John's Story
I was born and raised in Massachusettes. Went into the Army, got married and had a family. My daughter got real sick and passed away at age 5. We were both devastated and were never the same again. I felt like the doctors and paramedics did a terrible job in treating her as she suffered a lot. I pledged from that day forward I would do something to change the system. I went to school part time and became a paramedic firefighter. I got out of the military and was hired full time in Virginia as a paramedic/firefighter. The system is a mess and I did very little to change it since 1982. I did make a difference in a hand full of peoples lives since that time.
My marriage grew distant with the death of my daughter always on the forefront. We ended up divorcing and I felt like a new person and had to leave Virginia. I went to North Carolina and worked as a paramedic there for 3 years. I wasn't happy living there with no ocean. I soon took a transfer to San Antonio, Texas, where I worked as a Paramedic for a week. Then my real dream came true. I was contacted by Key West, Florida to be a full time paramedic there. They didn't have to ask me twice and I was off to the Keys. I bought my dream home right on the water and soon had a jet ski and motor cycle living life to the fullest.
Then it started to happen, I was getting short of breath doing the most minor tasks. I wasn't over weight, standing 6 foot 3 and weighing 185 pounds. I ran daily and even played street hockey on the city police league. It was harder and harder for me to keep up with the others. One day I was taking a hot shower and got so out of breath I almost passed out. I got real sweaty and dizzy and knew something was very wrong.
Being a paramedic I knew most of the doctors in town. I saw a doctor that was a close friend in the emergency room as I was bringing a patient to the hospital. I told him my symptoms and he said you have 'asthma," here, "I will give you these perscriptions." He wrote me several perscriptions for steroids, anti-biotics and several breathing medications. They seemed to help for a week or two.
My syptoms became worsened. I was wheezing all the time and gasping for breath with the smallest tasks. My job was pushing me to the brink. My boss at the time was Brian and he could see I was in trouble and sent me to a doctor and he paid the bill. The doctor said I had pnumonia and gave me several more perscriptions and put me on bed rest for a week. I got a little better after the week and then slipped right back.
I couldn't run anymore nor play street hockey. I found myself sitting in the air condition when I wasn't at work doing nothing. When I went to work I felt real bad, when I came home with rest I felt better. We worked 24 hours on and 48 hours off. When I was at work I found myself sleeping in the rear of ambulance with oxygen on just to fall asleep. After each 911 call, I found myself taking a breathing treatment just to make it to the next call. The nurses and doctors in the emergency room would see me strugglimg to breath when I brought a patinet in. They would take me into a private room and give me a breathing treatment and a shot of steroids. They all warned me, " you can't go on like this, its gonna kill you." They would listen to my breaths sounds and say "oh my god you aren't moving any air." They constantly scolded me. I had no idea what to do as I had never been sick before, let alone see a doctor.
I started going to a doctor full time. He put me on a full range of asthma medications and none seemed to help. Predisone made me sick and bloated. I kept getting worse and worse. One day I had a bad attack out on the water on my jet ski and almost stopped breathing, I made it to the hospital just in time and was admitted for a week. the doctor advised me to get rid of my jet ski and I needed to stop working. I didn't listen.
January 29, 2007, I was at work and we got a call for a woman having chest pain. We got on scene and normally she would have been my patient, but I couldn't catch my breath, or talk. My partner could see this and said, "I will take this one." We got the patient loaded in the rear of the ambulance and I was walking to get in the drivers seat. I couldn't breath. I stopped and bent over and it helped a little and I was able to climb in and start driving. My partner leaned through the window from the rear and said, "are you alright?" I shook my head yes and he said lets rush her in, she is having some changes in her EKG. I turend on the red lights and siren and opened the window to catch my breath from the cooler night air. As I came up on an intersection I almost stopped breathing. I stopped the ambulance and put it in park and had to climb out. I bent over and my partner came running over asking me what was wrong. I couldn't talk and I was gasping for breath. He took his stethescope and listened for breath sounds and said oh my god I don't hear anything. He ran back to the rear of the truck and came back with a breathing treatment. By this time I was on my knees and was real dizzy.
The breathing treatment helped but by now I beacme a 911 call. The woman with the chest pains care was delayed and I felt real bad. From then on out I knew I couldn't jepordize anyone elses life. I was admitted to the hospital for 2 weeks.
The doctors were baffled at what was causing this. I had 3 different doctors and none of them could agree on the diagnosis. I was given tons of different medications and none seemed to work. Since this date I have been in and out of the hospital. I have taken numerous stress tests and other tests all coming up negative.
In June of this year was my last hospitalization. I was at home laying out at the pool. I had just read the newspaper and must have dozed off. When I awoke I couldn't catch my breath. I remeber seeing 2 girls walk by and I signaled for them with my hands but they didn't see me. I couldn't talk. I ran to the house and took a breathing treatment, it didn't work that well. I jumped on my scooter and rushed to the fire station right across the street. I pounded on the doors and no one was there. They were out on another call. There was a man there loading propane into a tank. He aksed if I needed help and I shook my head yes. He called 911 and the dispatcher told him it would be 21 minutes before help could arrive. I would be dead if I had to wait. I jumped on my scooter and rushed to the hospital, its 7 miles away.
A nurse that is a friend was outside, I could barely breath as I signaled her with my hands. She rushed me into a room and they called respiratory to aid me. The doctor came in the room right away and said, " I have to intubate hime now stat." They gave me several tretments and I began moving air, but barely. I was wheezing so loud both inspiratory and expiratory. The doctor looked right at me and said, "I am admitting you, and no arguments." I almost died getting there and knew it. I stayed in the hospital and they did a broncho scrape on me. I should get the final results in the next 30 days.
All three of my doctors looked at me and said you need to get out of here for a while and see if that helps. My respiratory doctor told me he had only one other patient worse than me, and he was 87 and died in a week. I know now I need to get out of the Keys and get help. The last 2 weeks I spent in Massachusettes at my sisters house. With exertion I am still short of breath. I still get very dizzy at times and my fingers curl up at times and hurt. I also had a rash on my chest with bumps and they are mostly gone now.
I am currently seeking help from a mold doctor in Boca Raton Florida. He has emailed me and said he can help. My appointment with him is in August. If I get any worse than I am now i will drive myself to the hospital he practices at. That is my story and I will update it as things happen.
Thanks,
John