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Yoski,

I had my appointment with Dr. Filatov yesterday morning at 11:00. He examined me and used his endoscopy and looked inside of my mouth and throat. The opening to my airway is still affected by the swelling of my epiglottis which is still extremely swollen. He went further with the scope looking for my vocal cords. The area surrounding the vocal cords is also extremely swollen and the opening to the vocal cords is as small as or smaller than the airway. He then looked through my Trachea Tube and the tube itself is clear of blockages as is the trachea itself. He has given me a clean bill of health.

The trouble I feel with the trachea tube not working is part of an entirely different set of circumstances. You may remember that I had a chest ex ray done last week when I was into the hospital in Vanderhoof. Well it seems that my lungs show the early signs of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. The ex rays show that my lungs are scarred as a result of smoking when I was younger. I stopped 21 years ago tomorrow but, the damage is still there. Both the radiologist who read the ex rays and Dr.Filatov do not think the COPD will get any worse but, it accounts for the shallowness of my breathing and the illusion that the trachea tube is not working as it should. In fact, Dr. Filatov says it is working just as it should. He gave me pointers on how to breathe more effectively and how to talk by blocking the end of the trachea tube with my finger. I now find it easier to talk and I do not get out of breath as I did so often since the tube was put in.

That's it for tonight, more on the move in a day or so.

Bye for now,

Rick aka Lumpy