Help I am worried sick.

[TheFuzzyStar]

My husband had a consultant appointment a couple of weeks ago and they think he has pulmonary fibrosis. It’s progressive. Will know for sure in January.

I feel like shouting and screaming and crying constantly but I am trying to hold it together for our children, our youngest is only 2. How can we cope with this? I feel like I’m stuck in a bad dream.

How awful for you . I cannot imagine how terribly worried you must be . I have no words of wisdom , just wanted you to know that someone has read your message.
You will cope, somehow you will . Have you got family that you can support you?

I have my mum. No siblings. I’m really terrified for my children.

I wish I could say something helpful... here's a handhold instead.
You will find strength from within that you never knew you had. ❤️

Hug
One day at a time. Don’t think about the past or the future, just focus on the day. Easier said than done, but if you do struggle, breathe in and out to 10, then start again until you manage to come back to today. Or put your hand over your belly button and breathe in till you feel the tummy expanding. Then exhale. When we’re stressed, we take shallow breaths, increasing the CO2 (basically hyperventilating).

You can’t control the outcome, or what is happening to your husband’s health. But you can help by remaining sane and healthy.
I’m sorry. It’s really unfair and not something you need :(. Look after yourself.

Bless you but don’t give up there are things that can be done.

Oh OP, my dad was diagnosed with this but it’s been revised to emphysema more than IPF.

I am so so so so sorry for you all. I wish i could give you a big hug.

There are treatments for IPF available and definitely worth looking into.

My heart sank when i read your OP. I actually clicked out of it quickly because it took my breath away when I saw pulmonary fibrosis.

Also, if he’s under 50 (perhaps 55) they will consider a lung transplant.

He’s 42. That’s why it feels so unfair. Thanks everyone my head is all over the place at the moment. Struggling to sleep tonight.

I’m still here @TheFuzzyStar

I don’t even know what to say, I’m just so sorry you’ve been hit with this news.

Thank you, I’m sorry to hear your dad isn’t well. The children don’t know. Our eldest is 13. So I think I am just a bit exhausted with trying to pretend everything is fine. And this would be rubbish any time of year but seems particularly crap hanging over us over Christmas.

I haven’t got any advice but just wanted to offer a handhold. I have no knowledge of this condition but know how agonising the waiting can be between appts for other serious illnesses (cancer). It’s particularly cruel that the timing has fallen over Christmas. Sending love to you

Hi Fuzzy star, I just wanted to let you know there is always hope. I was diagnosed with sarcoidosis and pulmonary fibrosis in 2007 and am perfectly fine now.. It was really terrifing in the beginning and my heart goes out to you. I was very ill and had given up hope but I researched alternative healing methods and used a variety which have all helped. The medical team were baffled by the changes in my breathing tests and xrays and I was permanently discharged 5 years ago. There was definitely a very strong emotional component to my illness and the therapies helped in the better I felt emotionally the better my health became and so on. These are the therapies I learned or attended practitioners. Buteyko breathing, a form of breathing that helps with all lung disease. EFT also know as tapping helped with emotional issues around illness and tightness in the lungs and not being able to take a breath, tibetan herbal medicine, this was the major change especially because the Dr was so kind and gave me hope. The herbs were foul tasting and work slower than conventional medicine but I stuck with it and it was so worth it. The other therapy I used is called bodytalk. It's a mix of kinesiology and tapping and has techniques specifically to heal scarring which I think really was the final piece of the healing. I realise lots of people have no time for alternative therapies but I just wanted to let you know there are other routes. Also I always attended my medical appointments and let the Dr know about anything I was taking. They always said go ahead as they could do nothinges for me. In the end my consultant asked what I had done to improved. I explained the above and he replied saying it amazing what we ( the medical profession) don't know. I hope this helps in some way. Sorry for the long post.