Columns

September is Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Month, and as I sit down to write this column, I have to admit that the topic is coming from a point of frustration … and even a little anger. As a young adult living with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), I…

This is another column in which I hope others living with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) will have some helpful tips for me. I don’t know if it is my diagnosis or the medications, or maybe a combination of the two. Today, I became really aware of how…

I have a new appreciation for PF patients who live on their own or don’t have much help at home. I also feel gratitude for my husband, who helps me handle the tasks of daily life. My husband, Dave, has been away for five days at a…

It’s no secret that when you are diagnosed with a chronic illness, your life will inevitably change in numerous ways. Lung diseases, such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), are bound to impact your physical, mental, and emotional health because breathing is involved in every aspect of our lives.

Given the stage of life I am in, many people are curious to know what type of work I do for a living. This curiosity often comes naturally to people when interacting with young adults — especially when they know about the years of schooling that many…

I have experienced a whirlwind of emotions, good and bad, since being diagnosed with IPF. Sometimes I feel these emotions randomly, and other times they are attributed to how my day has gone overall. For example, if I have had a good day physically when my breathing…

Since I received my IPF diagnosis about 16 months ago, there have been many times when things in my life have felt out of my control. For example, I neither can control how rapidly my disease is progressing, nor the physical limitations that I have due to…

Yesterday I had a difficult experience. It began when our electricity went out as it was turning dark. We didn’t know the cause of the power outage, or how long it would be out. We later learned that a tree in the neighborhood fell down and took…

Sometimes when people ask me, “What do you need” or “What can I do to help,” I feel like a broken record since my response is usually, “I don’t know.” I wish I did know what I need when I am in a poor emotional state, sobbing uncontrollably about…

Adjust, adjust, adjust… Part of living with pulmonary fibrosis is adjusting to changes that happen as our disease worsens. There is so much to adjust to that it can be overwhelming at times. Supplemental oxygen I first started using supplemental oxygen two months after I received my diagnosis.