I’m home, at last, after a 17-day hospital stay where I was treated for shingles. Oddly enough, after it was determined by my care team that I was a viable candidate for a lung transplant following my diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in January 2017, I was…
Make Every Breath Count – a Column by Samuel Kirton
Have you ever wondered what a columnist for Pulmonary Fibrosis News does while being hospitalized for 17 days? First, I focused on getting better. Second, I asked many questions of those caring for me. Finally, as I met other medical specialists, I asked them what they knew about…
I feel like I’m in a long scene from the classic movie “The Neverending Story,” and the dark force is shingles. As I write this, I’m still hospitalized while my care team works to address the complications of this infection in a post-transplant patient. I’m determined to write this…
A funny thing happened the other day on the way to the Pulmonary Fibrosis News Forums. In the blink of an eye, everything changed, and off I went to the emergency room at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Virginia. I should start at the beginning. On June 12, I began…
Storytelling is a learning tool as old as time. History is made up of eyewitness accounts and recollections of a certain time or place, often augmented by official records. I’ve seen discussions recently on social media and in the Pulmonary Fibrosis News Forums asking for people to describe the…
The need for naps tends to evolve throughout one’s lifetime. When my kids were babies, it was good to let their young bodies rest midday, giving their parents a break and helping them gradually adjust to longer days. As they got older, they outgrew the need for naps. I had…
Are you familiar with the phrase “one size fits all?” When you see it, how do you react? For me, unless it’s on a baseball cap with an adjustable strap, I’m skeptical. But I’m not always a skeptic. When I was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in…
Someone out there holds the key piece of evidence needed to advance research toward a better therapy, treatment, or cure for interstitial lung diseases, including pulmonary fibrosis (PF). Since my diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) nearly 10 years ago, I have met some of the smartest people…
Are you familiar with the website Healthgrades? The site allows patients to search for medical professionals and lets them rate their experience with a specific provider. The ratings, or grades, range from 1 to 5 stars. You can read about other patients’ experiences before making an appointment. When I…
Note: This column describes the author’s own experiences with Ozempic (semaglutide). Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. As a person diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) who received a bilateral lung transplant in July 2021,…
