So sorry you are having to go through this, scm - on the up side, they have identified a problem while your S is still young and strong. He has a good chance if he can take care of himself and get good medical care. What part of the country does he live in? Dry climates may be better than really humid ones.
My father had tuberculosis, emphysema, smoked a lot, was an alcoholic, raised holy hell, and died at 48 of cancer. If he had quit drinking so much and quit smoking, and had the kind of medical care we have now, he might still be alive, because he was otherwise a strong and strong-willed individual. Times are different now, and we can all pray that your S will defeat this and continue with his life with a new perspective. {{hugs}} I know this is terrifying, but then “mom” is sometimes a terrifying word, eh?
Hugs to you. It is gut wrenching to not be able to get to your kid when you need to. My son experienced two events that had me on the edge of driving to the airport while booking the next flight. It’s such an internal tug of war. Go and he might hesitate to share the next time; don’t go and wish you had . Ughhh.
Wonderful offer and great support from your CC friends. You guys are great.
More hugs, swimcatsmom. You can always count on the CC hivemind to know all kinds of useful stuff, and it sounds like you’re being pointed in good directions.
Good wishes to your son for the best possible outcome. Close friend of mine was diagnosed with ovarian cancer–she found a cancer support group really helpful. There are often groups for young cancer patients.
Yes, National Jewish in Denver is where we were camped out for much of the past 2 weeks. They have great staff and are especially good at providing integrated care and work closely together so there are no gaps.
I have been going there regularly for the past 16 years. We also had H and both of my kids evaluated there. This most recent visit was especially thorough and included a whole slew of cardiac tests, including a stress echocardiogram with agitated saline.
They do take most insurance and can provide an estimate as to how much your bill is likely to be, to minimize surprises.
The homes near there are lovely @katliamom, so you must have a very attractive residence.
My H and D accompanied me, to be extra eyes and ears. They are very used to having people travel from out of state and other countries for care. They have special reasonable lodging and auto rental rates available to patients on their website.
@HImom, should you be coming this way again, feel free to contact me. Would love to meet up for coffee! As for my house… the 2+ bedroom empty nester downsized home hardly deserves to be called “residence” – but it IS a quite cute cottage
I do not have emphysema although my grandmother did. She had it for many years and lived to be 89. So you can live a long life with it with the right care.
One thing I did want to point out is that I am on a daily inhaler for asthma that are also used for emphysema. My inhaler and others out there have manufacturer coupons that can dramatically reduce the cost. For example mine is free. So if the doctor didn’t give him a card or coupon for the inhaler he might want to look for one online.
I have been to NJ about 8 or more times and am highly likely to return there within the next 12 months and would love to meet for a snack and chat.
Agree that there are a lot of inhalers and coupons out there. I use them as well and they can really reduce out-of-pocket costs. Sometimes providers give free samples initially to see whether the Rx will work for you. Agree that sometimes there are coupons online that the providers are unaware of and do not mention that can be found with a quick search online.
Keeping mind that more inhalers are NOT necessarily better. Some inhalers do increase heart rates, which is why my docs and I are very careful about which ones I use.
