Leah B.
Humble Servant of All
The VA found a nodule on one of my lungs, and now they want to repeat the CAT scan. I was a heavy smoker for years and have COPD. However, I quit smoking five years before I was even diagnosed with COPD, and I had negative CAT scans five years in a row that my outside-VA provider ordered after he dx'd me with COPD. [I assume he stopped because he deemed me to be a low cancer risk by then.] Anyway, I'm scared even though from what I've read, 95% of these nodules are nothing. Please in Jesus's name, pray I do not have cancer. Also, I feel terrible. I have GERD, and I have laryngopharyngeal reflux as well. In addition, I have a deviated septum. All of these conditions are playing into one another. I had an appointment with an ENT that I waited several weeks for. Then we had a blizzard so they canceled it. They didn't call me back to reschedule so I called them today. They went home early. I have an appointment in March to discuss TIF surgery with hernia repair. [The hernia showed up on the CAT scan. It's a diaphragmatic hernia that is small enough that they won't have to cut me, I think.] I'm toying with trying to get an appointment with a different ENT. In Jesus's name, please pray for guidance for me in these areas and also pray for coordination of care: GERD can cause microaspiration of stomach acid into the lungs. Also, I have extremely bad postnasal drip, clogged nose, and sinusitis, all of which affect breathing and could also affect lung function. I am so afraid they will wrongly attribute my problems to worsening COPD. I honestly don't believe this. My lung function has remained unchanged for ten years. I do stair climbing, 28 steps ten times. I have to rest after I do a set of 28, but no way could I be doing this at all if my lungs got so much worse. I also bike on the highest tension for one-half hour. I can do 50 chair squats without stopping. I also don't have any cough except a dry cough that's not coming out of my lungs. It's a cough typical of reflux/LPR. Except for when the GERD/LPR kicks up, I can lie flat on my back with no problems breathing. Also, these bad sore throats are typical of GERD. Anyway, again, please in Jesus's name pray I get accurate differential diagnoses and that my COPD itself is not worse. Other health issues: I was doing well with my TMJ and jaw movement disorder. Spent thousands for jaw orthotic. Then I got a crown, and the dentist shaved my tooth enamel. I ended up needing yet another adjustment of the orthotic after the dental work. Now my jaw on the left is moving a real lot. In the morning it pops like crazy when I chew. Now my upper teeth hurt when I chew. I'm in severe pain. Please pray in Jesus's name to make this stop. Okay. In addition to all this, I have athlete's foot. I'm using rx creams. It seems to be responding. However, the VA doctor just prescribed me an antibiotic for a possible sinus infection/upper respiratory tract infection. It's called doxycycline. I'm concerned because that antibiotic could interfere with the antifungal treatment for my feet. Please in Jesus's name pray that it does not. Please pray the doxycycline does not interfere with my antifungal treatments or cause any negative side-effects. Please pray it helps me. Also, please pray in Jesus's name my athlete's foot gets better soon. Finally, please pray in Jesus's name I can even just want to keep on living because, really, to me I can't take any more of this. I don't remember what it's like to have a happy day or to not be in pain. I hardly sleep. My throat is killing me. My jaw is throbbing. I used that nasal Navage two times in a row today, and my nose was clogged back up again in an hour. I miss cooking. I miss just having a life. I have a friend I want to get together with, but I don't feel up to it. All I have is pain and broken dreams.

