The Search Continues

The search continues. For me, for now, it is a bit frustrating that I am still coughing a lot. As I mentioned in the previous post, in the tests they did for the lungs, nothing had come out. Well, at least there is no sign of asthma. That was the good part. Now we continue to search for what else it could be.

Just to make sure that the lungs are okay, it was suggested to do a CT scan of the lungs. This would give a more details look of the lungs and they could see if there is still something or not.

The CT Scan

I had this CT Scan on October 11. It was in a different hospital location from where I normally go. Normally I have all my tests and appointments in the location near our house. But for this, I had to go to the location Utrecht. If they would wait until there would be a spot in my own location, it would take too long.

I had been in the location Utrecht maybe two other times. The hospital is bigger and newer, but the layout is completely different, so there is a little bit of a search.

Luckily it was early in the morning. Not too early, else I would have problems with the rush hour.

The scan itself only took maybe 5 minutes, max. So I was out quick.

The Results

For the results of the CT Scan, they also made another appointment. This would be for October 26. My hospital is using a patient portal. In there, you can find all your details, appointments, and test results.

A few days before my appointment with the lung specialist, I already got the notification that the results were in. I already had a look at it, but there are too many medical terms. The only thing I could understand from it was the last remark. A greatly enlarged heart. I also once had heard, that this could cause some coughing.

Before the appointment, I already had a quick talk with the nurse from the heart failure group and she already told me, that the enlarged heart also could come from heart failure.

During my appointment with the lung specialist, she told me, that everything for the lungs looks okay. They could not see any leftover damage from what had all happened at the beginning of this year.

The thing that they could see, was that some glands were a little bit enlarged and, of course, the enlarged heart. She also said that both could be because of my heart failure. Just to make sure, she wanted to have one more test. For now.

The PET Scan

She mentioned several other tests, that did not sound that nice, but she suggested doing one more PET Scan. During my stay in the hospital for two months, I had already two PET Scans. They would inject some radioactive material and then make a scan. Then on the scan, they can see where is the most activity. Then these would be the places they would like to check out further.

I was already called by the hospital, to make an appointment for the PET Scan. This will take place on November 2, early in the morning. 6 hours before the scan, I am not allowed to eat or drink anything. For me no breakfast that day. The scan will take place in the location in Utrecht again.

Little To No Appetite

Already for some time, I have had little to no appetite. This is nothing for me. Normally I can and will eat anything at any time. Several days ago, I also made an appointment with my own GP for this. Because of all the coughing, sometimes being out of breath, and tired quickly, she suggested waiting and seeing what the CT Scan results would be. And maybe she also wanted to have my feces checked. To see if there may be some bacteria in there. She also would have a talk with my lung specialist, to see what they could do further.

Today I also got the result of the feces check, and that was clean. No bacteria. So the lack of appetite could be because of something else. She also suggested again, to wait for the results of the PET Scan because they also would scan the stomach at the same time.

Out of Breath

Already now, I am not looking forward to the weather that is coming.

These past few days, it was raining a lot. sometimes the whole day. During this, I feel like I am out of breath the whole time. It feels like I had done too much or had run. But I did none of that. I heard that this could be because of the humidity in the air. The higher the humidity, the greater the chance that you are out of breath. And with this season, I predict more rain.

This also causes me to be out of breath, while lying in bed. So sleep will be an issue again. For now, they also advise me to use the pee tablets more regularly. Not only to get all the liquid out of my body but to see if this also helps to be less out of breath.

Cardiac Rehabilitation

Also, the process for cardiac rehabilitation was put into action. For this, I also had to fill in some questionnaires. According to the answers, they will get some idea of how you feel and what you would like to achieve. For me, on the questions about life and expectations, I scored very low. The advice was to also have a talk with a social worker. I also had these talks when I was in the hospital for that two months.

This week I had my first talk. It is nice to just talk about these things with someone. Because there is so much going on. I will have a few more talks with her and we hope that this will help me further.

Also before I start cardiac rehabilitation, I need to, do what they call, a bike test or a stress test. To see what condition you are in or how far you can go. I am not really looking forward to this, because I think I will score very low in this. But this also determines, how many times per week is advisable for me. You can start with once a week for one hour, or twice a week for one hour each session.

We will see what this will bring.

Closing

It will be a busy time with visiting the hospital again. The PET Scan, bike test, maybe several times back to discuss the results, and a few talks with the social worker.

One of my friends already made the remark, that it looks like I am a main sponsor of our hospital. I know it is a joke, but it really almost looks like it could be true.

But I am sure that there are people out there who visit the hospital more than me.

I just hope that slowly on, they can figure out why I am coughing the whole day and why my appetite is so low.

Sometimes you think, that things happen for a reason. But for now, the reason is unknown, and slowly on, I hope the reason will be known. Sometimes things like this can make you slowly go crazy.

This is it for now. We will wait and see what will happen in the coming days.

As always, please take care and be safe. God Bless.