he claims there are many types of pulmonary fibrosis. so i need an open biopsy.
Hi Dianne
Your consultant may be corect. However I was diagnosed 3 years ago and my consultant said it would be the last thing he would try as there can be complications. This is not to alarm you ,if it has to be done get it done. mine was detected with pulmonary tests and xrays.Best wishes to you whatever is decided but I would go with your consultant if that is what is needed
I agree with your pulmonologist. You need to rule out possible other causes such as an infection. IPF can be difficult to diagnose and the biopsy can greatly assist this process.
Hi Dianne,
We have just returned from holidays so am catching up with posts. We live in Brisbane. My husband was reluctant to have a biopsy as we had heard of possible complications and he was underweight and thought a biopsy could accelerate the disease. As a nurse I knew of complications of chest drains. He then had a 3 month infective ulcer that required potent antibiotics and a skin graft and this stopped it happening. By then our specialist had had his scans reviewed by a French specialist, expert in Interstitial Lung Disease and he was quite satisfied Brian had PPFE. I have since heard that if it is PPFE the less invasion of the lung there is the better. But each individual is different and there are many forms of fibrosis. Also depends if your scans can be conclusive or if there is a large area of doubt.
You may have made your choice by now and I am only telling you our story as you asked about this subject.
Best wishes for the future Julie