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Oh I'm so glad you got properly treated in hospital as sucky as that was. Hopefully now on thr mend for sure. Please rest. Don't over do it when you start to feel better.

Why are some docs so great abiut brushing you off. Geez. Glad you found a doc who was on top of their game.

Hugs

I was worried we hadn't heard from you in a while. I'm so sorry you had to endure such an ordeal. You're lucky your daughter was on the ball and got you the care you needed!! Glad to hear you are finally feeling better.

If you are anywhere within a day's drive of Cleveland, Ohio, I can't rave enough about Cleveland Clinic. They seem to be the easiest place ever to get an appointment with, to see some of the country's top doctors!

I'd be just like you, wanting a different lung specialist after all that. (I had "top" surgeons at both University of Virginia and Baltimore's Johns Hopkins, a top cancer hospital in the USA, want to schedule me for colorectal surgery yet the gastroenterology department at Cleveland Clinic said "we can fix this without abdominal surgery." If I hadn't kept pushing for a better outcome, I'd have been singing a different tune, today.)

Hope your medicines help your body beat this stuff!

Wow how scary but glad your daughter and your great new doc got you the help you obviously needed. Keep taking care of yourself and fingers crossed you continue to heal and get stronger.

Oh dear sweet Jeanie, I am so sorry that you got so sick.

I am happy that you eventually got good care. Yes it is time to get a different Pulmonologist. Also are you doing any f/u with oncology? Often they are the ones that are doing the monitoring and ordering of tests, but since you did not have chemo, surgery was the cure, it can get passed to the specialist.

Keep an eye on yourself, and make sure that you call and schedule w/ new lung Dr ASAP. Probably got a 3 month wait.

Also make sure you f/u with your PCP in a week or two, it's important to have some follow up to make sure the lungs are clearing, and you are in fact healing.

You also need to be taking vitamins and supplements to help your immune system get stronger. Super B, Vitamin D, Echinacha, Zinc. Wear a mask out in public until spring, Your immune system is wiped out now, and you will be prone to getting any and every bug you come across. Hand sanitizer is vital too, make sure you are protecting yourself as much as possible when out and about.

Lastly because you have been so sick for so long and you have lost weight you need to be supplementing your diet w/ quality protein shakes at least one daily if not 2, Fairlife makes the best as far as taste goes. Also gatorade makes a protein drink that adds 10 Grams of protein per bottle it's not a ton, but it helps. You should absolutely be hitting protein goals of 80-100 grams a day.

Thanks Tushnurse. The wonderful hospital doctor called today to check on me ! Totally shocked me. You are exactly right about the vitamins as she started giving me Vitamin B 12 and Vitamin D in the hospital and now I have big bottles here at home. She is going to help me find another Pulmonologist. She will be my primary care physician when she finishes up her 'hospital doctor' contract - and opens her practice in a few months. She LISTENED, asked so many questions and really is helping me. I started doing protein shakes and also small malts a couple of weeks ago.

I'm taking all these meds -- my kitchen bar looks like a pharmacy - and I will take them ALL in a timely manner as prescribed. I am already feeling so much better. Not laboring to breathe, coughing is gone (worse tasting cough medicine I've ever tasted but it's working) and has codeine so I slept so well last night.

Thanks to all - and happy holidays to everyone and stay warm.

[This message edited by Jeaniegirl at 8:08 PM, Wednesday, December 21st]

How encouraging both that you are feeling improvement and that this doctor is there for you!! Yay!

I am doing great! The meds are a miracle and I absolutely love this new doctor. I can't recall EVER having a doctor call me after I leave the hospital, just to check on me.

Cold front is coming in tomorrow (bitter cold!) so I will not be going out until Sunday to my sister's home for dinner. Staying in, following orders. Feeling 'good' feels wonderful as I have been really ill since Thanksgiving.

Happy Holidays to everyone.

So glad you are doing better Jeanne
I hope you get to have this new Dr be your PCP sooner than later, sounds like she's a winner.

The primary care game is tough, to be profitable they have to overwork, and they get burned out far too quickly. I tell anyone that is considering a career in medicine to go the NP route, as being a physician is thankless, and there is going to be such a shortage moving into the future that it will only be worse.

Stick w/ the meds and vitamins, rest, and eat well.

Tush, I am really thankful for this doctor -- this great 'hospitalist' doctor. We really connected. Such a hard working time for health care workers and one has to consider how hard it is on them too - having to see so many people die. Our people in the hospital and covid deaths (or Covid related heart issues) is so UP here. Everyone needs to know that we can't 'wish this stuff away' and masks are GOOD.

I'm going to trust her about the help she offered to find a new lung doc for me. She was not judgmental at all but wondered why one week before he just sent me home with pneumonia, barely breathing - and giving me an antibiotic basically for an ear infection. She said everyone is overworked and I believe it.

Jeanie overworked is an understatement.
It' been that way for going on 3 years now.

Personally had 4 chronically ill folks w/ the dwindles in the past 2 mos. All of them decided to go hospice, 2 never left the hospital, one made it home lasted less than 24 hours, the last one is doing ok for now. We definitely learn to deal with loss and grief differently than other. Change the perspective on life, and quality.

But it is a daily reminder that life is very short, and you should always let loved ones know you love them, and hug and kiss them as much as possible.

Tushnurse, when the lung cancer was discovered, one great thing the lung doc did was send me to meet with an Oncologist. "just in case" I needed him. I didn't need him but I really liked him and he was easy to communicate with. In July the lung doc's office called me and said I needed to meet with the Oncologist AGAIN. It scared me because I had just had a catscan and I thought something had shown up. But when I got there, this Oncologist was puzzled and wondered WHY I had been sent to him since I had no cancer remaining after surgery. So it seems I was sent to him when it was the OTHER patient (with my same name) that need to see him. I sure hope the 'other Jeanie" is okay. But if I need him in the future, the Oncologist is in place. Odd thing happened when I went to the lung doc almost two weeks ago (when he sent me home with pneumonia) .. as they told me they needed to take my picture - for their records. Of course I had already presented by insurance cards and picture I.D.

I'm still feeling great and staying on strict time lines with my meds. It's so so cold! Bitter artic front came in about 2 a.m. but I know I'm not alone with this bad weather. Daughter is staying with me until Monday. She has her new home set up 50 miles away but will stay here through Christmas holiday. She's making sure I don't miss even ONE pill.