The cold dry air is not my friend

As I await my appointment with the surgeon I'm noticing a rapid decline in my breathing.  The cold and dry air really make it worse on me.  I know a lot of ladies that are part of my online support groups say the humidity is bad but that's not true for me.  During the summer when it was hot and humid I would enjoy any chance I got to just sit outside in the shade and breathe - while reading a good book.

Today I received a call from Barnes asking if I had another number for my insurance carrier as they had tried for two days to get approval for my ct scan next week but kept getting a busy signal the whole time.  She was going to keep trying but was worried with the holiday that she might not reach anyone in time.  I hope it gets approved before I show up and then they have to tell me no go.

 I also received an email back from the current surgeon answering my questions on finding a surgeon who specializes in this exact field.  He wrote "Many places do lots of this kind of work, but haven’t given themselves the title of being an “airway center.” There is no formal committee that offers this designation to institutions that meet certain criteria."

I'm very anxious for my appointment on Dec 5th to get here so I can maybe find out what time frame I'm looking at to get this over with.  The actual name of the surgery I'm told that I need is cricotracheal resection.  There is a very good chance it will mess up my voice.  I may never sing again - okay, I don't really sing but I might sound really different when I talk.  Yes, it sounds pretty scary to get my throat cut and maybe lose my voice but when you can't breath that stuff really doesn't matter.

The stridor (noisy breathing) is coming back now too.  Between that and all the coughing I'm lucky the girls at work don't kick me out of the office.  Just kidding - they are very supportive and always concerned when I have a bad coughing fit.

In future posts I may posts pictures and details that some people may not be comfortable with.  But I want to describe everything in detail.

Thanks to all my family for being so supportive and all my friends for your kind words.  Keep the prayers coming.

Take a deep breath for me and don't ever take it for granted.