October 2000

The pneumonia wasn't clearing up. My doctor sent me to a lung specialtist at Allegheny General. It just wouldn't clear up. I had MRI's and cat scans of my chest to make sure it wasn't a blood clot,or tumor, and I had tried 4 full courses of different anti biotics. After no success with medications my lung doctor ordered me to have a broncoscopy done so she could figure out what was wrong. Now that is a test I never want to have again!! She had explained to us what a broncoscopy was, and I had done some research about it online. The thought of her putting saline in my lungs, then sucking it back out was a nasty thing. The day of my broncoscopy came. I was reluctant to go. At the hospital they got my IV without any complications. As I was laying in the procedure room a few doctors and helpers entered the room. They sprayed my throat with a numbing solution. A few minutes later they started administering the sedative. Previously I warned them that I would be extra hard to put asleep due to my being on high doses of pain killers. I kept saying to them "I'm not asleep!!", and they would give me more sedative. After the test we found out that I was given 10 times the normal dose of sedative. WHOA!! As it turned out I had some kind of bacterial mold or fungus. My lung doctor couldn't see anything from the inside of my lung. It slowly cleared up with the help of yet another anti biotic and my lung doctor gave me the go ahead to get my bowel resection done.

Please..don't stop reading now...