O2?? Second Pulmonary Doctor & First Mention of LVRS

Even though I fired my first pulmo doc, I knew I needed pulmonary rehab even though I still led a rather active life. Basically, I needed 'disease specific exercise'. After asking around, I finally went to the Palmerton Hospital, the only hospital in the area offering pulmo rehab.

Before enrolling in rehab, I had to have a stress test...on a bicycle...breathing tube in my mouth, wires hanging all over. Final decision of pulmo doctor attending.... “Severe exercise limitation due to both cardiac and respiratory compromise.” Also saw the statement...”Vertical axis and p. pulmonale at rest.” P Pulmonale?? That’s my heart!! Hit the COPD boards, almost in tears ‘cause I was sure I was going to die within a year, and got reassured by Larry/GA, Wes, and a couple of others that the end wasn’t as near as I thought. Whew! Another great fear alleviated by the people on the boards.
Asked the rehab staff who they’d recommend as a pulmo doctor and they said a Dr. Zasik from the Bethlehem Pulmonary Associates. He comes up to Palmerton once a month (did I tell you we're in a rather rural area of Pennsylvania?) so I made an appointment with Dr. Zasik. He “hmmmm’d” and “ahhhh’d” and listened and probed and said he would get me into rehab but I would have to wear O2. O2??? Did he say O2??
Back to the boards I went. I’m too young for O2! I’m not sick enough for O2! HELP!! Again, gently (well, sometimes not so gently) I was told that O2 was good for my heart, my lungs, my liver, my kidneys, and all those other little organs living inside my body so off I went to rehab...wearing O2. My pcp must have been doing something right for me, though (except I SHOULD have been on O2 much sooner) because Dr. Zasik didn’t change a single med.
The status quo stayed pretty even for the next year or two. One bout of pneumonia landed me in the hospital for 2 weeks in January of 2005 but, contrary to what pulmo doc #1 said, I did come out!
Several times during my visits with Dr. Zasik he asked if I’d consider a transplant. Nope; no way, thank you. I was quite happy with the way things were going. Then in November of 2005, he suggested I look into LVRS. He gave me the name of a doctor at Temple University in Philadelphia but around that time, Dr. Cooper, THE doctor in LVRS, moved to the University of Pennsylvania. Heck, I figured if I was going to be turned down, I might as well be turned down by the best! So, gang, sit tight.....here we go!!