Help, info needed

[MurphyMc]

Hi, just joined the forum and hope you can help. My mother in law has just been diagnosed as having Lung Disease and apparently has 30% lung capacity. The info we have is all very vague, as i think they're trying to protect my husband from the nitty gritty, and he's not that great about talking about it either, but i want to do what i can to help and support and just don't know where to start, what questions to ask etc as i just don't know anything about this. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks.

[Hidden]

BLF nurses are very helpful. You will need to know what is wrong with her. People here who have the same condition will help, but everybody is different. Maybe your husband will have to take his time to come to terms with his mother's condition. Does she want to know? Are you close to her? Difficult to advise not knowing the personal circumstances. However, if you know what is wrong COPD etc? you could get general advice and ask questions again here. Men, as my GP says, in general want to be ostriches re medical conditions. Good luck. Kaye.

[MurphyMc in reply to Hidden]

Thanks. I think that's the problem, they all want to be sticking their heads in the sand. Very difficult to get proper answers without knowing what questions to ask....thanks for your response..

[Hidden in reply to MurphyMc]

You are welcome Kaye

[Jaysha]

Try the British Lung Foundation and there are sites on Google. My mum has ILD so i just use that. My mum is on oxygen 24/7 and has a long lead! so she can go outside to the bin etc and portable oxygen if she goes out. I am sure they will do everything to make your mum in law comfortable. I hope this has helped in some small way. It is a lot to take in at first but help is always there.

[velvet55]

Hi Murphy Mc

Welcome to this site...you will get lots of help and support on here...ask away, but we need a little more info.

Your Mum in laws diagnosis helps, as there is so many different conditions that come under Lung Disease.

There are lots of members on here with less than 30% lung capacity, so they would be especially helpful.

Remember though that there are lots of variables, that make each one of us cope differently....age...general health...outlook on life...fitness level.

I think it's fantastic you want to learn more about your Mum in laws condition, and want to support her.

She is very lucky to have such a considerate daughter in law.

Velvet xx

[katieoxo60]

Hi MurphyMc, welcome to the site, it is not unusual for info to be vague at first. Sometimes even diagnosis is vague. If you can get more info on your parents condition or diagnosis there are lots of options open then for advice. BLF has a CD and masses of brochures, plus a nurse help line and our forum of course which is for families as well as patients. Hopefully after Christmas you can talk about it with your family so then you can ask here any questions you may have or doubts. Hope to speak to you again soon take care .

[Catnip]

Greetings a 30% lung function isn't the end of the world (mine's 32%) but please, please don't consult "Dr Google" -- there are so many horror stories there that it'll scare the pants off you. You'll find lots of information on the BLF site which is reliable but you do need to find out exactly what problem she's facing. Lung disease comes in many and varied forms!!

Catnip

[onamission]

Hi and welcome to the site try and get your mum in-law to go on a PR course you can go along with her. It will help her and the family how to deal with her condition they give you loads of information and long term support from the PR team.

[Hidden]

Welcome. As the other members have said, you need to find out which lung condition your mother-in-law has. I have just 20% of my lungs functioning according to my last lung function test and I manage quite well. I use oxygen only on an as needed basis which doesn't happen often. Don't lose hope and tell hubby not to lose hope because his Mum needs you both to be strong to encourage her and to be her support team. Do come back with any questions you have. You'll receive plenty of information from the folk on here when we know what your M-I-L is dealing with.

Take care.

[Claudine]

Lung Disease is not a diagnosis - it is a label. I hope she will see a specialist to get it sorted and then suitable treatment. You need to know what it is and how they intend to deal with it. They can't just send her home without that. Some 'conditions' are not 'disease' at all - they can be managed for years. Don't let her be fobbed off because of her age etc. Good luck - she's lucky to have you in her corner.