My New Year’s wishes for the IPF community
Each new year brings an influx of marketing about resolutions, hopes, and wishes. If you’re like me, your social media feed is flooded with related ad campaigns this month. A new year often sparks…
Living With IPF — Charlene Marshall
Charlene Marshall is a fiercely independent 30-something-year-old who can’t sit still. She loves coffee, wine tasting, playing with her dog, and spending time on the beach with her family. She’s a lover of all things travel, and never passes up an opportunity for a dip in the ocean! A proud Canadian, Charlene was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in 2016 after 13 months of investigation into sudden shortness of breath, a chronic cough, and unusual fatigue. IPF has forced her to slow down, but she’s slowly learning the value of quality versus quantity in everything she does.
Featured Post
Strategies that make exercise with pulmonary fibrosis easier for me
Exercise is important for people with chronic illness. But as someone living with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a disease characterized by progressive scarring of the lungs and difficulty breathing, I know working out…
Read more
Emotions resurface when a loved one receives an IPF diagnosis
Since my diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in 2016, I’ve learned to manage my emotions about my illness. However, there are a few circumstances that make it nearly impossible for me to…
My recent pulmonary function test results were disappointing
Frequent appointments and testing are part of life with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). I’ve been living with IPF for eight years now, but the number of those appointments and tests can still…
Everything is harder with a relentless disease like IPF
I do not typically use my columns as a platform to complain about my idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Usually, I try to inform or inspire others; however, that’s not always possible with…
My ENT doctor provided helpful insight into my shortness of breath
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive lung disease, which means it worsens over time. Because there’s no cure, the goal is to try and preserve lung function for as long as possible.
The high costs of living with IPF and other rare diseases
Living with a rare disease is expensive. While I agree with the cliches that “money can’t buy happiness” and “time is more valuable than money,” the limited financial aid available to patients stresses me…
How to deal with guilt from IPF limitations while traveling
I love to travel, and I’m grateful I can still do it. Despite the limitations caused by my idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), travel sets my soul on fire and provides me with many…
4 weight loss strategies that have worked for me, even with IPF
Keeping up with a regular exercise routine and a healthy diet can be hard as we get older. Between our career, family commitments, and social obligations, finding time for these habits tends to…
Looking back on the 8 years that followed my IPF diagnosis
The life I once knew and loved drastically changed on April 7, 2016. On that day, I was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a life-threatening and progressive lung disease for which…
Fighting impostor syndrome when it creeps into my life with IPF
Last month, I wrote about my constant battle with lung infections. As a patient with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a progressive and life-threatening lung disease, I think the condition’s physical manifestations are…
My strategy to weather the storm of constant lung infections
Recurrent lung infections are exhausting, both physically and mentally. As a patient living with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a progressive and life-threatening lung disease, respiratory infections have become part of my life. But…
