From The Mile High City

But I am feeling sort of low......I flew into Denver yesterday from Phoenix, my first air travel in four years (my opinion of the security precautions, which are a hardship for seniors, is that they make about as much sense as requiring all of us to live underground to avoid being struck by lightning) and really taking away most of the time advantage of air travel.......hard to do for someone that globe trotted from 1992 to 2002. I am here for a patient conference sponsored and hosted by National Jewish Medical Center. It is focused on individuals coping with NTM's - those are non-tubercular mycobacteriums. For a long time now they have been in my lungs, I was predisposed to acquiring them, they are environmentally acquired ---but usually only by those whose lungs are scarred and damaged from other illnesses resulting in the bronchiectases conditions - there is still little known and many pulmonary physicians have few patients since the incidence as best figured is 1.8 per 100,000. Hence they may be underinformed (made that one up!) I have been under the care of the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale for many years and is probably why I am surviving. But still felt I could benefit by attending this conference where the four or five top specialists in the nation are on the program sessions.

Tonite there is a welcome session - I flew in a day early to try to acclimate to the altitude change....not being too successful with that.......hoping I can get by without temporary O2 supplementation. Power breathing and PLB plus whatever pulmonary rehab maintenace routine I can manage. Then Thursday and Friday there are all day sessions, then flying back home on Saturday. Not a piece of cake here ....I have been borderline for supplemental O2 for a while.....but pre-trip we ran the breathing tests, blood labs and CT and my doc thought I could handle this........more of a struggle than I imagined.....will be interesting how long it takes to acclimatize......I do see evidence of the blood oxygen improving......using a new pulse oximeter to check it.


Later I will post on the sessions.


graysmoke