Adrian Sheremeta, MD

When I told My doctor I wanted to go to Peru and go up in the mountains he told me in no uncertain terms that with having asthma the way I do would I be able to breath in altitudes reaching 10,000 feet. Being over 70 and thinking I new better than my Doctor I went up in the mountains anyway. Shortly after checking into the hotel my oxygen level started to drop. When it reached 75% my wife said I was mumbling and making no sense when I tried to talk. It was late evening when my wife called Dr. Sheremeta at home. She told him that we were in a small village where there was no medical facilities available. He instructed her to go to the desk and see if they had any means of providing a person oxygen. We were lucky they had a portable tank and mask that they brought to our room. There wasn't any one in the hotel that knew how to use the regulator or what levels of oxygen were appropriate. My wife called Dr. Sheremeta back and he stayed on the phone and instructed her what to do all during the night. In the morning my oxygen level reached 90% and we disconnected the oxygen and headed down the mountain never to return. Never once during the night did Dr. Sheremeta say "I told you so". Upon returning home and seeing Dr. Sheremeta for the first time he asked why in the world would I ask for advice and then completely ignore it. I found it interesting that it was the same thing that my wife said to me. She was also upset that I never told her that I was advised that I shouldn't go in the first place. Thank you Dr. Sheremeta for all you do.