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Birth Date Gender Heritage Nationality Alpha type Alpha gene Alpha Level Diagnosed Last FEV1 Treatment Siblings Children Grandchildren |
Cindy I live in Chicago, IL I am unemployed due to disability. My favorite colors are ALL BRIGHT COLORS My favorite writer is Jonathan Livingston Seagull. My favorite music is Jazz and Easy Listening. I have a Yorkie mix called Peaches. I enjoy arts, crafts, writing and fixing stuff. My favorite quote is "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
9/20/2007 I saw the lung transplant team at University of Chicago last month and began being evaluated for a double lung transplant. I have two tests remaining and will probably get a final decision on whether or not I will be accepted and listed mid-October. I have a Carepage set and I am documenting the process using that system. My Carepage is: TheTransplantJourneyOfCindyWilson. I'll update at the CarePage after I get their decision. 2/16/2006 In March, 2001 I was diagnosed with advanced stage emphysema after a hospitalization which resulted from an asthma attack. Because of my age at the time, the doctor had me tested for A1AT. I had never heard of it. Come to find out, I had Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency. I immediately began reading and learning everything I could. My breathing problems began in 1991 when I inhaled gas from chlorine stablizer tablets -- used inhalers since. I had a really hard time finding funding to begin replacement therapy and almost died in February 2005. I went to hospital via ambulance for difficulty breathing and woke up three weeks later on life support. Since then I've come a long way. I go to pulmonary rehab 2 times a week and keep in close contact with the lung transplant team here in Chicago. I am very knowledgeable about my disease and have become equally knowledgeable about the meds I take. The greatest of all is the oxygen I have now. It has made an unbelievable difference in my ability to breath and live everyday life. I am so thankful for the doctor who would not let me leave the hospital until the oxygen was set up there and waiting for me. I am researching the web now to find out and possibly meet others I can share and learn from. Feel free to contact me. I am working on trying to get a support group created here locally. One of my daughters was recently tested for A1AT and is awaiting phenotyping and levels.
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