Friday, October 26, 2012

A Story Of My Ongoing Battle With Asbestosis

It was in my thirties, when I started to grasp insufficience of activity which occurred oftentimes with exertion. This puzzled me a lot, being that I do not turn out, or have a history of asthma. Over the years, the shortcoming of sentience worsened to the point that I perceive it unbroken when I ' m rested. There are aligned times when the dyspnea was so severe that I had to prop myself up on sustentation now I can ' t breathe when I ' m in a supine position. I became increasingly worried when I aside from the dyspnea, I had a persistent dry cough and some chest heartache every now and for.

I submitted myself to a medical evaluation, and it was found out that I had asbestosis. I was diagnosed almost a decade ago, and I am now in my early fifties. Asbestosis is a lung disease that occurs from breathing in asbestos fibers which can cause scar tissue to form inside the lung, which in turn prevents the organ from expanding and contracting normally. Like most asbestosis patients, it took decades before the signs and symptoms of the disease manifested. The heartbreaking truth is there is no cure for this illness yet, and until a cure is found, I have to depend on receiving low dose oxygen at home and chest percussion. I also have to receive nebulized meds to liquefy my secretions.

With the aid of my doctor, I was able to home in on where I could have probably gotten exposed to asbestos - my job as a builder for a construction firm back in my twenties. Back then we built houses, did repairs and renovations, and we were working with asbestos when fitting pipes and installing insulation. In hindsight, we were given protective clothing for chemicals that we worked with, but none for asbestos. The physician told me to seek an asbestos lawyer right away so I can file a personal injury claim.

My family helped me look for asbestos lawyers in the state with a good track record. I also asked recommendations from previous workmates who also filed lawsuits for their asbestos - related disorders. I made a list of local asbestos lawyers who had a good track record and sat down with each of them to discuss my case. I went with the attorney who was straight to the point, and easy to talk with. Furthermore, the asbestos lawyer I chose had a very good track record with this kind of complaint. The asbestos lawyer I retained will be compensated on a contingency basis. This means, he will receive a portion of the award. If the decision is not in our favor, the attorney said I won ' t pay him anything.

The lawsuit took a lot of time to be decided on, but the decision was in my favor. I used the money I received to pay for my healthcare, and to financially prepare my family in case I die.