEAH! Some welcome news to go along with all the rest.
June 6th - Back to Oahu for the Lung Biopsy with Dr. Kahn. After a seemingly lengthy 20 minutes of breathing some kind of local anesthesia, and having a long ugly tube stuffed through my nose and down my throat AND managing not to either gag or freak out - that test was over. A week later Dr. Kahn confirmed the results were negative and nothing came of it They were going to culture a sample she'd taken for another week to rule out the last possibilities.
And that's where we'll pick up on our next installment...
"Start living now. Stop saving the good china for that special occasion. Stop withholding your love until that special person materializes. Every day you are alive is a special occasion. Every minute, every breath, is a gift from God." - Mary Manin Morrissey
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