Been quiet. Trying to sort. Organize.

Breathing is not good.

Doctor gave me a hall pass and waived an ER visit in Nashville this evening. Will be going to Vanderbilt in the morning. Something is wrong. Terribly wrong.

Saturation drops too fast. Can't sustain.

Imagine you are sitting in a chair and you try to breathe and there is nothing to breathe in. Really try to imagine. Um, clamp a hand over your mouth and try to breathe. The body's natural instinct is to then try to gulp even harder. That worsens everything. The heart rate skyrockets.

One's gulping becomes a dry drowning.

I've nearly slipped off the ledge twice. It's awful.

Is it a blood clot? The onset of pneumonia? One of my lungs collapsed? Or has my IPF rapidly progressed? Or might it be as simple as the elevation of my home and I'll have to temporarily relocate off the mountain. Pffffft. Piece-O-Cake. Or maybe I'll be able to stay on the mountain and simply increase my 02. This is my obvious first choice.

Per Vanderbilt request, I spoke to my Cleveland Clinic contact. Though not official, he indicated it all looks good and that I should hear from a scheduler in 2 - 3 days. This is not a definitive. It's still a waiting game but spiked with hope. I was also advised that if at any time I'm admitted to Vanderbilt and it's felt I should be transferred - Cleveland will come get me - with or without an evaluation. Wow! My contact at Cleveland was emphatic about that. It was the first time in two months I felt a positive tide washing away my sandcastles of concern. And maybe that's a large portion of my recent health setbacks - stress.

If I can remain on the mountain, I'll immediately look for someone to move in to assist.

I will update as I can.