Diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis at age 65, John Boyce has credited the South Eastern Trust’s Interstitial Lung Disease Nurses and Consultants for the exceptional care he has received in managing the day-to-day challenges of his condition.
Pulmonary Fibrosis is a chronic lung disease where tissue deep in the lung becomes thick, stiff and scarred over time. Symptoms include shortness of breath, dry cough, fatigue, unexplained weight loss and finger clubbing.
Approximately 70,000 people in the UK are living with some form of Pulmonary Fibrosis. 30,000 are specifically diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) the most common form.
The 74-year-old explained how he had been suffering from shortness of breath which led his to seek help and answers with the specialist Team the Ulster Hospital.
John said, “My father had passed way at the age of 65 with a lung disease. Initially I thought that history was repeating itself but after a series of tests I was informed that I had Pulmonary Fibrosis, which I had never heard of. It was explained to me that what I had was a scarring of the lung tissue that there was no real cure for but with medication patients can live a long time. The research tells you that with a Pulmonary Fibrosis diagnosis there is a three-to-five-year life expectancy.
“I’m coming nine years it’s a big, big plus for me, to get to my age and still be doing the normal things every day.”
John explained how he attends the Ulster Hospital every three months for oxygen assessment, bloods and follow up of his medication. He praised Trust Respiratory Nurse Elaine Jackson and her Team for their compassionate care since his diagnosis. “The Nurses, the Consultant, Dr Karol Henry are always here for you. With their help I am able to go about my daily day-to-day.
“I actually look forward to coming to the three-month checkups as I can gauge, with them, how I am doing. How things are going.”
“The staff at the Ulster have been fantastic from day one. They have been here for me. The treatment, the care I have received was first class care in every sense of the word.”
Trust Respiratory Nurse Elaine Jackson explained how the patient is at the centre of their service.
“It is a privilege to look after our patients with such a progressive illness, getting to know the patients, gaining their trust and supporting them through every stage of the disease process.”
Elaine explained how she came to know John in 2019 and we have “Grown to know each other over that period of time.”
“Our ILD Nurses look after our patients from several months to years in our clinics.
“John is an example of someone who is living with this condition these past nine years with the right medication and plan. We are here for our patients and we treat every patient the same. We are at the end of the phone and we get back to our patients within 24 hours.
Elaine spoke passionately on how it is “Important that our patients have no fears, that they have no concerns about asking us anything. They know that we are working through this, their condition together and supporting them throughout this journey.”