I have a love/hate relationship with my supplemental oxygen. I use liquid oxygen at a flow of 8 litres per minute, 24/7, as well as an oxygen concentrator. I’m grateful to have it, for without it my organs would fail.
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 IÂ would be honest and include the good, the bad, and the ugly about idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF.) There…
A while ago I was feeling tired and found myself debating whether I wanted to put out the energy to get together with some friends. Going out and lugging my oxygen around is a lot of effort, and it wears me out. It hit me that this was…
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…
I’ll be honest, I’m not sure I have a good answer to this question, but I’ll share my journey delivering this message. My journey actually began by telling others I had breast cancer three-and-a-half years ago. Only 10 days elapsed between that awful phone call and my surgery. I…
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…
I am quite aware of what I can no longer do, and grieve these losses. I also have found that focusing on what I CAN DO encourages me, and gives me hope and purpose. My sister Kyle and yours truly. My…
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…
As a patient with pulmonary fibrosis I try to come up with ways to calm myself calm when I’m distressed, discouraged, scared or in pain. Dealing with this diagnosis gives me plenty of opportunities. The need to soothe ourselves when distressed occurs…
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