Shirley Brill

In 2005, shortness of breath was thefirstindicationthatIwasfacing a medical problem in my life. Initially,Iignoredthesymptomand felt it was the additional weight I was carrying. As a fifth grade teacher who easily went up and down stairs 3-4 times daily, the task now becomes more difficult and the need to walk at a slower pace presented itself After one more episode of heavy breathing oneSundayafteraworshipservice, I promised myself that I would make a visit to the emergency room. Sure enough, this agitating task of walking a short distance wasaconsistentproblem.

After several test at the ER, one thing noted was a drop in my oxygen saturation. I was told to follow up with my primary care doctor who saw me and prescribed a small tank that would supply supplemental oxygen at a low level of 2 liters and that made life so much easier. The shortness of breath wasbecomingmoreaggressive and an increase in my oxygen levelwasneededaccompanied byareferraltoapulmonologist.