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Case Study For Mesothelioma Attorney Iowa

You’ve got to find the force inside you Joseph Campbell

A sister remembers

I was visiting my older sister Janet who had been living in Des Moines, Iowa for many years. Janet was the kind of person who always took great care of her health. I mean for a woman of 55 years of age she certainly did not look it. She maintained herself so well that she looked 10 years younger. While we were growing up we had our share of fights and arguments but as we matured we accepted each other for who we were and moved on with our lives. In times of troubles I could always count on Janet and she could do likewise with me.

The disease makes its presence felt

As I was earlier saying that I was visiting my older sister when I noticed that she would often run out of breath doing the simplest of household chores. Often she would cough and hold her chest as if trying to suppress her pain. I was visibly upset by this change in her health. Janet being Janet told me not to worry and informed me that she taken an appointment with a chest specialist in the city at a local medical centre. In other words she was telling me that she was sorting her health problems and I shouldn’t worry about her unnecessarily.

The result is in

When her appointment time came I insisted on going along with her. This was her second visit to this chest specialist and the results of her chest X-rays and CT scan were in. The facial expressions of the chest specialist were grim and serious. He came straight to the point and told Janet that she had asbestosis. Janet and I instantly looked at each other, both of us were baffled.

The details

The chest specialist explained to both of us that asbestosis, a respiratory problem was caused by breathing in fibers of asbestos. Those fibres become embedded in the air sacs of the lungs known as alveoli. These fibers are not dislodged from the lungs and they gradually damage the lung tissues over a period of 20-30 years and eventually destroy its functioning capacity.  

One of the first symptoms of asbestosis in a patient is shortness of breath. Then other symptoms increasingly appear such as coughing, chest pains, finger clubbing and fatigue. My heart was pounding was loudly as I knew that Janet had all these symptoms.  

Controlling the situation

From afar I heard Janet’s voice; she was asking the doctor if there was a cure for this condition. The chest specialist in a serious tone told her that her asbestosis would deteriorate and she would become disabled. There was an eerie silence in the room after hearing this. But the doctor’s voice broke the silence when he told her that if they started her treatment immediately with the help of specific medications and pills targeting her asbestosis they could have it under control and delay the deterioration of her respiratory organs.


Breathing easily

Usually the first line of action in the treatment for asbestosis is to stop the patient from smoking cigarettes. But since Janet was health conscious she had quit smoking about 15 years ago. To relieve her of her labored breathing and chest pains the asbestos specialist prescribed her with corticosteroids that were occasionally injected and inhaled. At times she was given oxygen therapy so as to flood oxygen into her lungs so that she could breathe easily and comfortably.

Life goes on

I have gone back to my family in California and Janet is continuing with her treatments. I keep speaking to her regularly on the phone and write to her emails to give her all the moral support that she needs. I feel it’s the least I can do for my older sister. She is a brave and inspirational woman as she struggles to lead a normal life while living with asbestosis.

  • Names of people have been changed to protect their privacy
  • Do consult your doctor about the above mentioned medications