Respiratory Disorder - Episode 16

I have finished my fluconazole medication after two weeks and so, it is time to see the doctor again on 5th October 2010.

I reached there at 11am just to take my x-ray and to come back at 2pm. The x-ray was needed to compare with the earlier x-ray I took just two weeks earlier to see whether the fluconazole has cured me. I felt uneasy taking several x-ray in just a couple of weeks. I don't want to be exposed to too many radiation. Well, what to do as such procedure is needed to diagnose me.

I came back at 2pm and as usual she checked my lungs using the stethoscope. The x-ray findings was that there were no different compared to x-ray findings two weeks ago. The fluconazole was not really useful.

So she began asking me whether I'm keen on doing the lung biopsy. I took a few couple of minutes thinking whether I should go for it. So I began imagining of some long long long needle being inserted into my lungs. Hmmmm...okayyy that will be painful.

I decided not to do it as I felt it is rather invasive and there is a risk of bleeding or even pneumothorax after the biopsy. Ok, what is pneumothorax?

It is not going to be a nice experience when your lung collapse

Pneumothorax happens when your lung collapse and you will get severe chest pain and breathing difficulties. When that happens, a tube will have to be inserted into the affected lung to drain away the air leakage. That will require a few days of hospitalisation. Anyway if I were to do the lung biopsy, I need to be hospitalised for one night to let them monitor me after the biopsy...because there is a risk of pneumothorax. It's not safe to return home after the lung biopsy because you never know if you will get it. Not only that, the lung biopsy will be performed guided by a CT scan. This means I will be exposed to radiation again. CT scan radiation is 500 times the radiation of a normal x-ray. Ok, that is even worse.



I decided not to the lung biopsy, yet. But I told the doctor I am willing to take a blood test to check for ANCA (antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies) in my body. So I took the blood test after seeing the doctor. The ANCA blood test was needed to check whether I'm suffering from Wegener granulomatosis, which is a rare disorder. It is not an infection. It is a disorder. What is this Wegener thingy? There will be a lot of info to blog about and I will blog about it in the future.

So, I will be seeing the doctor in two weeks time to know the blood test result. Anyway, the blood test will not be an accurate diagnosis to check for the Wegener disorder. But a positive result can strongly support the diagnosis. However, a negative result does not mean I do not have it. A lung biopsy is still needed to be performed.