Does anyone have information on pulmonary fibrosis?

we would like to relate with anyone with this disease.thankyou

I have IPF and was diagnosed in March of 2003. The doctors gave me between 18 and 36 months to live. My treatment consisted of prednisone, supplemental oxygen, and Interferon. The prednisone and Interferon did nothing and the side effects were toxic. I weaned myself off the drugs, packed up my belongings and my wife, and relocated to the west coast (Oregon) where the air is clean and I am at sea level. I am happy to report I am still hanging in there. Most people are dead within 5 years of their original diagnosis, and I am hopeful that I can beat that target by a day or two.

I attribute my success to clean air and a healthy diet; exercise with the use of supplemental oxygen; a CPAP at night with oxygen to give my lungs a chance to rest; staying away from anyone with a cold or flu; washing my hands frequently; having a good attitude; most importantly, support and love from my wife and family.

One responder already gave you a good website, but you might also like to try:

http://www.coalitionforpf.org/

This is a nasty disease that kills around 50,000 Americans every year. There is no cure and it is fatal in all cases (except those who have a lung transplant). Our only hope lies in research and to be honest, not a lot of people know about IPF. It is a lousy way to die. If you have it, please know that you are not alone. The Coalition for PF and the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation are both great places to go for information and help. I know I won't be around long enough to see a cure, but it is my hope that someday, people won't die from this killer anymore. In the meantime, I make it my mission to enlighten as many people as possible. Take care and good luck. Just remember to keep fighting the good fight.

Pulmonary Fibrosis involves scarring of the lung. Gradually, the air sacs of the lungs become replaced by fibrotic tissue. When the scar forms, the tissue becomes thicker causing an irreversible loss of the tissue鈥檚 ability to transfer oxygen into the bloodstream.

seek info some where else , much more serious.... good luck

Look it up on WEBMD They will tell everything a Doctor can

Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF), also known as Cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis, is a chronic progressive interstitial lung disease of unknown etiology. It is one of the two classic interstitial lung diseases, the other being sarcoidosis.[1]

More specifically, IPF is defined as a distinctive type of chronic fibrosing interstitial pneumonia of unknown cause associated with a histological pattern of usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP).[2]

Pulmonary fibrosis has often been called an autoimmune disease. However, it is perhaps better characterized as an abnormal and excessive deposition of fibrotic tissue in the pulmonary interstitium with minimal associated inflammation.[3] Autoantibodies, a hallmark of autoimmune diseases, are found in a minority of patients with truly idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Moreover, many autoimmune diseases associated with "pulmonary fibrosis", such as scleroderma, are more frequently associated with a related but more inflammatory disease, nonspecific interstitial pneumonitis.[4]

Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis is slightly more common in males and usually presents in patients greater than 50 years of age. Average survival from time of diagnosis varies between 2.5 and 3.5 years, depending on severity, although some patients live greater than 10 years.[5]

Symptoms are gradual in onset. The most common are dyspnea (difficulty breathing), but also include nonproductive cough, clubbing (a disfigurement of the fingers), and crackles (crackling sound in lungs during inhalation).[5] It should be noted that these features are non-specific and can occur in a spectrum of other pulmonary disorders.