Re: Re: PF and Depression--Donna

[Guest guest]

Hi Donna,

Girl can I relate to you. After a 26 day stay in hospital... & never having been oxygen EVER it is quite shocking to say the least. The portable oxygen has truly truly helped me get around & not be too exhausted. As for anti-depressant--my Pulmo Dr. prescribed me amitriptylin & it has truly helped me sleep very well @ night & has helped me patiently cope.

As for energy--Since Jan i've been on vitamin B12 & drinking this fantastic healthy fruit-juice called Monavie..look it up online. What a life saver. It not only gives me all the fruit I need for the day, but gives me the extra energy to get me out of bed-and do stuff. As for the cough, my Pulmo dr has me on allergy-zertec (generic) & Tylenol 3 w/codeine has really helped very well for me on the coughing. It has truly subsided. Hope that helps. Keep the faith, don't focus on death-focus on living every single day. Your alive NOW & you will daily get stronger & live better, you'll see. Take it One DAY @ a Time. Keep sharing!

Dot/uip10/08/42/Sa,tx

Subject: Re: Re: PF and DepressionTo: Breathe-Support Date: Tuesday, November 3, 2009, 11:16 AM

Donna.

Sorry about your current situation. Its a Bummer! most of us here have similar stories. I myself went to a Dr. appointment feeling rather healthy and ready to take on the world when I was suddenly told you Have IPF. Three year survival rate! plus I want you to be on O2 24/7! The same day thew O2 company arrived at my home large green bottles (while my wife and I were still devastated from the tragic information the Dr. had given to us earlier that same day) I felt doomed!

But, thanks to this group......I began to gain perspective, and someone on the board said something that really helped. They said do not look at O2 as a bad thing....Look at it as an ENABLER! I thought yes...that's it,, its going to help me do things I wouldn't otherwise be able to do. So I embraced it, and begin to research more and found, I really didn't need those big green bottles, there were other alternatives. ...Liquid O2 and many other choices.

Donna, listen to your body, rest when you need it, there will be time later to take this IPF full on....as you feel better look into rehab, it helped most of to get on the right track. But now just realax, keep Oxygenated, think about getting a oximiter to track your O2 level (Most of us have them)

and most of us would not be with out one. but, for now, justa relax and know there are many of us on this board that will help in any way we can. --- On Tue, 11/3/09, pianolady_musicgirl <jjarrett (AT) optilink (DOT) us> wrote

From: pianolady_musicgirl <jjarrett (AT) optilink (DOT) us>Subject: Re: PF and DepressionTo: Breathe-Support@ yahoogroups. comDate: Tuesday, November 3, 2009, 10:58 AM

Donna, Sorry to hear that you are home from the hospital with oxygen. It is hard NOT to feel overwhelmed as I know you do. I have been on oxygen 24/7 for 5 years and I am able to function and go places, etc. I do many things. Donna, take this time in your life to start feeling better after you were sick in the hospital. When you get over what ever you were in the hospital for, you will feel better, even with oxygen. Get plenty of rest, relax, etc. The oxygen will help you to feel better so your body doesn't have to work as hard. All of us here have anixiety when it comes to breathing. You will learn to deal with it and life will get better for you. Good luck at the pulmo appointment next week. Let us know what the pulmo-dude says. Remember: Relax, Nap, etc. Come back on the board and tell us more about yourself.

Toodles!

Jane UIP/IPF 12/1998 Dalton, Georgia aka pianolady_musicgirl>> I have been so overwhelmed since my 6 day hospital stay and being sent home with oxygen. This was the first time I have ever been sent home with oxygen. I am on it 24/7 because my oxygen level drops quite low and quite fast Before all this I was already on an antidepressant (Zoloft). I also have more anxiety and my Dr has given me meds to use for that! Today has just been a bad day. I am breathing alright just alot of coughing,headache, extremely fatigued (took a few naps today)and just achey! Im not sleeping well at night and this month I have a sleep study. I see my Pulmonologist Next Monday for the first time Nov 9.My coping skills seem to have went out the window today. It was hard to stay in just today. Trying to look at the whole

picture is very overwhelming! I had a hard cry today and that seemed to help some. > > How do you all deal with the fatigue and do any of you suffer badly with it? How do you deal with the depression?> > Wishing All a good night.> Donna> (Iowa)>