Columns

I am still reflecting on an experience I had last week at the grocery store — one that, unfortunately, is common for other patients, too. Several months after being diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), I began having to lug around supplemental oxygen. My ability to do…

It’s funny that the older I seem to get, the more I enjoy spending time at home on weekends and completing different tasks around the house to leave everything in good order for the upcoming week. While the heat and humidity were the primary reasons I stayed…

Being diagnosed with a life-threatening illness shakes you to your core. Not only does it leave you feeling confused, vulnerable, scared, and at times, hopeless, it also leaves your family feeling equally devastated. Then there…

Sometimes, it is so discouraging to have PF. … Okay, having PF is discouraging A LOT of the time. I had a hard experience this week, as I’ve had many times before. I bet you’ve had experiences, too. Since my diagnosis with PF a little more than…

If you’ve been reading my columns the past few months, it is no secret that I’m noticing a huge difference in my physical abilities as the progression of my idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) charges on. I often write about how tired I am physically, how emotionally drained I…

Last week I had the privilege of doing a live video, via Pulmonary Fibrosis News’ Facebook page. It was a lot of fun to have so many patients, caregivers and medical professionals tune in as we talked about treatment. The beauty of a…

The definition of patient advocacy can vary from patient to patient, and can include many different roles for those involved in any type of chronic illness advocacy campaign or project. What also varies is the patients’ comfort level when getting involved in different initiatives that might focus on…

The body and mind can do such strange things in response to stress. More and more I am hearing about the physical impact of stress on friends, colleagues and family members requesting a break from work, or managing to recover quickly from a cold only to become sick…

Pulmonary fibrosis patients, like myself, have to deal with lots of symptoms and hardships on a daily basis because of our disease. One of those difficulties for me is trouble sleeping. Sleep problems come from a variety of sources Among them: Medication side effects. Some of those…

In my experience, online virtual support groups are growing — allowing conversations among people living with various sensitivities or intolerances, to those diagnosed with cancer, lung diseases, etc. It’s really interesting to think of how peer support has changed in the past decade with internet use. Personally, I scroll through…