Idiopathic Pulmonary fibrosis is a rare progressive disease. Patients may initially have mild symptoms of shortness of breath and cough. But over time as the disease progresses, symptoms become more severe and more onerous. Every day activities become a chore if not impossible. Navigating the day-to-day challenges of IPF is almost impossible without a caregiver or a team of … [Read more...]
3 Resources for IPF Caregivers
Providing care for a patient with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis can be difficult and challenging. And the challenge can go on for many years. It's important to prevent caregiver burnout and to maintain your own health as well. Here are three fantastic resources for caregivers to find support themselves. 1. National Caregivers Library (www.nationalcaregiverslibrary.org) This … [Read more...]
Pulmonary Fibrosis and Weight Loss
Several readers recently inquired about why patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis often lose weight. Early in the course of IPF, patients have no problem maintaining their normal weight. However with advancing severity of IPF, many patients gradually lose weight. There are several contributing factors. Decreased appetite There are a few potential contributing … [Read more...]
Sex and Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
Patients ask their doctors many questions. However, most patients are quite shy when it comes to asking their lung doctor about sex. This does not mean that patients are not interested in learning more about sex and their lung disease. Unfortunately, Playboy has yet to publish on this topic. Chronic lung disease requires patients to make many compromises. They have to … [Read more...]
Researching Pulmonary Fibrosis on the Internet: Do’s & Don’ts
We live in an age of unrestricted access to information. Compared to thirty years ago, patients now have the ability to sit at home and look up any question on the Internet. Patients have access to the same information that physicians use. The primary literature (scientific journals that report the latest advances) is increasingly open-source, which means that no … [Read more...]