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Pulmonary Fibrosis Diagnosis: How Should A Patient Be Notified?

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Joan describes the best way for a doctor to tell a patient she has the fatal lung disease pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

Joan:
But when the doctors are telling you that you have this disease they need to say, “We need to have someone in the room with you that can hear what I am going to tell you.” They need to give you a little bit of hope. When I found this out and I got the book from the foundation I had a total melt down. I was in tears and I called the foundation.

I also called my doctor’s office in Boise. She was very concerned. She said, “Joan, is there someone with you?” And I was just sobbing. I said, “No there isn’t,” and she said, “Would you call a neighbor? We don’t want you to be alone,” and so I would say to the doctors, “You’ve got to be more compassionate; give your patients a little bit of hope.”

Now it’s going on three years – they saw it the 1st of May so it will be three years. They gave me two to four years and you know, I have made a decision – I am not going to go down easy.

View More Videos On Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis:
https://www.empowher.com/condition/idiopathic-pulmonary-fibrosis

Learn More by Visiting the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation

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