History III

Went home with Lovely Linda, still not wanting to accept everyone's diagnosis I started doing more research via the Internet. A warning about researching on the Internet, some is very useful but a lot is just plain CRAP! Be careful what you read and believe. I decided to get a 3rd opinion, and decided The Cleveland Clinic in Ohio was the best of the best. So, I checked with my insurance company and found them to be in network, so I made an appointment. We went in December 2009. Met with Dr. Jeffrey Chapman, a great guy and very knowledgeable. After 2 days of testing, he concurred with the other diagnosis, IPF. He thought it was a bit early for a transplant, but indicated that things could change rapidly. Boy did they, as I found out later. He wanted me to come back in three months for a follow up, then he said that within the year I would need the transplant. Not the news I wanted, but he didn't feel I needed a transplant right away. So, I had some more time to research. In January Tampa's Transplant team called to see what my status was. At that time I had taken a turn for the worse. I couldn't walk a flight of stairs, and needed 8 liters of oxygen 24 hours a day. I told TGH, (Tampa General Hospital), that I had met with Cleveland Clinic and they wanted to see me in 3 months for a follow up. The nurse, Kim, reminded me that they try to do things before you get so bad that you don't qualify for a lung transplant. I told her I wanted to wait for Cleveland Clinic. She said she would notify my local Pulmonologist and take me off of their list at TGH. She seemed a little pissey.