Having lived with cystic fibrosis for 47 years, I want to pay it forward and share the life lessons I've learned with new parents of children with CF.
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Cystic fibrosis is a complex disease that affects each person living with it differently. I think it's so important for us to learn to understand each other, so I've come up with things I wish others knew about me and my specific experiences with CF.
Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) are a standard component of quarterly cystic fibrosis clinic visits, but they can often cause a great deal of stress for people with CF. Here are a few strategies that I've found helpful for reducing my own PFT anxiety.
In the past, I was hesitant to voice my needs to my friends and family -- especially when it came to germs during flu and cold season. But as I've gotten older, I've realized that these five requests can help make this time of year a whole lot easier.
Living with cystic fibrosis means you have to handle complicated logistics, like filling prescriptions, working with insurance companies, and scheduling appointments. Taking over these responsibilities from my mom was an adjustment, but I came up with a few tips to make the process much easier for me.
As a new mom, it can be difficult to balance motherhood with maintaining your cystic fibrosis care. Here are four tips that made my journey as a new mom with CF a little easier.
Many people with cystic fibrosis experience hemoptysis. Although that can be serious and is often frightening, most often it's not as serious as you might think. Let me set the record straight.
Although packing up and moving to college is not easy for anyone, it becomes more complicated for a person living with cystic fibrosis. Not only do we have to adjust to the unfamiliar ways of college life and be entirely in charge of our health, but the group of people we trust with our life changes as well.
Because so much rides on them, the pulmonary function tests (PFT) -- that are a part of every cystic fibrosis care center visit -- fill me with anxiety.
Cystic fibrosis can be isolating, but people with CF know what others go through every day. It makes the moments of connection all the more meaningful.