Religion

Cystic fibrosis and religion. Religion is always a delicate subject under any circumstances, but I guess I've grown frustrated enough with constant facebook Bible quoting that it's sort of metastasized in this angry half rant.

I suppose I feel like I stand alone in being a cystic fibrosis patient that sees no need for religion in my life. I've tried to join groups, but I can't jive with people who seem to advocate prayer over exercise and taking caring of yourself.

Perhaps part of it comes from my, quite frankly, analytical nature. I have always been a firm believer in biological causes over supernatural ones, and I doubt that will change. It probably comes with the territory of being a zoology major.

Another factor could be my overall health- I look at myself and I see that I am in a much, much better position than others my age, and others older than myself. Hell, I'm better off than some people younger than me. I've only recently been upgraded to 'moderate' cystic fibrosis, and I've only gone to the hospital twice during my life time. I do IV treatments only when I need them- not in a regular, yearly schedule. My lung function isn't great, but that's due solely to me being lazy.

I suppose it all boils down to... where can I discuss the scientific aspects of this, without having a God come into play?

I was kind of hoping I would get the flu so I could avoid school. Damn it.

I'm starting with a personal trainer as well. It won't be fun, but it's necessary.

New Doctors

So I went to a new doctor today, just to establish a doctor-patient relationship (God, not like that) closer to home. They gave me a free pen and for some reason I was absolutely thrilled.

Back to school

I move back in five days, and I have to say, I feel the anxiety mounting. I'm trying to convince myself that I'm not anxious, but my body indicates otherwise. It's not so much the going back that bothers me- I have faith in my ability to make new friends, though I am rather upset that I won't have Julia and Matt and Chey (at least until December).

It's the time management that's difficult for me. Currently, I'm on a puffer form of albuterol, which in itself doesn't take more than a minute to set up and do, but it does need to be sanitized. On top of that, I have inhalant hypertonic saline (fifteen minutes), inhalant pulmozyme (7-10 minutes), inhalant Tobi (30 minutes). Plus ten minutes (I often cheat and do five) of soaking in a sterilizing solution for three of 'em, then the last one for another five minutes, plus rinsing. I alternate every other month Tobi with astronem, and while astronem only takes like five minutes, I have to do it three times a day and it's a huge pain in the ass.

So trying to juggle all of this and school is going to be interesting.

The First Post

I'm not entirely sure how long I'll stay with this blogging business and how much I'll share it, but for the moment, it's an interesting way for me to get things off my chest.

I suppose an introduction is in order, though I doubt that anyone who doesn't know me would be reading this.

I'm Elizabeth, and currently a student at University of California, Santa Barbara. I would be your typical 19 year old, but there are factors in my life that swing things out of the norm. At the age of eighteen months, I was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder in which mucus builds up in your lungs- particularly the small air ways. In addition, it effects my pancreas, making it impossible for me to produce the digestive juices I need to absorb nutrients without special enzyme pills.

Without proper medical chest therapy and inhalant medications, the mucus would build up in my air ways and eventually my lungs would fail. Even with them, the expected life expectancy of a CF patient remains only around 45 years old.

In more related health problems, I have pre-diabetes (a type related to cystic fibrosis). I'll likely have full diabetes within a year, but right now I'm thankful to have that small bit of health left to me.

I'll tell more later- this all makes me rather glum.