Dear Darling, Happy Valentine's Day. It has been three years and two months since I have kissed you. I miss you, Babe. I dream of you often. As the years have passed~ Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter continue to flow as scheduled. The children are growing, fine young people. Our home, still safe and comforting. The river so surreal, a beautiful gift everyday. Sunrise and sunsets, with birds flying and making sounds. The fish jumping upon waves of diamonds. Clouds, kissed by light, whisper and beckon .
The Stars, though, as beautiful as they are, To me, do not shine as brightly. However, the Moon, is as mystical and glowing~ as ever before. Blooming and ever-changing, like a Rose.
I could go on and on. Words really can't explain the transformations that occur moment by moment in the daily life. For You, words do not have to. You penetrate my heart, existing in all that my senses allow. ~~~Breathing~~~
“There is a time for departure, even when there is no certain place to go.”
Tennessee William
****Hello, this is Breathing, I just wanted to Thank You for all the support you have given to Pulmonary Fibrosis, as well as me. My 'counter' indicates 13,208 people have come to my blog, from many different countries. I hope our family's experience has helped to raise awareness. I do know this blog has helped me through such a difficult time. I have shared with you our experience and have never held back, because most of this I typed in 'real-time'. Now, I have transformed a bit since my husband's passing. Not too much, but just enough to somehow realize that I have many thoughts that are better realized in my own time. I will not post as much here, but anything that seems newsworthy to our cause will not be ignored. Thank You my beautiful friends. You show support just by coming here and reading this:
The word "pulmonary" means “lung” and the word "fibrosis" means scar tissue – similar to scars that you may have on your skin from an old injury or surgery. So, in its simplest sense, pulmonary fibrosis (PF) means scarring in the lungs. But, pulmonary fibrosis is more serious than just having a scar in your lung. In PF, the scar tissue builds up in the walls of the air sacs of the lungs, and eventually the scar tissue makes it hard for oxygen to get into your blood. Low oxygen levels (and the stiff scar tissue itself) can cause you to feel short of breath, particularly when walking and exercising.
Also, pulmonary fibrosis isn’t just one disease. It is a family of more than 200 different lung diseases that all look very much alike (see “Causes and Symptoms” below). The PF family of lung diseases falls into an even larger group of diseases called the “interstitial lung diseases.” Some interstitial lung diseases don't include scar tissue. When an interstitial lung disease includes scar tissue in the lung, we call it pulmonary fibrosis.
The most common symptoms of PF are cough and shortness of breath. Symptoms may be mild or even absent early in the disease process. As the lungs develop more scar tissue, symptoms worsen. Shortness of breath initially occurs with exercise, but as the disease progresses patients may become breathless while taking part in everyday activities, such as showering, getting dressed, speaking on the phone, or even eating.
Due to a lack of oxygen in the blood, some people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis may also have “clubbing” of the fingertips. Clubbing is a thickening of the flesh under the fingernails, causing the nails to curve downward. It is not specific to IPF and occurs in other diseases of the lungs, heart, and liver, and can also be present at birth.
Other common symptoms of pulmonary fibrosis include:
- Chronic dry, hacking cough
- Fatigue and weakness
- Discomfort in the chest
- Loss of appetite
- Unexplained weight loss
The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation is here to help you understand what it means to have pulmonary fibrosis. You can always reach us through our Patient Communication Center at 844.Talk.PFF or by email at pcc@pulmonaryfibrosis.org.
~~~~For my Baby, On Valentine's Day~~~~
"FIELDS OF GOLD"
You'll remember me when the west wind moves
Upon the fields of barley
You'll forget the sun in his jealous sky
As we walk in fields of gold
So she took her love
For to gaze awhile
Upon the fields of barley
In his arms she fell as her hair came down
Among the fields of gold
Will you stay with me, will you be my love
Among the fields of barley
We'll forget the sun in his jealous sky
As we lie in fields of gold
See the west wind move like a lover so
Upon the fields of barley
Feel her body rise when you kiss her mouth
Among the fields of gold
I never made promises lightly
And there have been some that I've broken
But I swear in the days still left
We'll walk in fields of gold
We'll walk in fields of gold
Many years have passed since those summer days
Among the fields of barley
See the children run as the sun goes down
Among the fields of gold
You'll remember me when the west wind moves
Upon the fields of barley
You can tell the sun in his jealous sky
When we walked in fields of gold
When we walked in fields of gold
When we walked in fields of gold
