In Search of a Cure

As you can tell from our blog, the lifestyle we have chosen keeps us on the move. We have RVing friends who wouldn't dream of roaming about as much as we do and others who can't imagine staying in one place for as long as two or three weeks at a time. Time constraints can dictate the pace of travel for many, and favorite places and a "been there, done that" feeling dominate the travel plans for others. For us, it's the lure of places unseen and  experiences (and foods) unsampled. It's a wonderful freedom that we have enjoyed as often as possible through 15 years on the water and 4 1/2 years on the open road. All that's required is a surprisingly modest income, the willingness (and freedom) to be away from family, and good health. And so we get to the business of this blog entry...

For at least the last ten years, I have had a progressively worsening case of congestion and cough. A distaste for doctor visits (and a lack of health insurance) led to years of self-neglect and -accommodation until conditions became bad enough (and Medicare kicked in) that we finally sought help. When that decision is finally made, it has the effect of slowing down the travel. Setting up appointments, getting tests run, and waiting around for results...

The winter of '07/'08 we spent in central Arizona, near Sedona. We stayed long enough to have my symptoms checked out (as well as cataract surgery for Jan) and in the meantime enjoyed a great time in Red Rock country. The initial diagnosis was either allergies or asthma. Testing ruled out asthma, but did confirm a significant (maybe 25%) loss in lung function. My penchant for self-diagnosis (Doctor Dave, here...) pretty much ruled out allergies, too. After all, the only persistent symptoms that seemed to fit was the cough and congestion. No itchy or watery eyes, no sneezing, etc, etc , etc. And besides, it was time to get on the road.

The winter of '08/'09 we spent in the south Texas Rio Grande Valley. (Loved the company of thousands of fellow RVers from all over North America and the fun times in Mexico, but the scenery and weather...not so much.) But the three month travel freeze led to more thorough (and better???) diagnoses. More tests, many of which were repeats from the previous winter (there's that built-in waste generator of fee-for-service) led to the confirmation of COPD, a malady unheard-of ten years ago, but which is now all the rage (the better to sell Advair and Spiriva and Symbacort and Omnaris and ...) A low oxygen level even put me on 24-hour oxygen for about two weeks, lugging a tank around, and sleeping with those funny little tubes going up the nostrils - imagine what a happy camper I was. So anyway, I was now on Advair and Spiriva and occassionally Albuterol and eventually Omnaris, and oh yes, Mr Walton, part of your problem, Mr. Walton, could be gerds so start taking four Prilosec a day for the next six months (WHAT??!!) We started keeping a close eye on the impending "donut hole" in drug coverage that was going to cost us around $4000. And I used to think that Excedrin was my only drug of choice.

But now it was time to go again, and surely all these meds would provide the answer and improve the condition. So we started on the part of our journey that you've been following for the past year. By mid-summer, the frustration of continuing and even worsening symptoms was forcing us to seek out more medical attention. But our Humana Medicare Advantage coverage had no in-network doctors (especially the "urgent care" variety) outside of the major metro areas of the Northwest. And with Humana, if you stray out-of-network for care, instead of the 80% coverage you'd get from Medicare, you get 70% coverage from Medicare Advantage. So we kept postponing. By the time we found a doc, I had a significant sinus infection, and what was termed an "exacerbation" of an upper respiratory infection from the COPD. Over the next six weeks, a series of courses of antibiotics and Prednisome finally put me in much improved health.

HOWEVER! These latest exams revealed problems with my heart. (WHAT??!!) An irregular heartbeat checked out by an ekg and they were urging us to see a cardiac specialist ASAP. Six weeks later, we finally found a cardio clinic to use for further testing - ekg, 24-hour monitor, echocariogram, stress test, nuclear stress test. The most likely cause???? - the COPD meds that I'd been taking for the last six months!

So here's the deal - nothing wrong with my heart (although I'm now on the same bp medications as Jan,) I probably don't have COPD so no more of those meds, I likely have severe allergies - "Wasn't that the original diagnosis?" you ask - which I need to address with an allergist when we slow down again later in the year. Spirits are MUCH improved and I'm feeling much, much better. The chronic cough has all but disappeared and the chest congestion is improving day by day (as long as I stay away from high mold situations.)

Whew! Getting old ain't for sissies.