Introducing myself again; I'm Jarca & I have COPD, PF (pulmonary fibrosis) and chronic pain.

Each year it seems that i have to find a "new normal" as my diseases progress.
Winter has become so hard on me. I flat out can't breath once it drops below certain temperatures. It is like Someone puts a corset around my chest so tight that i can't inhale.
and of course the pain is always worse in the cold.
I did find a lovely "heated" mattress pad for my bed this year so i could heat me like a sandwich with my heated blanket on top. It was lovely and really helped those achy joint days.
The short, gloomy days & cold weather can cause me to fall into depression and loneliness. I do all I can to try to be active & as a result I have joined a few support groups to keep in touch with others that are 'slowed down' by winter.

Oh how I longed for summer to come!
No more water condensing in my 02 tubing, no more worry of going places and being exposed to all the sick people that won't stay home. No more feeling "caged" in my own home. No more running humidifiers to keep from drying up like a plum. No more closing off half of my home to save energy.
I love summer/warm weather :)

Summer has arrived & I am enjoying it immensely. I am trying to figure out how to best haul around tanks as I need 6LPM when active now, so company brought me a D tank, but no hands free way to carry it. So I continue to use my C tank with fanny pack and just have to change it more often.
It's still the early part of summer, with temps being in 80's, with some days reaching 90. Perfect!
I LOVE IT!!!
I know it will get hotter soon and then once again I will have to work around the weather as too hot makes breathing hard also.
but even when it gets too hot I can sit on my porch & fan myself & watch life going on. Fields and greenery growing strong, birds of all kinds stopping by to perch on my fences and catch their breath, and even butterflies & good bugs flying or strutting around busily doing their jobs. (yes, I could live without mosquitoes & wasps :) )

I am blessed to have an ATV that i can get on to have wheels to do things on my property & I have spent the past month spraying fence line weeds on my no longer used field. I am blessed with a neighbor that has a tractor & helps me keep weeds down on by discing the weeds that emerge every couple of months. Some day I may have to switch to a scooter, but for now my atv works for me.

I live with my old collie, fancy, who is 9 years old. I had her shaved for the summer so she is nice & cool and I don't have to brush her :) She also has arthritis and summer is harder on her than winter because she likes to go out and run more.
This year my vet tried a new shot that is out and Fancy is not limping for the first time in several years.

I feel as good as it gets at this point of my life and disease. I can still do things & push myself to "get in" all I can while I can.

This doesn't really "have a point" to this post. I just miss this board being active. As we all have different diseases, I thought it would be nice to introduce myself to any newcomers.
I'd love to hear from others, old members and new, to get to know each other better so we can support each other as we walk this journey called life.

(((((HUGS)))) to all