January 12th, 2025 to June 8th, 2025 - It's Been an Interesting Five Months - Part 1

 

January and February

It's hard to believe all I've experienced in the past five months. In the latter part of 2024, my inability to breathe with any kind of exertion was becoming a real issue. I was diagnosed with EDAC (Excessive Dyanmic Airway Collapse) which means that my airways are "floppy" and do not stay as open as they should when I exhale. I was referred to the University of Cincinnati Pulmonary Lab but was hesitant to accept their recommendation for surgery because it could not be done robotically there.

I made an appointment with the Cleveland Clinic. They had a different approach and required a substantial amount of testing -- some of it was a repeat of tests I'd already done. Bill and I traveled to Cleveland mid-January and met with doctors who put together a care plan. A dynamic CT concluded that my collapse was significant and scheduled me for a return trip in February.

My sister, Karen, came to Cincinnati and was with me when I returned to Cleveland to have followup, including a bronchoscopy. 

Overall, the severity was ranked as S4: expiratory airway collapse of >90%

Problem identified. My difficulty breathing with any kind of exertion had a reason. I was not crazy.

The "Torture Tour"

As I mentioned earlier, my sister, Karen, accompanied me to Cleveland. She lives in Mt. Dora, FL and is no longer used to cold temperatures. They open "cold shelters" when the temperature gets below 40 in her community. To say we didn't have the best weather for her visit was an understatement. You can see Lake Erie frozen over in the backgroundl. Here was the forecast.

Karen had the job of driving us back. The first half was pretty harrowing as we drove though snow, slush and freezing rain. We passed several cars in the median of I-71. Fortunately, it became all rain by the time we reached Columbus. Just wanted to give Karen an adventure.

Tessa and Brandon's Wedding

We were planning on traveling to Colorado on February 21st to celebrate Tessa and Brandon's wedding. Unfortunately, Bill and I had to cancel because of concerns about my breathing and difficulty walking. Pictures and videos were shared with us and we know we missed a great time. Tessa gave me permission to share a couple of pictures.

So now onto March. Since I've already lived through it, I know I'm going to be in for an adventure. More to follow.

Kathy