I was recently having trouble composing the details of my health concerns in a more succinct manner. The patient portal used by the office to which I was addressing my missive had a character limit for the space into which I was to type it. I tend to be a bit verbose, as I was taught years ago to explain more rather than less if I need…

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thanks for this article!

For some reason the system is not accepting my detailed reply. Trying a short statement to test it. Hmm. That went through fine. Might be the length?

Advance apologies for the length of this reply. I’m a retired preacher, so I’m not real good at brevity.

I think I can ditto parts of nearly every reply in this thread. In January 2024, I started Ofev 150mg x2/day, and the diarrhea started the very next day. No, really.

Loperamide helped a little, but I still wasn’t confident about being…

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Since an ear or a shoulder has been mentioned here, I will mention that I am a retired pastor with some training in counseling, though no degree. I think that means I can’t bill your insurance, and probably can’t bill anyone for much if anything.

I began my ministerial journey as a volunteer visitor with terminally ill prison inmates, which I…

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George, John, if either of you can find a way to conclusively document the most likely cause of your own ILD, you can then search for an alternative treatment plan, alternative medication, and/or revised prognosis for your particular brand of ILD, caused by the same cause, and you might find something worthwhile, or devastating, to you…

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Hi, Pamela! Thanks for sharing this level of detail. I am pretty sure that radiologists choose their words carefully, so you never want to panic before asking your pulmonologist about something you read. He’s usually read it by the time you have, so he’s (or she’s) already started thinking about any changes that might seem wise for you. …

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Thank you, Packman. I think I will try that approach. I have been using — correction: TRYING to use Imodium as needed, but it seems like it is always needed. I am already on the 100mg 2x/day reduced dosage Ofev. When I switched from the regular 150mg dosage I felt it became somewhat better, but that hasn’t lasted.

Related: my generic…

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I am surprised that you have received no replies on this question until now. I am using Ofev, also known by the generic name nintedanib. If you search this forum for Ofev, I strongly suspect that you will find plenty of discussion on the topic.

I’m not sure what makes a diagnosis “official,” but I would be more concerned that it be accurate. I also want it promptly. I spent about 7 years chasing a diagnosis when it was thought that I might have multiple sclerosis, but in the end, they still don’t know what I had and still have. But enough about me.

The sooner you get a…

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I’ve been looking for a good oatmeal raisin cookie recipe. Thank you for mentioning Quaker Oats; I will try to find that one. I used to eat too many OR cookies when I could find ready-made cookie 🍪 dough at the grocery stores, but I think those vanished during the pandemic. I kept trying to tell people that anything containing oatmeal…

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I was prescribed gabapentin for pain in back of my eyes. I think I started with a daily total of 300 mg. Over time, that was bumped up in stages to 2400 mg/day. A few years ago, my PCP switched me to pregabalin (Lyrica), but I still don’t know why. It seems to work about the same, but with smaller and fewer pills. I had always read that…

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Doc’s satisfied that it’s time to start OFEV, so I thought I should introduce myself to some people who have been there, done that. I am a (mostly) retired pastor, building and zoning official, trades instructor, and I was born a Buckeye, but decided I had enough bitter cold and slippery surfaces. Been in the Tampa Bay region almost 6…

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