Living With Sarcoidosis
Sarcoidosis has no cure. However, you can take steps
to manage the disease. Get ongoing care and follow a healthy lifestyle. Talk to
your doctor if youre pregnant or planning a pregnancy.
Ongoing Care
Getting ongoing care is important, even if you don't
take medicine for your sarcoidosis. New symptoms can occur at any time. Also,
the disease can slowly worsen without your noticing.
How often you need to see your doctor will depend on
how severe your symptoms are, which organs are affected, what treatments you're
using, and whether you have any side effects from treatments. Even if you
dont have symptoms, you should see your doctor for ongoing care.
Your doctor may recommend routine tests, such as
lung
function tests and eye exams. He or she will want to check to make sure
that the disease isnt damaging your organs.
Discuss with your doctor how often you need to have
followup visits. You may have some followup visits with your primary care
doctor and others with one or more specialists.
Lifestyle Changes
Making lifestyle changes can help you manage your
health. For example, follow a healthy diet and be as physically active as you
can. A healthy diet includes a variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole
grains.
It also includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans,
and fat-free or low-fat milk or milk products. A healthy diet is low in
saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium (salt), and added
sugar.
For more information on following a healthy diet,
see the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's
Aim for a
Healthy Weight Web site,
"Your
Guide to a Healthy Heart," and
"Your
Guide to Lowering Your Blood Pressure With DASH." All of these resources
include general information about healthy eating.
If you smoke, quit. Talk to your doctor about
program and products that can help you quit. Also, try to avoid other lung
irritants, such as dust, chemicals, and secondhand smoke.
Emotional Issues
Living with a chronic disease may cause fear,
anxiety, depression, and stress. Its important to talk about how you feel
with your health care team. Talking to a professional counselor also can help.
If youre feeling very depressed, your health care team or counselor may
prescribe medicines to make you feel better.
Joining a patient support group may help you adjust
to living with sarcoidosis. You can see how other people who have the disease
have coped with it. Talk to your doctor about local support groups or check
with an area medical center.
Support from family and friends also can help
relieve stress and anxiety. Let your loved ones know how you feel and what they
can do to help you.
Pregnancy
Many women who have sarcoidosis give birth to
healthy babies. Women who have severe sarcoidosis, especially if theyre
older, may have trouble becoming pregnant. In some cases, sarcoidosis may get
worse after the baby is delivered.
If you have sarcoidosis and are pregnant or planning
a pregnancy, talk to your doctor about the risks. Also, if you become pregnant,
its important to get good prenatal care and regular sarcoidosis checkups
during and after pregnancy.
Some sarcoidosis medicines are considered safe to
use during pregnancy; others are not recommended.
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