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Living with Pulmonary Fibrosis |
| Author: Shelley Ensz. Scleroderma is highly variable. See Types of Scleroderma. Read Disclaimer |
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Overview of Living with Pulmonary Fibrosis |
| Living with Pulmonary Fibrosis requires a constant awareness of your symptoms, your breathing, your surroundings, and your overall well-being. Work closely with your doctors on treatments, diet and exercise. If you require oxygen therapy, use it. It protects your heart as well as improves the quality of your life. ISN. |
| Living With Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. National Heart Blood and Lung Institute. |
| Living With Lung Disease. The American Lung Association's Living With Lung Disease Wall of Lung Champions is dedicated to people who live each day with lung disease. American Lung Association. |
| The relationship of dyspnoea to function and quality of life (QoL) in systemic sclerosis (SSc). Interstitial lung disease contributes significantly to the sense of dyspnoea, function and health realted QoL in SSc. Pulmonary hypertension, assessed echocardiographically by the pulmonary artery systolic pressure, predicts the degree of dyspnoea but not function and HRQoL in SSc. M. Baron. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2008;67:644-650. (Also see: Pulmonary Involvement, and Hypertension) |
Exercises |
| Exercises for People With Pulmonary Fibrosis. Certain lifestyle changes, such as exercising, can help to increase your quality of life, improve the functioning of your lungs and reduce your overall stress levels. As exercise also can make you feel short of breath, consult your doctor prior to beginning any type of exercise program to make sure the specific exercises are appropriate for your condition. LiveStrong. February, 2011. |
| Lung Exercises for Pulmonary Fibrosis. Breathing exercises can help you breathe better during any kind of activity, which will help as begin or continue an exercise program. LiveStrong. February, 2011. |
Air Quality |
| If you smoke, QUIT. Avoid being around people who do smoke. Do not go to places where people do smoke. |
| Indoor Air Pollution Fact Sheet. American Lung Association. |
| Air Quality in the Home. American Lung Association. |
| Air Quality in the Workplace. American Lung Association. |
Oxygen Therapy |
| Review series: Aspects of interstitial lung disease: Exercise limitation in interstitial lung disease - mechanisms, significance and therapeutic options. Supplemental oxygen acutely improves exercise capacity in interstitial lung disease and is recommended for hypoxic patients, although quality of life or survival benefits have not yet been demonstrated. Exercise training improves walking capacity and dyspnoea in short-term trials and is useful to maximize functional capacity. Anne E Holland. Chronic Respiratory Disease. January 7, 2010. |
Dangers of Oxygen and Flame |
| Oxygen is often prescribed for people with scleroderma lung involvement. This series will feature stories regarding the importance of oxygen safety. |
| Portable Oxygen: A User's Perspective. Oxygen Safety. So, I am now more aware that the oxygen I cannot see has a presence, not only in my nostrils but all around me. My clothing and my hair contain more oxygen than that of a person not on oxygen. Knowing this, I understand more fully the "five foot rule" and stay at least this distance away from sources of sparks and flames. Portable Oxygen. Peter M. Wilson, Ph.D. 2001 |
| Fires caused by smoking while using oxygen. 111 cases summarized and documented. Tobacco.org |
Support Groups |
| American Lung Association. |
| Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation. The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation is the primary organization dedicated to finding a cure for and raising awareness of Pulmonary Fibrosis, an often fatal lung disease. The Foundation is also devoted to improving the quality of life for those afflicted with this illness. Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation. |
