Already had tests done for sleep apnea done some time ago because I used to
be quite the snorer - Ironically, since the surgery a year and a half ago,
I don't snore *at all* now, which is a great relief to my wife. Besides,
this is definitely a daytime thing, the sense of lack of oxygen comes and
goes throughout the day. Wifey tells me my sleep is completely normal with
no interruptions.

Next appt with the onc is May 14.

Even though none of my cancer experience or this breathing experience is
smoking related, the trip to the hospital, thinking I was having a heart
attack was the final kick in the teeth for me: Started my Champix
prescription this morning and I have my quit date of April 7 triple cicled
on the calendar. If this shortness of breath thing is a new reality, then
I'm going to give my lungs as much absorption ability as possible.

Hey Bobert;

Thanks for posting that - I appreciate knowing what others have gone
through in similar circumstances. The 'catching up' of my breath still
comes and goes - Sometimes once or twice every couple of days, sometimes an
entire day seems to be a struggle to "breathe normally", so to speak. As
the doctor pointed out, though, I'm not feeling week, dizzy or disoriented,
so it's not like it's actually causing a lack of oxygen to the body, it's
just the brain sending the wrong signal.

Since I'm writing:

Got my MRI appointment on the 8th; A second lump has turned up in the right
side of my neck (where they operated before).

Gotta mention this, because it shows there really are some good doctors out
there:

I had three appointments over this thing (lump), where the first two were
just checkups: Went to the doc, he checked me out, chatted and he said
we'll make you another appointment, but it's nothing to worry about, we'll
just watch it for now".

So the third appointment was pretty much the same as the first two, until I
said "You know, the first time a doctor told me it was nothing to worry
about and we'd just watch it, they ended up opening my skull, exposing my
brain, making me deaf in one side, losing nerve function in one side of my
face *and*, to top it all off, it ended up being cancerous, so I hope I'm
not being rude in saying that I'm not overly assured by this".

So Dr Eapen looked at me, smiled and said "You know what ? You're right.
We'll get an MRI scheduled as quickly as we can and we'll look at both your
head and neck and get a definitive answer as to what's happening in there".

Got a call four days later with an MRI scheduled two weeks after that :)

My oncologist rocks :)

I was saying to a good friend the other day that even though 'the big C' is
kinda scary and inconvenient as all hell, at least I look forward to seeing
my doc, just because he's a genuinely good human being :)

Anyway, I'll post again after the MRI. I'm going to bring my son with me
and see if the techs will let him watch: They let my daugther see in my
skull once, so I thought it'd be neat for the little guy to do the same :)