My dad died from Pulmonary Fibrosis as did his mom; my grandma and his sister; my Aunt so of course I was extremely concerned of this being inherited so I did extensive background on where my grandparents lived which was on a huge farm in North Dakota and my dad was the youngest of 6, he was born in 1922. I learned form a Dr. at the University of North Dakota that during the 20's and 30's that a pesticide was used on the crops, it was called Paraquat and this pesticide has now been found to be another known cause of PF with having 3 immediate family members having PF and dying at a relatively young age; my grandma was 76, my Aunt was 68 and my dad was 67. I was relieved to learn that it's not inherited but PF is a horrible painful way to die and watching my dad at my young age of 27 was unbearable!! He died in 1990, I am now 48 years old and there isn't a day that I don't think about him. I wish there would be a cure for this terrible disease because my dad missed out on watching my daughter grow into a very beautiful young women and now a mom of 2, he's missing out on his great grandchildren and he would only be 89! Terrible disease.

I have a great pulmonary doctor. He put me on a drug called Actimmune. I was on it quite a while, but I believe it stopped the progression of the disease. It is an injectable drug three times per week. When I was diagnosed, I thought I had about four years to live. It has been 10 years since I have been diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis. I still have fatigue and shortness of breath. I just take it easy when I feel tired.

I have not received any treatment because of my neurological disorder. I am afraid that I won't get treatment until I get really sick. I can't believe this is happening to me. I've been getting electromyography (EMG) and nerve conduction tests for about four years with no answers. Now I have fibrotic interstitial pneumonia that my pulmonologist isn't sure how to treat because of my muscle weakness. No matter what happens, it feels good to write about it. Thanks for letting me share how I feel.

Three months ago, I was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, secondary to rheumatoid arthritis. It was found after a bout of pneumonia that left me hospitalized for eight days. I was prescribed what seemed like massive doses of prednisone to reduce the inflammation in my lungs. I lost about 20% of my lung function. I still get shortness of breath with even a short walk. I've learned to walk slower and pace myself with my activities. I have to sleep with oxygen. Otherwise, I'm reasonably healthy. I'm trying to learn as much as I can so I can plan the rest of my life. Recently, I retired because my job was very stressful and I just don't have the energy to carry out the duties of my position. Needless to say, I'm scared.

My mother died from this disease at the age of 84, this is a horrible disease. She lasted 3 years with it, her last year of course was the worst. Her doctor had prescribed a daily dose of predisone and thus this caused her to have diabetes, which she never had before. She was also on oxygen. We're still not sure what the cause of this is to this day. The woman never smoked a day in her life, she was a very healthy woman. This disease robbed her of her dignity.

I have just been diagnosed with Methotrexate-induced pulmonary fibrosis. After a two-week stay in the hospital, I'm home with oxygen. I'm still coughing badly, breathless and my chest pain is ongoing. I had a heart attack three months ago. I'm 62, female, and no longer working. I have lost 36 pounds in the last month as my coughing causes me to vomit non-stop! I'm so tired. My blood pressure has always been high; now it averages at 193/88.