Plan C

Keith came with me to see the consultant today. I'd managed, through persistent phoning, to get an earlier appointment and was expecting to have to wait to the end of the clinic, but we were seen first. We updated Mr Hussain on the (lack!) of progress so far - he was also very disappointed that the steroids didn't work.

His Plan C was to prescribe a low-dose antibiotic that is taken every other day for 3 months. At this dose, it works as an anti-inflammatory and will, hopefully, help to heal the inflammation in my lung.

He tried to explain, again, what is happening in my lungs by showing me the x-rays and CT scan images. For fun, I've found some on the internet that look similar, first an x-ray:

This x-ray is from a person with pneumonia and the white cloudy areas are similar to mine (marked as 'bad' on the photo!) I've had several x-rays and the white patches have moved round, suggesting that some infection has cleared up and some is new infection. 

I've also had several CT scans that take 'slices' of x-rays horizontally through the body. In this image, the person is lying down (the spine is marked) and the view is as though you were looking inside the body from the head down towards the feet.The black areas are the lungs. I have a lung 'cavity' that is a hole in the spongy stuff that the lungs are made of. This can be caused by an infection, or probably in my case, from the Rituximab. The cavity fills up with gunk and this causes the cough. The lungs are normally sterile, and the cavity breaches this making the lungs prone to infection. The cavity is surrounded by inflammation and it's this that the new drugs are trying to heal.

The new drugs should have an effect within 6-8 weeks, and I'm taking bets on my first cough-free day. If you'd like to bet on a date, just email me - there may be prizes!