Current:Home > NewsDoctors didn't think much of her constant cough. A nurse did and changed her life-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Doctors didn't think much of her constant cough. A nurse did and changed her life
View Date:2024-12-23 19:07:40
This story is part of the My Unsung Hero series, from the Hidden Brain team. It features stories of people whose kindness left a lasting impression on someone else.
In 2018, Julie Silverman developed a bad cough. She went to her primary care physician, who sent her to a plethora of other doctors, but no one could diagnose the source of the cough, or figure out a way to treat it.
Over the next few years, the cough got worse and worse. Silverman was going to weekly appointments for allergy shots, which is where she met a nurse practitioner named Alison.
"She was really kind of perplexed by this cough and was often asking me how I was doing," Silverman remembered. "I had, at this point, gotten kind of dismissive about it, because I had been dismissed by so many doctors as, 'There's nothing wrong, you're not responding to our treatments, we'll try something else.'"
But Alison's response was different, and she kept tabs on Silverman. When Silverman came in for one of her weekly appointments, Alison noticed that her condition had worsened.
"I sounded much worse. A very hoarse voice, very breathless, wheezing, along with my coughing, and she was just adamant something was wrong with my airway," Silverman said.
Alison got one of the physicians in the clinic and insisted he do a scope of Silverman's trachea. The procedure involved putting a small camera through her nose and down her throat to see if there were any blockages. When the procedure was over, Silverman could tell they'd found something.
"I could just tell by their faces, something was not right," she said.
The scope showed that Silverman had a condition called idiopathic subglottic stenosis. Essentially, scar tissue had formed at the top of her trachea. Her airway was 75% blocked, meaning she was basically breathing through the width of a straw.
"This is a very rare condition. It only happens to about one in 400,000 people," Silverman said. "And so [it is] very serious and fatal if not treated because your airway completely closes."
The diagnosis gave Silverman the information she needed to find a specialist who could properly treat her. Now, she spends her time volunteering at her local hospital, riding her bike, hiking, skiing and spending time with family and friends. She often thinks of Alison while doing the things that bring her joy.
"Had Alison not picked up on the fact that she was sure something else was wrong, and gotten this physician to look in my throat, I don't know what would have happened," she said. "It was her persistence and diligence and her listening to me and taking me seriously that got my diagnosis in a timely enough fashion to do something about it. So for these reasons, Alison is my unsung hero."
My Unsung Hero is also a podcast — new episodes are released every Tuesday. To share the story of your unsung hero with the Hidden Brain team, record a voice memo on your phone and send it to [email protected].
veryGood! (6)
Related
- Will Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul end in KO? Boxers handle question differently
- UN is seeking to verify that Afghanistan’s Taliban are letting girls study at religious schools
- Congo’s presidential vote is extended as delays and smudged ballots lead to fears about credibility
- Texas police officer indicted in fatal shooting of man on his front porch
- Barbora Krejcikova calls out 'unprofessional' remarks about her appearance
- Tommy DeVito pizzeria controversy, explained: Why Giants QB was in hot water
- ICHCOIN Trading Center: A Historical Review
- Maine governor tells residents to stay off the roads as some rivers continue rising after storm
- Shaboozey to headline halftime show of Lions-Bears game on Thanksgiving
- ICHCOIN Trading Center: Cryptocurrency value stabilizer
Ranking
- Mississippi governor intent on income tax cut even if states receive less federal money
- A passenger hid bullets in a baby diaper at New York’s LaGuardia Airport. TSA officers caught him
- 2 adults, 2 children injured in explosion that 'completely destroyed' South Florida home
- A white couple who burned a cross in their yard facing Black neighbors’ home are investigated by FBI
- Who will be in the top 12? Our College Football Playoff ranking projection
- Artists rally in support of West Bank theater members detained since Dec. 13
- How do people in Colorado feel about Trump being booted from ballot? Few seem joyful.
- See Meghan Markle Return to Acting for Coffee Campaign
Recommendation
-
The Daily Money: Inflation is still a thing
-
Derwin's disco: Chargers star gets groovy at dance party for older adults
-
Mexican business group says closure of US rail border crossings costing $100 million per day
-
Nantz, Childress, Ralph and Steve Smith named to 2024 North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame class
-
New York races to revive Manhattan tolls intended to fight traffic before Trump can block them
-
Suriname’s ex-dictator sentenced to 20 years in prison for the 1982 killings of political opponents
-
2 men, Good Samaritans killed after helping crashed car on North Carolina highway
-
For the third year in a row, ACA health insurance plans see record signups