Wednesday, October 7, 2009

The suspected exposure

We finally had a name for my lung problem. It was estimated that I began the disease in late 2002 or early 2003. Apparently, I had been so fit I did not recognize the symptoms until they were quite dramatic.

The school site was on 33 acres. The lower school was an old mansion and the upper campus included the Middle School. As part of the Middle School configuration, there were two 18-year old portable buildings. One was the art room with a separate conference room and office and in the other building was the music classroom, two separate offices and the IT area.

After entering the music classroom, there were two doors for separate access to the two offices. The IT office ran the width of the space behind our office. Three of us shared one of the small offices connected to the large classroom. I was responsible for the music education of every student and all of the private instrumental lessons taught during the day on campus. This also included supervising, hiring and firing approximately nineteen instrumental and classroom teachers. It was a big job. I loved it.

After the biopsy, I felt really good during the month recovery at home: no funny noises when I breathed, no hacking cough, and Michael said that there were no more panting noises at night. Two weeks into the recovery period, I went to our shared office to check in with the lower and upper school music teachers. We talked for about two hours. Walking to my car, I was very out of breath and coughed the rest of the day. I said nothing to Michael about the symptoms and he didn’t know that I had gone to the school. He mentioned the next morning that the panting and noises were back when I slept. I confessed that I had been to the school. For the next four days, the coughing, noises and panting continued. Then they stopped.

Michael said that he was convinced that the trigger for the disease was in my office.


Next: Investigation of the exposure begins

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