Document 7OdqXJkxZ0qq3rw3aNp5pvD1j

SIR CHARLES GAIRDNER HOSPITAL THE QUKKN ELIZABETH II MEDICAL CliNTUE .NEULAMJS. WCSTEltN AUS'l'It Al.lA, 6009. ..... Aim 11 :* t>lr :u PE*>LY PLEASE QUOTE ........... JLE/ci_________ <F TELEPONIe PLEASE ASK FOP 8th, January, 1980. Unit No. A0070191 Or. Ong, F.O. Box 2S2, MANDURAH W.A. 6210 Dear'Dr. Ong, Ret Mr. Walter SIMPSON Walter Simpson was previously a patient of Dr. Kail who I gather has moved to Geraldton. This patient worked at Wittenoom Gorge but only for about 3 years when he was a Loco. Driver, underground. He was initially seen hy or. Reter Brown the * Senior Registrar. Mr. Simpson was certain he had asbestosis but clinically we were not convinced as he had no crepitations, no clubbing and no significant X-ray changes. His symptoms.were out of proportion to his chest signs and indeehis ventilatory function tests. He had been a very heavy smoker. He also had symptoms suggestive of rhinitis and prick skin tests were strongly positive so there is undoubtedly ar. atopic element. Because he was convinced he had asbestosis and because a lung screen did in fact show an unexplained defect in gas transfer, he had an open lung biopsy, this sho fibrosing alveolitis, there was no sign of asbestosis. Mr. Simpson has been told that he has a fibrosis in the lungs, that this is minimal and that it is not related to asbestosis. He has also been told that this appears stationary at present but that he does need to be seen occasionally for X-ray and lung screen. i'e can neither read nor write which is a considerable disability these days. " He was a"ftt!Avy smoker but I thi**-: he has now stopped. This is excellent news as it lessens his chance of ge' 7 lung cancer particularly as he worked at wittenoom. Today he again complained of bbelow the xiphisternum to the . i nation he had a cap between h : hlessness after a heavy meal and painful swell which he thought was getting bigger. On oxar Tccti but there was onlv verv vanne diffuse _ > I cold him chat this was simply slight fatty swelling and of no consequence. He is a fairly anxious chap, he has no )ob, he spends a lot of tine swimming and sometimes after swimming he suffers from a blocked nose for some days and I have therefore prescribed Avil retard to cake at night on these occasions for 3-4 nights. I told him that if this helped then you could probably supply Avil plain if he visited you in the future but I warned him to take only at night. Lung screen today still showed a defect m gas transfer but there had been.no change since April '79. I have therefore re-assured him chat his fibrosing alveolitis appears quiescent, but I will see him'again in 6 months. Yours sincerely, JANET L. ELDER Physician Department of Respiratory Medicine II, . > OR. W. J. VAHALA OR. T. K. KEARNgY OR. V. E. STEWART HOURS 8Y APPOINTMENT 433 GUILDFORD ROAD, 8AYSWATER. 60S3 272 3H1 (5 W Ci_<_"tCs * - r D