gil
Forum Replies Created
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Alex,
Yes, digital camera are amazing and macro photography is an art I haven’t tried, but I think I may follow your lead here. A macro lens lends itself to just about any location and subject, likely I will end up buying one, any recommendations? I have the Sony A7R and the A77ii which is the old Minolta A mount. I actually have a Mamiya 80mm macro lens from the days I shot film but I never got around to using the macro. I guess it is time for me to sell my mamiya sekor stuff, I doubt I’ll ever get into film again.
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Charlene,
Yes! I had someone who was great, she moved, but one of these days I’ll find someone who not only gives a great massage but will come to my apartment and give me one before I go to sleep. Yes, after a massage I just want to sleep and having to get up and go home is the only thing I don’t like. I just added a home massage to my would-like-maybe Bucket List.
As for fatigue, the best is preventive medicine such as walks and other exercises. Sometimes, the only cure is to rest. Last Wednesday night, Jan 31, we returned from watching the Lunar Eclipse, it was a 500 mile trip and it took four days to recover, I am still recovering and it would have been worse if I had been the driver. So getting a friend who is willing to drive will also help inhibit fatigue.
I often take short trip, 20 miles or so, but since I am photographing fowl and birds, the trip will last hours. I have learned that if I take frequent breaks then I will be less tired when I get home.
One of my doctors recommended C0Q10, it seems to help or at least it gives the illusion of more energy. A Native American Indian recommended prickly pear juice and that sure seems to help reduce overall fatigue, besides, it has other health properties. When I am gun ho I will also prepare cactus for salad or for a juice blend, once in while I may prepare it as part of a meal.
My most frequent remedy is resting.
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Wow, simply amazing, I would love to visit there even if I did not take my camera. Charlene, tell your friend that I admire her photos, the sunset and wolves image speaks to me, I can look at it for hours.
Sorry, I am so ethnocentric I thought everyone knew about the Sierras, if the gods live on earth they certainly must live in the Sierras. Yosemite National Park, Lake Tahoe, Sequoia National Park, etc.. are all part of the Sierras, I live in the central valley of California and on a clear day I can see the mountain range.
https://www.google.com/search?q=the+Sierras&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b-1
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Charlene,
Thank you for kind words.
My ideal town would be Carpenteria, Ca. Small but not too far from universities and VA hospitals. Best of all, the beaches are nice and the weather is mostly perfect.
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Charlene,
No question, the coast rather than the desert. The challenge is finding the best coastal area given that I have both allergies and IPF. The Ventura – Santa Barbara area has perfect temperature and the humidity isn’t bad. My favorite coastal areas are around Monterey and San Francisco but both may be a little to humid.
As for Vancouver, visiting there is on my bucket list but not as a priority item. I would like to have salmon in Victoria then drive to Vancouver. And then from there, take one of the scenic tours such as the train ride through the Canadian Rockies and glaciers.
You live in an area that gets much colder than anything I have experienced. I think I would like the experience of living in a place like that, perhaps a few months and even a year.
I live in Stockton, Ca which is about 90 miles from San Francisco, 350 miles from Los Angeles; a 2 hour drive to the beaches, 2.5 hours from Yosemite and and about 3200 km from Ontario. In short, I am at the center of the universe, as Chief Black Elk used to say.
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Charlene,
I would love seeing the northern lights and other northern parts of North America. The furthest north that I have been is the Oregon border and no, there isn’t anything similar to those northern lights, but we have the Sierras and I can not think of a more beautiful and peaceful area. There are places in the Yosemite and Sequoia areas which make me feel I am part of creation and linked to everything, a sense all is as it should be….. hard to explain but that is the best I can do
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Other than resting, what helps me are breathing exercises I learned while attending Mindfulness classes. If nothing else, it calms me and that in of itself helps breathing.
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Charlene,
Yes, both my private doctor and the VA doctors/nurses recommend the flu shot, one even recommended two, something about different virus. Also, I do volunteer work, less now, for an organization that requires we get the flu shot. Two of my doctors recommend i move to the desert but to go elswhere during the height of the heat season. The allergy doctor recommends somewhere not far from the coast, he thinks the salty air will be good for my ipf and I will be away from many of the things that trigger allergies and breathing problems.
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Charlene,
You are welcome, as for milestones:
1. Ask for forgiveness; I don’t expect anything in return, I am doing this for me and how others respond isn’t crucial
2. I would love to see my grandson graduate, he is 13 and needs four more years.
3. Find a place to live which is more allergy friendly, it can’t be too hot or too cold or with high humidity
4. Get rid of everything I haven’t used in more than 6 months
5. Be at the Death Valley dunes before sunrise
6. Visit the Vietnam Memorial in Washington DC
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Charlene, the link isn’t working, I get error 404.
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Charlene,
I cannot imagine how difficult that would be, facing mortality/IPF at such a young age, I understand wanting to be there for those milestones, I have some of my own and I’m 70.
You have given me much to think about, in a very real way you have given me more courage and added to my quality of life. I ran across your blog when I was feeling down and when I noticed your age and as I read your past blogs I felt more and more grateful and my negative feelings diminished. I don’t think I will ever feel so depressed about my IPF as I did then. Thanks.
gil
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Sandra,
I believe you and I are some of the lucky ones. We didn’t get the symptoms until our 60’s and 70’s. I am 70 years old and last year is when I first really felt sad (depression?) that I had IPF. Perhaps it is because that is about the time IPF prevented me from doing something I really enjoyed. Since then, a couple of my photography buddies started going on trips without me….
For the most part I am grateful, I was diagnosed in 2010 -2011 and until recently it hasn’t been too bad. Yet there are moments when I feel depressed, usually when thinking of what is to come and more so when IPF interferes with something I enjoy doing. It was one of the moments when I felt more depressed than alive that I decided to see how other people with IPF deal with the illness. I was lucky in that I ran across one of Charlene’s blogs which let me to rethink my attitudes and beliefs about life and IPF. Until I saw Charlene’s blog it had never occurred to me that young people could have IPF. I am beginning to understand IPF in new ways and how fortunate I have been; but, I still hate having fibrosis.
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Charlene,
That is cold! Our weather has been around 23 degree C… this last week we broke heat records for the area… our winters are getting shorter, today feels like spring. I suspect the cold weather you experience would be uncomfortable…. Humidity is a problem for me too.
Yes, allergens include pollen, grasses, many of the local trees such as birch, mullberry, oak, elm, etc… Ironic in that I love oak trees, I had a home with an oak tree estimated to be over 200 years…. the good thing is I am not allergic to Pine and that is what is mostly found in the high sierra and forests along the coast. I didn’t have allergies until about the time I was given the diagnosis for fibrosis. I am also allergic to rabbits, guinea pig and animals like that. Thus far I have not used a puffer but I am scheduled to begin taking shots for allergies, that should help but I am still thinking of moving. This valley is mostly agricultural and we also grow many fruits and the pollen gets bad and we have many native trees that trigger my allergies. This is all new to me, I think I mentioned I never had allergies until a few years ago. Until recently, I rarely had colds or the flu, so I suspect a link to IPF.
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I would add end of life quality issues such as: the morality of the current ways we administer pain management; what does it mean to be human and why do we view death as a bad or as an unfortunate event… and other similar moral questions.
gil
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Charlene,
Thank you for the kind words.
As for Milky Way, I am setting something up for those shots. Here is a short video of photographs I took last summer, includes the Milky Way and morning fog; location is mostly Tioga Pass Campgrounds, Yosemite. I won’t be doing too many trips like that one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCxMTbIqB2Y&feature=youtu.be
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Charlene,
Thank you. The California heat doesn’t bother my lungs but the summer desert heat does. Also the high altitudes increase the shortness of breath but the cold does not seem to bother me. Allergies is what most bothers my lungs. I’ve lived here all my life and it is only in the last three years that I started having allergies. I don’t know if my fibrosis led to allergies or perhaps it is simply an age thing, I am 70 years old. Whatever the reason, the allergies seem to be getting worse. I am considering moving to another city just to avoid the allergies.
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Yes, watching TV isn’t a great option, I’ve learned to play Sudoku and some card games. I also spend more time on the Internet learning new things. I discovered that I didn’t have to drop by hobby, I just had to find new ways of expressing it. Since my illness, my hobby, photography, has become a passion, something which keeps my spirit in the here and now and lets me forget about the world including my IPF. I used to go backpacking or camp in areas that had few people. I would use those occasions to shoot (photograph) wild life, flowers, and landscapes. But most of all I cherished the temporary isolation provided by the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the California coast, and the desert. About two years ago, I was unable to finish what I had considered an easy hike. After denials and more attempts, I came to accept that my IPF had now reached the point where hiking in the mountains was a thing of the past. I found new ways to continue with my hobby. One, I visit places that require driving but little walking; and, my brother in law has taken it upon himself to drive me just about anywhere I want to go. I also changed the subject matter. I got into night photography; I can drive to areas where there is little or no light pollution and shoot the Milky Way, planets and constellations. I am also getting into shooting city skylines and other forms of night photography. For instance, I have set up Hummingbird feeders and have learned to shoot this beautiful creature; I even recognize a few of them. Also, the Delta is nearby and there are many roads along the winding waterways. I am learning how to shoot Egrets, Herons, Cranes, Pelicans, hawks and other migratory wildlife that stop here on their way South and on their return voyage to the North. Funny, I’ve been here all my life and I really had not noticed how much beauty and wildlife there is here. So for this one hobby, I sacrificed (not by choice) the solitude and peace that comes with a certain type of photography. But I gained a new appreciation for the wildlife in my area and for night photography. As long as I can hold a camera, I will find ways to continue with my hobby. In short, I wish all could find a hobby that becomes a passion and helps bring peace to oneself.
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Charlene,
Thank you for welcome, I am from California and live near San Francisco. I use the Palo Alto VA system which is staffed with many doctors from Stanford University. In fact, the doctors treating me at the VA are Stanford doctors.
I am not getting treatment, my biopsy shows that no current available treatment for me. I was diagnosed in late 2010 and in 2011. Last year I started experiencing shortness of breath and fatigue doing things I used to easily due; a biopsy confirmed the IPF diagnosis.
So while I am not Canadian, I hope you all are ok having a Californian participate.