Southcoast IPF Support Group

For Patients and Caregivers and anyone else who wants to learn more about Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

• Coalition For Pulmonary Fibrosis
• Caring Voice Coalition
• Medline Plus

• If you are a Pulmonary Fibrosis patient and are looking for a support group in your state, you may find one by login on to the Coalition For Pulmonary Fibrosis website. Click on "patient" this will bring down a list, click on Support Groups then click on your state. If you are interested in starting a support group in your area you can contact Mark Shreve at (888) 222-8541 or email him at info@coalitionforpf.org ask for the IPF Support Group Coordinator's Kit. This kit will give you all the information needed to start a support group in your area. IPF Support Groups are needed throughout the USA. Many IPF patients and caregivers are looking for a group they can share this disease with and be around patients like themselves. It is a very rewarding experience to volunteer your time to other's.
  
  Have you tried meditation ? You will be pleasantly surprised about what you can do to minimize the rsults of depression and boredom when you practice daily meditation. Not only is it effective it doesn't cost a dime, unless you want to invest a few dollars on a paper back that will teach you or maybe a CD of DVD that will help you to relax. It is very easy to learn and will make you feel so good. Just try this little exercise. Sit on a chair with both feet flat on the floor, your hands flat on your laps. Close your eyes take a deep breath, imagine seeing a white cloud flow in through your nose, hold your breath for a second or two and then exhale watching a grey cloud of impurities leaving you mouth. Repeat this a couple of times, breathing in clean fresh air and exhaling the grey impurities leaving your body. While holding your breath imagine every fiber, cell and vital organ through out your body being filled with a pure cleansing, healing light. When you have completed this a few times relax your entire body and count to three. At the count of three imagine how refreshed your body feels, relax more, open your eyes entering back into your room with a refreshing light feeling. Feel Good. Thats an easy exercise to start yourself on the way to meditation, there are many relaxing tapes that play quiet soothing relaxing music you can play in the background while meditating. Enjoy
  
• Watch for an update regarding changes to the UNOS transplant listing process. In April UNOS, United Organ Sharing will be revised. It could be very beneficial to IPF patients on lung transplant list now, especially to those of us who are in areas of the country where the waiting list is as long as 18 months. We will post the details as soon as we get them. So stay tuned.