Second Chances

Mom went for a second opinion with a Pulmonologist who does nothing but specialize in Interstitial Lung Diseases and Pulmonary Fibrosis. Dad went with her and they promised to call as soon as they were ready, but I also knew that it may take a few hours for the assessment and then they may need to process the information they heard, so I tried to stay busy and not think about it.

I knew that if this doctor diagnosed Pulmonary Fibrosis too, then it would be confirmed that this is what she has. I was scared to answer the phone but also couldn't get to it fast enough when it did ring. My heart was in my throat when I heard my Mom's voice because it sounded like she had been crying. And she had.

However, her tears weren't from sadness, they were from hope. This doctor is confident that she does NOT have PF. Her most recent CT Scan showed some improvement with her lungs and even though it wasn't drastic, improvement does NOT happen with PF. He switched up her medications, is sending her to Pulmonary Rehabilitation and wants to see her back in 6 weeks with a new CT Scan. He doesn't know what she does have and wants to give her more time to recover from the Pneumonia before probing further to find out what the underlying issue(s) is/are. She is still very sick and we still don't know what is wrong with her, which is scary. But knowing it's not PF is a huge relief.

As a family, we still have a long battle ahead of us, but I know that we will all buckle down and do whatever we can to help my Mom get through this. Her new doctor thinks there's a chance she may be able to reduce her oxygen levels for most of her activity and daily life. There's a chance she won't, but more importantly, there is a chance she will and that's what we are all focused on right now.