First let me start out by saying that life has been CRAZY since I last posted! I am still working as a NICU nurse and absolutely loving it! I have now been at my job for 6 months! The time has been flying by. It's really amazing how you don't mind working when it's doing something that you love.
This update is basically about getting myself as healthy as I possibly can be. I know that I have said this all before but after the last few months that I have had - I am more motivated and determined than ever to NOT let CF get in the way of my everyday life.
The past few months have been spent in and out of the hospital. I was in the ICU. Had a systemic infection from another PORT infection. I had fevers up to 108! I required oxygen 24/7 for almost two months straight. My oxygen levels went down to the low 80's with even the slightlest movement. After two back to back hospitalizations, being on oxygen 24/7, missing TONS of work, six long weeks of IV antibiotics, getting a THIRD port and losing a tremendous amount of weight - I want to physically do everything in my power to never get to that point again. Granted - the infection was probably something that I couldn't have prevented - but I wasn't in the best shape physically before the infection took place, so when it hit - my body had no idea what to do. It really took a toll out on everything. When I got home from the hospital I couldn't even make it up a flight of stairs without literally pulling myself up the banister. I was so scared, I honestly felt like I was starting to die. While I was in the hospital I had set up a meeting with my doctor, my mother and my sister because I wanted to ask her point blank if she thought I was getting progressively worse. My doctor, whom I trust very much, stressed that she really didn't have all the answers, but that she really felt I was just going through a rough patch and that I would start to turn around.
It's now almost a month and a half since I was discharged from the hospital and I do believe my doctor was right. I no longer feel that I am losing control of my very existence. My PFT's are stable. My FVC on 9/14/10 was 63% and my FEV1 was 42%. In January my FEV1 was in the 60's. I KNOW that I can do better. I have been following a blog on here written by a fellow CF patient, Ronnie Sharpe. He has an amazing outlook on life and is extremely beneficial to anybody that has CF and is in a funk. His blogs, plus guest blogs that he features on his site have officially motivated me to really give my all to my health. Through exercise, many CF patients have turned their health around and increased their lung functions.
From all of the data that I have seen and written proof that exercise is the key to CF management - it's time I get serious about fitness! I have always been compliant with my medications. Unfortunately for someone with CF, that isn't always enough. I am going to start today - exercising seriously. Getting my body in the best possible shape will help me to be able to work at my job for a very, very long time. It will hopefully enable me to feel well enough to be able to realistically think about becoming a mother when the time comes. Most importantly, it will show CF who's boss!
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