Found by God intervention

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My Sarcoidosis was found by accident. I am 54 years old at the time I was diagnosed. At this time I was working at an Amy Ammunition Plant in Independence MO for about 4 years. Typically, the work week consisted of 4 twelve hour days and since I live an hour away my day started at 4:00am and ended around 6:30pm. So, naturally when I began to feel tired or sluggish, I discounted it as age and the amount of hours that I was working. Near the end of June, I received bad news that the plant was downsizing and my job came to a bitter end.

The following Friday, I had an appointment at the VA for some routine blood work. I went in as schedule. Something happened to my lab work and called me the next day and wanted me to redo it. I asked when and they told me July 5th the day after the Holiday. I agreed.

I went back on the 5th and gave them a sample of my blood. Later that evening I received a call from the Emergency Room Doctor telling me to check into the ER right away.  An hour later I was at the ER and 7 hours after that, I was checked in. Apparently, my blood work was all messed up. Practically, my Calcium Levels were way too high.

After a couple days in the Hospital and many test, they told me that they thought that I had lymphoma and when my calcium levels the next day was near normal. They let me know.  Over the next few months I underwent many test like xrays, MRI, CAT and PET Scans and blood test of every kind. They found a few things like an enlarged liver and spleen and a number of oddities. This VA never saw anything like it before.  For the next few months, with each appointment a new diagnosis; it was I had cancer then; I didn’t have cancer, over and over again. This was a  very upsetting time for me and my wife.  

My doctor is the department head of Oncology and I had him and his staff stumped. According to him, my scans and history went out around the country and they consulted with a number of doctors and hospitals and nobody could confirm it being lymphoma or something else. In October, we decided that removing my spleen was best option.

I went in for the surgery in Mid-October and when inspected my spleen and liver they were covered with little granulomas. The surgeon decided to leave my spleen and take a biopsy instead. A week later it was confirmed that I had sarcoidosis.

The full extent of this disease is extensive and will forever change the quality of my life. Not only have my liver and spleen been enlarged. But I have sarcoidosis in a few of my lymph nodes all over my body. The ones located on my breastplate it the one giving me the most problems now. I also have them on my kidneys, vertebrae, spinal cord, lungs and maybe my eyes and brain.

It has created stress cracks in my lower vertebrae an deflated 4 of my discs in my back. They are now about 80% of what they should be. I have lost over 2 inches in height in a few years. The VA continues to monitor my left hip because they feel that a fracture will occur in a few years.   

I have been on Prednisone since October and they cut my dose last month. I still feel fatigued and it is hard to focus. Simple tasks like cleaning a kitchen can wear me out and I almost pass out from the fatigue. Walking without assistant of a cane or a scooter is impossible. I am now sure what quality my life will be like in the future. Therefore, I am going to live the best that I can now.