Waiting to be contacted

This is an update for everyone on whats going on. For those who don't know, I have some pretty badly damaged lungs from the radiation that I had and three infections that have left just over half of my lung tissue scared and damaged. As a result, I have been using oxygen for the last few months. It is not likely that they will ever recover to the point that I could come off the oxygen. Since I am a young man with the drive to live a long time, I have been considering a lung transplant. This is a very big surgery and will be yet another storm to drive through but if anyone can do it, I know its me as long as I keep a positive attitude and rely on God to take me through this just like he has the last 7 years of my life. I have been on a steroid called prednisone for some time now. This is needed to help my lungs function well since they are so damaged. The side effects are horrible. So far it has caused cataracts, which I had removed and now have great vision again. Also it destroys your bones and joints and depletes muscle tissue as well. I am now a diabetic because of this medication. It is possible that if I were able to come off of it, that may be fixed as well. I know that this is somewhat shallow but it also causes my face to be swollen. This is not dangerous I know, but it makes me look different and I really hate it. I am going to be evaluated at Duke Medical Center to see if I am a good candidate for a transplant. I am too young to stay on this oxygen the rest of my life if I can do something about it. Not to mention the steroids will continue to cause a lot more damage. I am waiting to hear from them now to see if they want me to come down for some tests. I will be posting updates to this blog as this process goes on. This is where you may find the latest news as well as whatever else I post on here. This page is for updates and it allows me to vent. We all need that sometimes. As for now, I am still waiting on a phone call.