Sustaining Hope on the PF Journey

I’m not big on hope, even though I have a sign that says “hope” on my porch year-round. Are you thinking “Wait! How can she say that? I want to be encouraged here!” I’m not big on attaching hope to:…

Learning that a loved one has a chronic illness is devastating, and even more so if that illness is likely to cut their life short. Everyone deals with the death of loved ones different, the grieving process is varied and there is no wrong or right way to go about…

I have tried countless times to describe the feeling of breathlessness to the people in my life who love me and want to understand what I am going through. It doesn’t seem to matter, though, how many times I try to describe what being short of breath feels…

It can sometimes be a challenge to look on the bright side when you have a chronic illness, but spending time doing things that make you happy will help keep depression at bay, help you come to terms with your illness better and begin enjoying life again. To help you feel happier,…

Spanish patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) saw their hospital and follow-up care improve from 2004 to 2013, according to a new report. The study, “Retrospective observational study of trends in hospital admissions for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in Spain (2004–2013) using administrative data,” appeared in the journal BMJ Open. It…

If you have a chronic illness such as pulmonary fibrosis you can draw tremendous strength from others who are going through the same experiences as you are. Befriending others who suffer from the same illness provides you with a community you can rely on, who understand your situation better than your friends and family. It…

A factor crucial to lung development also appears to promote fibrosis, the tissue-scarring in the lungs associated with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), according to a study. The factor, TAZ, locks lung fibroblasts — or cells that generate connective tissue — in a state that promotes fibrosis. TAZ stands for transcriptional co-activator with…

When living with an invisible and chronic illness, such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), I suppose it’s inevitable that you will have some really hard days (no matter how much you try to find the good in each day). To put it bluntly, some days just suck.

If you or a friend or loved one has recently been diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis (PF), you probably have a lot of questions. Very little is known about this chronic lung condition, despite the fact that approximately five million people suffer from it worldwide. We’ve put together a list of important facts about pulmonary…

When idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients experience sharp flares and sudden disease worsening, the bacterial make-up of their respiratory tract changes, a study has found. The research, “Changes in the respiratory microbiome during acute exacerbations of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis,” compared patients whose condition had worsened because of an…