It was late summer of 2010 and I was going back to National Jewish again for one more try at finding a better treatment option or at least the cause of the hell I had been going through for the last 6 years.

A whole week of appointments, a bronchoscopy and lavage with biopsies and guess what…no answers,  still just more questions, and more diagnoses.  My pulmonologist at National Jewish said I want to see if I can get you in the with immunologist before you go back to Kansas just for one more look.

She was able to see me and we poured over my extensive records and she said all the obvious and most of the not so obvious causes of your illnesses have been ruled out.  She said we have to look even further outside the box.  I think your stomach may be the culprit of your problems.  Lady, are you serious??????

I just wanted to walk out.  Done.  Finished.

She said that she believed that I had GERD and was likely having silent aspiration.  What?  I told her the only time I had ever had heartburn was when I was pregnant and that was not an issue for me.  She explained that GERD is different and she wanted me to stay another day and sent me down to have a 24 hour ph probe placed.

Yes, that was as awful as it sounds.  A tube with sensors threaded through my nose, down my throat into my stomach connected to a device I would wear for 24 hours.  I HATE having things put into my both through my nose or throat for that matter!!!!

Turns out she was right!  She told me to get back to Kansas and get set up with a gastroenterologist and have additional testing done.  I was super excited and felt hopeful for the first time in a long time.