February 28, 2008 - PFT and CAT scan results

I went in for my breathing test at 1:00 PM. The lab technician asked me to blow and breathe into a tube while she was looking at the readings that were showing up on her computer. She seemed to be really pleased with my results. Not sure if she was comparing me to healthy individuals or to the kinds of patients they usually see. An acquaintance (who also happened to be a pulmonologist) had told me that the VO2max testing in my case did not indicate any problems, and that I should seek the help of a qualified doc and get PFT done. I was hoping that the doc will look at the results and tell me that "yes, your lung capacity has reduced by X% because of what you went through but here are the steps you can take to improve it".

Imagine my shock today, when the doctor came in (after making me wait for 2 hours) and said that he was really concerned about my CAT scan results. He said that he couldn't figure out what was new and what was old!!! "New"??? There shouldn't be anything new there! I have been feeling well after so many years and now this??...all over again? I am really shocked and distressed to say the least. After a lot of prodding, he said that there was no way for him to figure out anything with certainty until he had old results to compare to. And so, we faxed a request for all my medical records today. I hope they respond soon and this is resolved quickly. I am going to be in really bad shape until then.

Also, he wants me to go in for a PET scan. Other than that, he said the PFT results are not "too bad"...I am 90% normal!! WTF??!!