When I was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in January 2017, I began to tackle the steep learning curve almost immediately. I may never reach the summit, but that doesn’t mean I’ve given up. There is always something to learn, and I acquire new knowledge on a regular basis.
In May, my mom, Holly, told me about a memoir she’d just finished reading by Amy Silverstein, a writer who had died of cancer the previous day. Silverstein attributed her impending death to a 35-year reliance on transplant-related medications following a heart transplant at age 25 and…
Sept. 12 is always an exciting day in our house. It’s the birthday of my wife, Susan, for one thing. And it’s also our wedding anniversary. While I won’t disclose Susan’s age for my safety, I can share that it’s our 13th anniversary. For more than half of our married life,…
At the beginning of this year, I was told to start pulmonary rehabilitation to help with my pulmonary fibrosis (PF). I was prescribed 12 sessions as an outpatient, which would take six weeks (two sessions a week) out of my life. I kept putting it off, always making…
Living with a chronic illness is a lot of work. Sometimes I liken it to a full-time job because it requires so much daily effort. Medication administration, doctor appointments, and symptom tracking are just a few responsibilities associated with disease management. Prior to my diagnosis of…
When I was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in January 2017, I wasn’t familiar with the disease, so I set out to learn everything I could about it. I wanted to understand each test I would undergo and each medication I was taking. After receiving the gift…
What an interesting month August has been. Regular readers of my column may recall that the month started with a discussion of a new comorbidity in my post-transplant world. In subsequent columns, I wrote about how to explain your chronic illness, responding when opportunity knocks, and…
The end of life is a period fraught with emotion. Losing someone who touched our lives creates a sudden void. I’ve witnessed alliances form following the passing of a family member, usually because there are opposing views of what the recently deceased would want. These rifts don’t always heal. But…
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a complex disease that leads me and other patients on a complicated trajectory. Not only do I deal with its physical difficulties, such as acute exacerbations and oxygen dependency, but I also wrestle with its emotional and social complexities. Since being diagnosed…
Writing “Make Every Breath Count” for you each week is an opportunity for me to share my journey, which is a form of therapy for me. It’s an outlet to process my experiences with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and receiving a bilateral lung transplant. Recently, my column…
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