Lung Disease - deadly lung diseases and reversing them
Expert: Jane - 7/6/2005
Question My uncle, five years ago, was diagnosed with lung disease. Unfortunately he didn't tell anyone about it until now. It wasn't until a couple of months ago that I found out that he has fibrocystosis, supposedly a condition for which there is no cure. Recently, he was placed on oxygen, in the form of a portable oxygen tank, which he is supposed to use whenever he has difficulty breathing. This is now starting to happen with more and more frequency. Needless to say, the entire family is becoming quite distressed.
In addition to this, he is also suffering from something which is causing his lungs to scar, I am not certain of what this is called, but it is supposed to be making the walls of his lungs hard and brittle and killing progressively larger sections of his lungs, making it more difficult for him to breathe.
As if that weren't bad enough, today it was discovered that he also has a blocked artery in his heart and the doctors don't want to operate because of all the complications and the fact he could actually die on the operating table.
Now for my questions. Realizing that the situation has become rather perversely late to ask for help, I am wondering how to help my uncle. I need to know what, precisely, fibrocystosis is, how it works, what casues it, how it is formed, why it develops, and how I can arrest its development. I also need to know how to reverse the damage. Also, if you could tell me the names of diseases that cause lung scarring/destruction, give me information on them, and then some thoughts on how to invert their progression, I would appreciate it. Also, if you could provide me names of specialists or gifted/talented experts in the field, or anyone else who can help out, I would again be most appreciative.
For now, I would like to take a moment to thank you for your time and your attention. I wish you success, good health, and long life. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Respectfully,
Edward Rincon
Answer Dear Edward,
I'm sorry your Uncle is ill. Unfortunately fibrocystosis is not my area of knowledge. Researching lung conditions is not too difficult though - just requires some time.
Try searching www.google.com for terms such as fibrocystosis, bronchiectasis, bronchiolitis obliterans, and other terms that will come up in your search. There is a massive amount of information on the internet that will answer your questions. (Please note: stick to sites from universities - .edu, or health organizations - .org as there are some very dubious sites out there.)
In addition you can also try www.webmd.com.
In regards to preventing further damage the first rule for any lung disease is to AVOID all cigarette smoke including passive smoke!!
Sorry I could not be of more help. If you need further advice on web searching please email me again.
