I'm new.......and quite scared!

[Guest guest]

Myrlene,

I and certainly most all of us have experienced the uncertainty and fear you are going through. I do understand and am very sorry to hear of your diagnosis.

If your feelings of sadness go on too long, don't be afraid to get help. If it weren't for antidepressants, I couldn't cope. Some on this board go to counseling, but we all have to deal with this down feeling that comes with this terrible diagnosis. And with time and effort, I can just about promise that you will have some very good days, and they could even be the best days of your life. These past 4 years have been very special for me. I am very close to friends and family, and now that I don't work, I have much more time to spend with them.

Do you use O2 at night? You may be needing more sleep because what you are getting isn't good sleep. It would not be out of the ordinary to find that you fall below 90% saturation during sleep. Ask your doctor about this, and he/she may even want to do a sleep study. Even if O2 isn't necessary for daily life, it is not uncommon that it is prescribed for sleeping with us.

Don't think of yourself as being a burden, and that is so much easier said than done. Your family and friends want to be part of your life; So let them be a part of it, and when they offer to help, let them. It is common knowledge here that unless you have PF, you don't understand, but that doesn't mean that they can't help out. Accept help cheerfully and graciously. Your boy friend would much rather be a contributing part of your life, and I can promise you, he would make that choice freely. You would do the same for him.

And above all, take good care of yourself. What you can do for yourself will mean more for your good health than all our modern medicine can offer. Eat well and exercise. And don't be afraid to use as much oxygen as you need to keep up an active lifestyle. Take a deep breath. You still have some very good days ahead. We are all here for each other.

Jerry/Mississippi/54/IPF/dx April 05Who believes that hard times help us appreciate the good times even more.