pulmonary fibrosis advice and help..

[dyli795]

my 84 year old dad has been suffering from breathlessness for the past few months and has now been diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis. he has to have a scan in a few weeks to confirm this and has been told to decide wether to go on steroids which he is wary of. i was horrified when i looked on the internet for information as id never heard of it . it seems it is incurable and completely hopeless. me and my sisters are devastated. is there any hope?i would be so grateful if anyone who has any knowledge or experience of this disease could share their experiences with us. thanks in anticipation.

[sqad617]

First of all, it is so far a clinical diagnosis and this may be reviewed after the scan.

He is 84yrs old so one must presume that his pulmonary fibrosis is either the result of smoking or possibly occupational related...........there are other causes.

PF is basically damage to the air sacs of the lung due to many causes.

Treatment is continuous oxygen depending upon the severity and possibly steroids depending upon the cause.

Wait for the results of the scan.

Hope?.......of course...he is 84yrs old.

[padanarm]

Sorry to hear about your daa, dyli. Wait for the results of his scan before worrying about the outlook.

It's not helpful to think about whether or not his condition is curable. A more positive outlook is to accept that he has a medical condition. He can live with that condition with suitable treatment and support, and a few changes to his lifestyle. He's 84 so he probably realises he can't do many of the things he could do when he was younger anyway.

Have a look through the information and advice on the Pulmonary Fibrosis UK website.

I'm sure you'll find the strength to support him.

[dyli795]

thank you so much for your helpful comments everyone. have been on the recommended sites and found them very encouraging and upbeat. thanks once again