Usually this blog is (as I like to say) all about me and my pretty hair, but today I want to talk about my sister.
My sister just turned 28 in October and is the mother of my niece and nephew. Growing up we had intense moments of sibling rivalry, but as the years have progressed we have mellowed and now I would consider her one of my closest friends.
I am not sure how old she was the first time she had bronchitis, but she was probably 5 or 6 years old. Overall, she was a healthy kid but following that first time she would suffer from bronchitis nearly every winter thereafter. As her big sister, I tended to believe that it was mostly in her head as it seemed to come at the most “opportune” times and I wasn’t very sympathetic when I heard that hacking cough that was so deep and hoarse that I was convinced she was doing it on purpose to get attention.
Late last summer her respiratory ailments took a turn for the worse when she ended up in the emergency room as a result of coughing up blood and passing out. She was in the hospital under quarantine for nearly a week as the doctors attempted to diagnose her problem. There were questions about whether she had contracted a communicable disease, if what had become chronic bronchitis had taken a turn for the worse, or if it was something altogether different. A biopsy was done and eventually medicine was prescribed for histoplasmosis.
Sis took her medicine faithfully and went in for MRIs, CT scans, and blood work throughout the year. Unfortunately a couple of weeks ago she started coughing up blood again was readmitted to the hospital. There was fluid on her lungs and the doctors began doubting their diagnosis of histoplasmosis. Another biopsy was done and it was determined that the middle lobe of her right lung was constricted to the point that surgery to remove it was necessary.
And so, tomorrow at noon, my baby sister is going under the knife to have part of her lung removed. I hope you, my dear readers, will keep her in your thoughts.