Radiation-induced pneumonitis

My check up went well.

My labs were EXCELLENT! My white is perfect, red is acceptable and my hemoglobin was spot on. This is the one they really watch because that is the one number that dropped so INCREDIBLY low when I was sick last spring. This made me feel better to know as well. With good labs you know that your blood cancer isnt back :)

We did a O2 test resting as well as while walking, of course I ran out of breath. But my O2 stats never went below 92 but 99 is where they should be.

He said my cat scan said that there was a "defined line" that showed swelling. The fact that it was a strait line that it is definitely caused from the radiation. It is called Radiation-induced pneumonitis.

I am now using albuterol and pulmicort to take the swelling and soreness out of my lung. The mere fact that it is from the radiation is why it feels "constricted" in the same area as where my tumor was originally. So I guess I was right when I said it felt the same. Before it was constricted because of the tumor whereas now the swelling from the radiation is what is giving me the constricted feeling. That certainly was scary as hell. It seemed so much as the way I felt prior to diagnosis I just *knew* it was back and I was going to get so sick.

Tonight I feel WAY SO MUCH better now that I have had a dose of my inhaler. I even had enough energy to go to Kmart.

Thank you everyone for your support during this scary time, and a big PRAISE GOD that this is not me getting sicker!

If by chance I do not improve, we will switch to oral steroids. I see him again at the end of the month