My Journey with Pulmonary Fibrosis – Linda

Everyone has their own unique life experiences. Sometimes these experiences can leave you feeling alone. People who have been diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis can often feel lonely at times.

Many tell us their story about life with pulmonary fibrosis. Every month we will highlight one individual’s journey with Pulmonary Fibrosis. This month we present Linda’s story.

For well over 10 years, I had a smoker’s cough no one could get rid of.

I was debilitating. I would get in the car and I would have this uncontrollable cough. I would lie down to sleep and have this uncontrollable cough. I would wake up and I would have an uncontrollable cough.

My life was hell at that point. The doctors gave me every medication under the sun to treat that cough. I went to every specialist; I went to every doctor you can imagine. Everybody had a different diagnosis for the problem and none of it worked.

In February 2010, the doctors tentatively diagnosed me with hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP), which causes scar tissue and fibrosis, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

When they diagnosed me, the doctors put me on prednisone and azithromycin for three months. I had a two year flare up that had not been treated. The medicine did help. I had other flare-ups in the past that were not treated.

My right lung is 80 percent scar tissue and left lung is 20-30 percent scar tissue. The doctors said don’t get sick. If I get sick or I get a lung thing, I won’t have a good outcome. I am on oxygen at night and when I exercise.

Sometime after the 2010 diagnosis, my husband and I saw an article in the newspaper about a new lung medication seeking FDA approval. I looked on the internet and for some reason, what came up was an ad for systemic enzyme therapy. I talked to some people who were taking systemic enzymes and felt the enzymes are definitely helping.

I never did find that other experimental treatment on the internet. But it doesn’t matter because taking something natural over taking something not natural appealed to me.

I began systemic enzyme therapy in June 2010. My cough went away. I didn’t have to clear my throat all the time. I could get through a full conversation without coughing, which I could never do before.