Allison Wease 

AT THE BEGINNING OF FEB. 2002, I HAD DOUBLE PNUEMONIA. I WAS HOSPITALIZED FOR A FEW DAYS TO RECEIVE ANTIBOITICS THROUGH AN IV. I WAS SENT HOME WITH MORE ANTIBOTICS TO TAKE. I STILL WASN'T GETTING ANY BETTER. MY DOCTOR CHANGED MY MEDICINES, IT STILL WASN'T HELPING. HE KNEW SOMETHING WAS VERY WRONG, BUT HE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS. HE THEN SENT ME TO A LUNG SPECIALIST TO FIND OUT WHAT WAS GOING ON. HE CHANGED MY MEDS AND TOOK X-RAYS OF MY CHEST. THE X-RAYS SHOWED A VERY LARGE MASS ON RIGHT LUNG, AND STILL SHOWED I HAD PNUEMONIA. I STILL WASN'T IMPROVING WITH THE NEW MEDS, I WAS ONLY GETTING WORSE. BY THIS TIME MY FEET,ANKLES,AND LEGS WERE ALL SWOLLEN, I GOT A BAD RASH ON MY FACE,CHEST,BACK,AND LEGS. THEY GAVE ME MEDICINE FOR THAT. THEN MY BLOOD PRESSURE WHEN WAY UP, AND THEY HAD TO PUT ME ON BLOOD PRESSURE MEDICINE. AS TIME WENT ON I KEPT FEELING WORSE AND WORSE, I COULDN'T SLEEP,EAT,OR DO ANYTHING. THEY FINALLY DECIDED TO DO A BRONCHSCOPOY AND DO A BIOPSY. THE TEST RESULTS CAME BACK NEGATIVE FOR CANCER, BUT THE DOCTOR WAS STILL VERY CONCERNED. MY PNEUMONIA FINALLY WENT AWAY,BUT I WAS STILL FEELING VERY ILL,AND WORN OUT. I WENT THROUGH MORE X-RAYS,CHEST CAT SCANS WITH THE DYE,AND A NUMBER OF BREATHING TEST. THE MASS ON MY LUNG WASN'T GETTING ANY BETTER, IT WAS GETTING BIGGER. I WAS SENT THEN TO THE SURGEON TO HAVE A THORACOTOMY DONE. I HAD THIS DONE IN APRIL 2002. WHILE THEY STILL HAD ME ON THE OPERATING TABLE, THEY RUSHED A PIECE OF THE MASS AND LUNG TO THE LAB TO BE TESTED. THE RESULTS THEY GOT SHOWED NO CANCER, BUT SHOWED IT WAS SRCOID I HAD. THEY HAD TO GO AHEAD AND REMOVE ABOUT HALF OF RIGHT LUNG BECAUSE THE MASS WAS GROWING AND EATING UP MY LUNG,AND SPREADING TO MY LEFT LUNG. I STILL HAVE SMALL MASSES IN MY LUNGS AND AM ALWAYS GETTING X-RAYS AND CHEST CAT SCANS TO KEEP CLOSE EYE ON THEM. WELL, GETTING BACK TO MY SURGERY, I WAS TAKEN TO RECOVERY AFTER AN 8 AND A HALF HOUR SURGERY. I WOULDN'T WAKE UP. THEY HAD TO PUT ME IN ICU, ON THE FOURTH DAY AFTER MY SURGERY I FINALLY WOKE UP. THEY WERE WORRIED I WOULDN'T COME OUT OF IT, BUT I'M A FIGHTER. I WASN'T GOING TO GIVE UP, I WASN'T READY TO LEAVE MY FAMILY YET. I WAS IN THE HOSPITAL FOR ABOUT 2 WEEKS THEN I GOT TO COME HOME. I AM STILL IN SEVERE PAIN EVERYDAY FROM THE SURGERY, I WOULDN'T WISH THAT SURGERY ON ANY ONE. IT IS A VERY PAINFUL PROCEDURE. SINCE APRIL I NOW HAVE SARCOID IN MY HEART,I STILL GET RASHES ALL THE TIME, MY EYES ARE GOING BAD,AND NOW THEY THINK I MAY HAVE IT IN MY KIDNEYS. AFTER EVERYTHING I HAVE BEEN THRU AND STILL GOING THRU I HAVE KEPT A POSITIVE ATTITUDE,EVEN WHEN I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT SARCOID WAS. AFTER I CAME HOME FROM THE HOSPITAL THERE WAS AN ARTICLE IN THE LOCAL PAPER THAT SOMEONE ELSE HAS SARCOID, AND WAS STARTING A SUPPORT GROUP FOR ANYONE THAT HAD SARCOID IN THE AREA WHERE I LIVE. MY MOM CALLED THE PHONE # AND TALKED TO THE WOMAN THAT WAS STARTING THE GROUP. SHE TOLD HER ALL ABOUT WHAT I HAD BEEN GOING THRU AND MY SURGERY. AS SOON AS I WAS ABLE, I WENT TO A MEETING. MY WHOLE FAMILY WENT WITH ME TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT WHAT I HAD. WE HAD NEVER HEARD OF IT UNTIL I WAS TOLD I HAD IT. THERE WAS NO INFO AVAILED ON IT. I LEARNED THINGS FROM THE WOMAN FROM THE SUPPORT GROUP. RECENTLY SHE CALLED ONE OF OUR LOCAL NEWS STATIONS AND THEY CAME AND DID AN INTERVIEW WITH HER AND I. WE ARE TRYING TO GET THE PUBLIC AWARE OF THIS DISEASE, NO ONE AROUND HERE KNOWS ANYTHING ABOUT IT. THEN I FOUND THE SARCOID CONNECTION SITE AND JOINED LUIGGIE'S GROUP. IT HAS BEEN A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE FOR ME, I HAVE LEARNED SO MUCH FROM EVERYONE ON HERE. YOU GUYS ARE ALL GREAT. GOD BLESS EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU, AND MAY GOD ALWAYS BE WITH YOU. ALLEY