Karen Schultz is excited to share her unique perspective as the wife of a primary pulmonary hypertension patient, Tim. For 21 of their 26 years married, she’s been six-minute walking alongside her husband. Peeking out from a five-year hiatus as a registered nurse, Karen chronicles in her column, “My Respiration Situation,” the progress she and Tim have achieved while navigating disease treatment. Karen lives in North Carolina.
When you’ve lived with someone for decades, you feel there’s little about the person that can surprise you. There’s comfort in knowing what to expect. Similarly, it seems that little should surprise me after 20 years of caring for…
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With age and time, some life events have become diminished, while others I can recall with perfect clarity. Many of my memories from the days after my husband, Tim, was diagnosed with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) will always…
Loving someone with a poor prognosis is something I found myself unprepared for. With years of marriage comes history to draw upon, an established love and hard times under your belt. Time spent together through different seasons of life…
Years ago, when my husband, Tim, transitioned from intravenous Flolan (epoprostenol GM) to the oral medicine Uptravi (selexipag), it was a major milestone. The weeks-long process came about through careful planning between Tim and the physician who…
My husband, Tim, and I have always practiced the art of giving help. We both feel loved when others allow us to assist. Whether we’re washing dishes after a meal, caring for children, or painting, we like to feel…
My mother, Ann, became a nana when she was 40 years old. In some situations, becoming a grandparent so early involves a crisis, so it may not be regarded as good news. In our case, I got pregnant when…
Most people will admit to having at least one vice. My worst one is eating sweets — I’d rather have cake for dinner than the actual dinner itself. My husband Tim’s worst vice is nicotine. On our first date,…
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) isn’t a one-size-fits-all disease. Each patient’s diagnostic journey and treatment protocol look different, and the condition’s complexity and severity will vary for everyone. For my husband, Tim, the PAH journey has…
It’s not often that pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) patients enter a visit with their physician and hear what they want to hear. Many times for my husband, Tim, visits have been a gross reminder of his condition and…
It isn’t often that my husband, Tim, and I attend an appointment with his pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) physician and hear what we’d like. Many times the news is a gross reminder of the condition and how limiting…
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