Charlene is a fiercely independent 30-something year-old who can’t sit still. She loves coffee, wine tasting, playing with her dog, and spending time on the beach with her family. She’s a lover of all things travel, and never passes up an opportunity for a dip in the ocean! A proud Canadian, Charlene was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in 2016 after 13 months of investigation into sudden shortness of breath, a chronic cough, and unusual fatigue. IPF has forced her to slow down, but she’s slowly learning the value of quality versus quantity in everything she does.I always have been fairly independent. When I was little I played outside alone in a small town where the “scary stories” of a big city just didn’t happen. I was lucky enough to buy my first car very early in my teenage years, which gave me…
I have tried countless times to describe the feeling of breathlessness to the people in my life who love me and want to understand what I am going through. It doesn’t seem to matter, though, how many times I try to describe what being short of breath feels…
When living with an invisible and chronic illness, such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), I suppose it’s inevitable that you will have some really hard days (no matter how much you try to find the good in each day). To put it bluntly, some days just suck.
A very interesting situation unfolded the other day as I was purchasing something from our local music store. Typically speaking, when most people either see me with my oxygen, or learn that I am living with a terminal illness, they are not sure what to say. They may…
Please accept my apologies if this post is a little bit of a downer. One of the things I promised myself when I started writing this column was that I would be honest and include the good, the bad, and the ugly about idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF.) There…
There is tons of literature that endorses the idea of connecting with others for support when you’re faced with a chronic illness, such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). I know that literature very well because I thoroughly examined it throughout the writing of my masters thesis this…
When you think of someone who has a lung disease, such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), it is easy to understand that physical exhaustion is likely a primary side effect. What may not be so easy to understand, however, is the mental exhaustion that comes with having…
Many of you who have been following my column know that I was lucky enough to return to Australia this past fall for three weeks. “Lucky”… it is such a funny word, because while some may say I was lucky to get to travel across the world, others…
This is difficult for me to write. Since being diagnosed with IPF (Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis), I sometimes struggle to find empathy when others are sick with common ailments such as a cold, sore throat, headache, etc. I really dislike this about myself. In fact, writing about this…
I have a love-hate relationship with the need to be strong on this journey with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. It is important to be strong, but I think it is equally important not to show, or attempt to show, strength, especially when you don’t feel very strong. People sometimes…
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