You could say Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is a real family affair. It has affected all members of my family on my mother’s side. My brother Peter, my only sibling, was also diagnosed with IPF in 2006, and he is now 77 years of age, having lived with IPF for almost 11 years. In 1995 my mother died at the age of 85, after suffering from IPF for around five years.
My name is Jim and live with IPF. The diagnosis came following complaints to my GP of bouts of breathlessness when doing manual work such as mowing the lawn. I was finally diagnosed after a series of X-rays, CT scans, and a lung biopsy in October 2014.
My main issue with this disease is there is no cure – it simply becomes a waiting game to see what develops.
I have spent a lot of time researching IPF on the internet, and to coin an expression, found that “all roads lead to Rome”.
Suffice to say, I am gradually noticing increasing breathing issues. My other concern is that my two children who are aware of the hereditary or familial nature of my family’s case. They are both in their 40’s, with the worrying prospect of being affected at some future time, and indeed their children.
I live in hope that some form of cure or therapy becomes available at some time in the future, but as we know, research takes time and money to produce results.