Lorena McManus
Forum Replies Created
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Hi Charlene,
Yes gabapentin is documented as a treatment for the dry cough associated with PF. There are research articles documenting this practice. Will send along when I locate them. Our doctors in Canada, especially our palliative docs who are well versed in it, use it more often. Cheers!
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Happy Canada Day to you Charlene! I am grateful for many things about Canada. I am thankful for a home, and enough food to eat and all the life I have that I often take for granted, a life that many around the world don’t have. Many don’t even know where their next meal is coming from and live in squalor. Sadly, many are children. Canada has given me everything I could possibly need. I recently read Canada was among the top 3 passports welcomed around the world and is listed as the top place to live. I am grateful for all these things. I am grateful for its diverse beauty and that i’ve had the privilege of seeing so much of this country. And I am grateful that I live in a country untouched by war. I am also grateful for our health care system. It is not perfect but I would be in dire straits if I lived elsewhere I fear. Canada I am grateful for you????. Thank you!
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There are medications to counteract the side effects the side effects of antifibrotic medications and I’m not sure why doctors aren’t prescribing them. Some examples are Imodium for diarhhea and Zofran for nausea and vomiting. Please ask your physician about them as other folks have had success.
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Hi Jan,
You are very welcome. It is so often the fear of the unknown that haunts us. Unfortunately I’m not familiar with serrapeptase nor has it been mentioned in any of the literature I have read. What I do know and has been recently reinforced at a symposium I attended is that opioids are the most effective treatment for shortness of breath, even more so than oxygen. I am quoting both articles and a palliative care physician. We don’t know exactly what the mechanism is but we know it works. So I would strongly encourage you to get a referral to a palliative care Doctor now and get it treated so you can live with the best quality possible.
Please let me know how you make out. Lorena
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There is a section under files I believe that has some information on Hospice/Palliative care. It is such an important and good question. So many of us bemoan the lack of control this disease leaves us with. Planning how we would wish our life to end is a way to have some control. I worked in Palliative/Hospice Care for most of my Career as a Nursing Director. The first thing I can tell you is those of us with a prolonged disease die pretty much the same way regardless of the cause. We don’t choke to death. That is often a fear. We generally die of terminal pneumonia and can do so peacefully and in comfort with the right care. Generally as the end approaches we get weaker, rest and sleep more, loose our desire for food and fluids. We will usually get more short of breath. It is crucial to involve palliative care early for management of these symptoms including shortness of breath, depression, and psychological and spiritual support for the patient and family. Once the disease or symptoms have progressed it is then vital to get a referral to Hospice, which can be provided at home. Opioids, anti anxiety meds, anti delerium meds, neuroleptic meds, antidepressants, sedatives, complimentary therapies, and having whoever we want with us is all part of impeccable hospice care.
In the end death should be peaceful, with little shortness of breath. We slip into unconsciousness, and beginning taking short shallow breaths followed by long pauses until we breathe no more. Loved ones should continue to speak and touch us until the end as we research has demonstrated hearing is the last sense to end. This is a good death. We all should demand and receive this kind of death.
This is is a very short synopsis but there are resources available. One I recommend is the Canadian Virtual Hospice. Again check the files section in Breath Support.
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Good morning everyone. I just wanted to reply in general to the posts related to increased coughing and phlegm. There was mention of a change in colour of the phlegm; one person mentioned a greenish tinge and another mentioned some red. Please always report these changes to your doctor ASAP. Along with your other symptoms both can be indications of infection or other serious issues that should be attended to by your physician as soon as possible. I hope this is helpful. All the best. Lorena