I'm 70 years old. (Updated 2/1/2019)
I posted earlier about trying to figure out why I have been getting short of breath. X-Rays and MRI showed scarring of the lungs, but none of the blood tests gave a definitive answer, so I had to go in for a lung biopsy. (Not a whole lot of fun. Four days in the hospital.)
Turns out that there is only one place in the US that actually looks at the lung tissue and figures out what's going on. Takes a couple of weeks to get the results back. So, finally, I went in to see my pulmonologist on Wednesday. Conclusion: IPF - Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. So, what you ask is IPF. I means that you are developing scaring on your lungs and they don't have a freaking idea why. (Idiopathic is a big word that means "We don't know".) But the average life expectancy for me is 3-5 years. Maybe.
Up until the last couple of years there was nothing that could be done. The scarring is irreversible and there were no medications. However, things are looking a little (and I emphasize the word little). There is a new drug on the market (new as in only a couple of years old) that seems to have the ability to slow down the scaring process. Goody.
Minor problem. IPF is one of those 'orphan diseases' so, lots of research for meds, not many folks buying. Result: medicine is EXPENSIVE. Like, would you believe $95,000/yr? WTF! Who the hell can afford $95,000 a year??
But, I love my doctor! 1. When I saw him on Wednesday he had already talked to my insurance company and had gotten them to approve the med. So, my co-pay would only be $3,000 a month. 2. He had also called the vendor (this is not something you pick up at your local pharmacy) and they called today. They have a program that helps with the co-pay. So, first they check the easy discount. I qualified. Dropped the co-pay to only $2,000 a month. Still completely impossible for me to pay. So they checked the second tier plan. I qualified for that as well.
Now here's the part that totally blew me away. The second tier plan picks up where the first tier ends. Believe it or not, tier 2 pays for EVERYTHING! No co-pay at all. (Note: I'll believe it when I get the meds and no bill.) But, we will certainly give it a try! Note, there is no cure and I will never get any better, but the meds are supposed to significantly slow down the scaring, so hopefully I won't get worse, or at least the progression of scaring will slow down.
We will see what happens, but I am feeling a little more optimistic.
= new reply since forum marked as read
That sounds very promising indeed.
Hang in there!
So-
Chill !!
Had a huge tumor on my spine.
For some reason, I didn't freak out.
Spinal surgery, 4 chemo sessions, 4 lumbar punctures and a bone marrow aspiration in 3 months after and so far I am clear. Last scheduled CT scan is next month.
So think positive...
I was given an 80% chance of living for 5 years.
"So far" so good.
SOunds lke your bro is over the hump. :>
)
(of lack thereof). My doctor is great. He's Nigerian (don't nobody try and give me shit about immigrants!!) but the first time I saw him he spent over an hour with me taking a REAL history, asking questions and LISTENING.
And here in N. Ky we only have one hospital chain available to us. It's called St. Elizabeth and they are also super. (They saved my life about 13 years ago when my heart go wonky) AND they have a partnership relationship with the Mayo Clinic.
So...I'm staying optimistic. And I have y'all on DU as well. 
Enjoy your days.
for your caring doctor.
I hope the medicine helps and you have many good years in front of you.
I am not and never have been an alcoholic, but I know a fair about about AA, just from knowing people struggling with it and watching a lot of TV. I think they are right on the money with their Serenity Prayer. "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."
I try and apply that to my life and I thank my parents for teaching me, even before I learned the prayer. (and bear in mind that I'm a Christian Agnostic - now try and figure out what than means, LOL)
I live in the Northern KY area, just south of Cincinnati, OH. If you look at a map, find the point where Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky come to a point. During the winter, when the trees a leafless, we can see the Ohio River and into Ohio from our back yard. We've been to see my Pulmonologist in two different offices, one is about 3.5 mi from us and the other about 6 mi. Believe it or not, being close to St. E was one of the big things that we looked at when deciding where to live when I retired. And boy am I glad we did.
(P.S. minor detail, I'm a steel gentleman 
)
Steele gentleman.
We had a friend in Cincinnati we used to visit, so I'm familiar with the area. Glad you found your great doc there.
Btw, guess I came across as insensitive to some DUers but when an older 70-something guy wrote a long, self-pitting post about his poor sex life, it left me 
, especially when there are folks here with real problems, like yours.
I am going to some suggestions that I believe may help you. I would like to ask you to consider eating the way that is recommended for lung cancer patients. A Typical diet for a lung cancer patient would be healthy for most people, and it emphasizes eating those things that keep your lungs strong. I will provide some links below. If you like what you see, great. If you do not, please feel free to ignore my advice.
1. https://www.lung.org/lung-health-and-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/lung-cancer/patients/treatment/stay-healthy/nutrition.html
2. https://sarahcannon.com/for-patients/learn-about-cancer/lung-cancer/nutrition.dot
3. https://www.verywellhealth.com/lung-cancer-fighting-foods-2249268
These are just some suggestions of some things you can try. If I were going to give you one tip, it would be to consider raising your protein intake. Humans are mostly water. If you set aside the water in the human body and the bones, what you have left is what I call the "soft stuff". This "soft stuff" consists of such things as skin, hair, nails, muscles, tendons, ligaments and internal organs, including the lungs. All of these items mostly consist of protein. If you are not getting enough, you will impair the ability of these body parts to repair themselves by making it harder for these body parts to replace dead cells.
The internet has protein calculators that help one calculate how much protein one should be consuming based on body weight. Just do a Google.com search on the following words (not in quotes): body weight protein calculator. If you find that your protein consumption is low, and if you like eating things like meat, dairy, and eggs, consider upping how much you consume of them. If you do not like these or do not want to eat more of these, consider perhaps getting some protein powder or protein bars if you can afford it. If you are vegan or vegetarian, they make protein powders from strictly vegetable-based sources that they sell at common health food stores like GNC. Test to see how having a protein shake before breakfast feels (If you end up eating a little less breakfast because of the shake, that is ok, just reduce your portion size of breakfast if you need to, or drink part of the shake at breakfast, put it in the fridge, and drink the rest at lunch). If you would like to do your own search, on what to eat, I recommend going to Google.com and searching on the words "diet" and "lung cancer".
Your body can do amazing things, but it needs certain building blocks to do its job. Make sure that your body has what it needs, and good luck.