It’s Hard Being the ‘Sick’ Employee

Shortly after my idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) diagnosis, my doctor and I had a discussion about employment. While he supported my desire to work at the time, he was very open with his concerns about my ability to do so as my disease progresses. While he couldn’t…

Treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) with Esbriet (pirfenidone) increased five-year survival, and also resulted in less decline in lung function at two years, according to a real-life study from the Czech Republic. The findings also revealed that a specific measure of lung function called diffusing lung capacity…

Letting go of something or someone is hard for all of us. We often face forks in the road where we realize we need to let go of people, expectations, plans, relationships, pain, and a whole lot more. This is especially true for pulmonary fibrosis (PF) patients and…

He’s a musician and a clothing designer. He’s a published author. He’s a professional scuba-diving instructor — and he has an intense passion for underwater shark photography. In fact, Noah Greenspan is anything but your typical New York pulmonary physical therapist. Since 1998, Greenspan has been running the Pulmonary Wellness…

Talking about lung transplantation is frightening. It was scary when it was initially introduced following my diagnosis nearly three years ago, and it continues to be difficult to talk about. This is despite all that I’ve been through with my disease progression over the years. Recently, I talked…

A protein called cadherin-11 (CDH11) ties together macrophages and myofibroblasts in an “eternal hug” in the lungs of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients, promoting a profibrotic environment, a study shows. Therapies that target CDH11 and break the “hug” between the two cell types may help stop this profibrotic process. The…

A large, multi-center clinical trial testing the proton pump inhibitor omeprazole as a therapy for cough in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients seems achievable and justified, according to results of a single-center pilot trial. The pilot study also suggests the need to screen large patient numbers and monitor adverse side…

It’s no secret that I love to travel. Upon receiving my idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) diagnosis in 2016, my biggest fear was that this cruel lung disease would take away my physical ability to explore the world. While IPF has certainly changed how I travel, I am grateful…

The tolerability and safety of Ofev (nintedanib) and Esbriet (pirfenidone) treatments in a small group of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in South England were found to be similar to real-world data. The research confirmed the safety of both IPF therapies. The retrospective study, “South-West…

All pulmonary fibrosis patients require supplemental oxygen as our disease progresses. As scarring in our lungs worsens, we need extra oxygen to stay alive. Starting using oxygen I was shocked when my doctor told me that I needed to use supplemental oxygen, which involves rolling a tank around…