Bronchial Thermoplasty At Last

One week ago I had my first Bronchial Thermoplasty procedure at Cleveland Clinic, FL.  Dr. Oliveira did a flawless job!   Just the week before I was scheduled for an adminstrative law judge hearing to appeal my insurance company’s decision to deny covering this procedure; but, strange timing, my insurer called me the day before and said that they had reconsidered and would cover it after all.  A recent 5 year study release on the continued benefit to  the initial test subjects, apparently lent itself to my insurer’s change of heart.

The first of three procedures treated my lower right lobe.  My FEV1 was 42% before the procedure, I did a peak flow as I was leaving the hospital a few hours after; it was 296, which is on the high end for me.  I believe that the anesthesia and other drugs kept the swelling at bay initially, so I was more clear for a moment.  Then the area treated swelled closed entirely–I could hear the density when I tapped on that part of my lung.  But I felt a little more energetic than normal, I suppose because of the temporary lung volume reduction, though my peak flows were still low.  I was on prednisone for about 5 days after and I have been using Xopenex in the nebulizer but alternating with magnesium sulphate solution and an Agricept-L solution.  These two treatments I am doing to help reduce inflammation and prevent infection.  My post anesthesia sore throat went away quickly with these.  I am also inverting myself periodically to prevent any fluid build up.  Initially my peak flows were close to 200, but now they  are closer to 250, and gaining stability.

Part of the reason I sought out the alternatives to use in my nebulizer was the vaso constricting effect of the typical bronchodilators; my primary Doctor had me unsettled with his feeling that I was starting to have some pulmonary hypertension.  I had worked out before my last visit to him, and he was concerned about my bulging neck veins.  A subsequent echo cardiogram, that I also did post workout, apparently suggested that an estimate of my pulmonary artery pressure was around 40mmHG, which would place me in the PH realm.  However, echo cardiograms are not used to diagnose PH, only a right heart catheterization can do that.  A visit to a cardiologist and his manual exam determined that PH is not an issue for me, yet anyway.  It is always darkest before the dawn.  Now with the BT, I have some hope of relieving some of the pressure that the 27 years of out of control asthma has or could have on my heart.  So now, post procedure, I am able to be somewhat stable with 2 Xopenex nebulizer treatments and one magnesium and one Agricept-L per day  (these have a more subtle bronchodilator effect, raising my peak flow about 10 points).

I inadvertently found a therapeutic island in the open ocean currents off of St. Thomas USVI.  My husband was on a work circuit ride for two weeks in March and again in April of this year.  I had been kayaking to small islands just offshore of Cyril King Airport; the Flat Cays.  And in taking my regular peak flows noticed when I had kayaked and spent several hours on this particular island, Little Flat Cay, I would not need to use my bronchodilator to row back, and the next day my peak flow would peak at around 300.  My conclusion is that these open water currents (it is about 2 miles off shore) carrying water from the North Polar region as part of the North Equatorial Gyre, must be full of negative ions and very positive energy.  These islands are very barren wildlife refuges, but anytime I am back, I plan to get out there myself or with help.

 I tried Respitrol for over 3 months with no significant effect.  The same has been true with the T. Asthmatica supplement.  I still take the Astazanthan,  R-Lipoic Acid, and Serrapeptase supplements–those are for more general well-being; though the serrapeptase may someday have a more obvious effect on the scar tissue in my lungs.  I have added the three Native Remedies pictured.  I believe if I stick to some form of homeopathic, perhaps I can undue some long term damage over time.

I have installed an EarthCalm EMF protection device in my home, just incase I am overly exposed, thus hindering my ability to heal.

I have installed a Q-Link personal energy harmonizing device on myself–I have noticed frogs become very calm when I pick them up while wearing this.

I am still waiting for an administrative hearing for the Bronchial Thermoplasty–I am in the process of getting a self-pay quote from the Cleveland Clinic, as I do not feel I can wait much longer.  If my function falls much further, I will no longer be a good candidate.

I can’t really fly/paraglide right now, or travel–the air/chemicals in hotels and strange places do a number on my breathing. I can still kayak and workout–though only short intervals of running.

I do not post frequently because most of the time I continue to struggle with little change in my condition.  I am grateful that it does not get too much worse, that apparently some of the alternatives that I have initiated are helping me to stay that way.  Right now I am not able to run more than a few 45 second intervals within a 20 or 30 minute walk on a treadmill.  I use this WellnessPro 2000 every few days in an attempt to get my lung cells to repair and behave more normally.  It is tedious, as the cycle of frequencies take about 3 hours to complete.

I continue to see my 5-elements acupuncturist, but she is only in town once per month.  I have been trying Neumactil Bio Gel–it is rubbed onto my chest and neck nightly.  I have been dealing with a sinus infection since May 17 and have not had to resort to taking prednisone (which is atypical for me). The R-Lipoic acid and BioAstin are anti-oxidants, and the Himalayan salt inhaler I am trying to see if it can help my sinuses and lungs generally.  I still take serrapeptase, iodoral, and an vegetarian/algae omega 3 supplement; Ovega-3.

 I am have added another pulmonary specialist at Cleveland Clinic in Weston, FL in order to try to have a Broncial Thermoplasty procedure.  Just now I am attempting an appeal to my insurance company in order to overturn a denial.  I continue to need to switch around my conventional medications because they lose their effectiveness over time.  Now I am using Xopenex 2-4x per day and Qvar40 2-4x per day.  I seem to have a problem with the long acting bronchodilators, so I am avoiding those.  The Xopenex works well, however the effect wears off in a few hours and with the Qvar I will up the dose as I have more problems maintaining my peak flow; it ranges  from 150-300 daily both being rare, it typically stays close to 200.  I feel okay to exercise when it is around 250.

The year began with

some supplement additions, Iodoral–to boost my thyroid function, Black Seed oil to help my immune system. I did not give the Holy Basil a good try I did not want to confuse matters with the Iodoral. Immediately I got a nasty case of angular chelitis–my feeling is that it was a toxic dumping due to all the metal dental work in my mouth. As Iodine pushes the heavy metals out of cells as it is itself absorbed.

My specialist changed my inhaler to Dulera, which suits me a little better because I can use the full dose: 2 puffs 2x a day when I am having issues, and reduce it to 1 or 2 per day when I am more stable. But though I have had a few brief periods of decent breathing and some running. At the moment I am not able to run; I have been using other cardio machines at the gym. I am extremely fatigued.

I lost a very close friend this January and then a very beloved fur child this May. But in the early spring I have begun to learn to paraglide. A perfect sport for someone who is fit in terms of strength, flexibility, and enough cardio to get airborne (with a winch) and land; but somewhat compromised when it comes to cardio endurance. This has been uplifting and has helped me to deal with the great loses.

On a trip to the western US this past September and October, I decided to try a skydive from Boulder City, NV. It felt great, though I did not have to breathe long at 15 thousand feet, and on the fall the air rushing through my nasal passages at 120 mph felt pretty good. Adrenaline is a good bronchodialator. My lung specialist later told me that he never would have approved; I suppose it will be my last jump.

I had 3 soaks in this amazing spring at Pah Tempe near Hurricane, UT and felt better afterward; my peak flow improved. However, this trip wasn’t without its health costs; the chilling weather and the altitude in some places was a real challenge. I believe that my adherence to the ALCAT recommendations made me more stable and able to do pretty well (though most of the time not well enough to run); I only needed prednisone on one day. I hope to make it back to this spring in the next few months.

I ran a very small 5K race in Miami Springs in early November and placed 2nd in my age group.
I am probably world class for runners with COPD, because there appears to be virtually none.

On a visit to my specialist a month ago, I performed better than last year on my pulmonary function test; FEV1 52% of predicted pre-medication and 61% post. I do not believe my scarred lungs are necessarily permanently so.

I took the ALCAT food sensitivity test in July and discovered that there was a host of foods that I had been eating as staples that my blood indicated were irritants for me (corn, coconut, potato, apple, banana) . This sort of reaction results in a kind of “toxic overload” that can manifest in a variety of ways over various lengths of time. “Food sensitivity” is not to be confused with a full blown allergic reaction, which is much more rapid, though generally short-lived. The psychic had been correct about the wheat (not gluten) being a problem for me, so it was an advantage to have been limiting that for several months before the other foods were eliminated. It turns out that I had begun to take something that I had had a severe sensitivity to–mussel extract. And interestingly, I had been doing very badly when I began to take it, but had attributed it to the climate and air in Chicago; whereas it likely had more to do with that supplement. It is so complicated to try to determine what of the myriad things anyone may be exposed to that could be creating the problem.

Shortly after the Chicago trip, I saw my lung specialist and increased my medications. I began to feel better due to that as well as the diet changes. With the advice of my husband, I began to change my running workout to include more interval training. I can now do speeds up to 12.4 mph for a minute at a time, and 10 mph for a mile. Gaining this ability, improved my pulse rate and oxygen uptake (no doubt) and fostered the idea that I may be able to compete in a race again. This proved to be a deluded idea, as I am able to pull off a good run under the very controlled conditions on a treadmill; but an outdoor race, with all the variables: heat, adrenaline, unfamiliar course–proved to be beyond what I could manage well. I appeared to go into oxygen debt after the first mile, and could not recover, having to walk intermittently to finish 5K at 28.37. I was 6th in my age group, but it was a small race. Overall, I felt pretty badly about it. I had unintentionally gotten excited about the times I had been running on the treadmill: 20.44 had been my best, so I could not help but be disappointed. Though I need to be grateful that I can run at all with my condition. I am happy that now I am able to blow more 300+ peak flows than I had in years, and I am trying to wean myself back to a lower conventional medicine dosage.

Just after the ALCAT, I began to see another chiropractor that uses muscle testing and Standard Process supplements to correct organ system imbalances. I am taking some supplements to improve my thyroid, and adrenal function. My lungs seem to be improving though my entire body is extremely fatigued; perhaps from the correction of these problems.

Several weeks ago I enlisted the advice of a psychic to try to determine the best course of action to heal my lungs. She told me that wheat and peanuts were creating a negative reaction in my body–this, according to my guides and her cards. She advised also that some therapeutic methods that I was considering trying would be of no lasting help. So I have gone wheat-free, though I have no typical symptoms of this issue. I have been monitoring my peak flows in the morning (I do this daily before I use Symicort). I was waking up a few points higher–just at 200, rather than 150-180, as is typical. However, after a trip to a Dr.’s office with my mother, I was exposed to some very harsh chemical “air fresheners” that gave me a nose bleed and then a nasty sinus infection. My peak flow has fallen since then, but should come around, as I am almost over the infection now. Perhaps I would have gotten even worse, had it not been for the new diet. It is hard to tell.
I want to give this at least a couple of months. It was difficult at first, but is getting easier as I am finding some decent alternatives to wheat and peanuts.