My previous counselor retired….insert sad Shannon. I had been seeing her for 4 and a half years. I last saw her at the end of July. Today I saw my new counselor. I really like her. I even was given homework.

My mental health is very important. When you have a life threatening genetic disease it is good to always have someone to talk to whether it’s a friend or family member you trust. I have plenty friends with CF which help a ton! They know what I am going through when it comes to CF which is great. I can bounce ideas and things off of them which is also great. With that said, having a professional person to talk to is always a good thing.

I see a psychiatrist that manages my antidepressants and anxiety meds but doing talk therapy helps in a whole other way. It helps me tremendously. You are not weak if you reach out for help. It is the strongest thing you can do for yourself.

Make sure you are taking care of yourself inside and out. If you are not feeling like yourself and you can’t seem to shake it, seek help. I am always here for you but professional help is always best.

My depression has been pretty stable even through this stupid pandemic. The anxiety is another story but I’m managing it with meds and talk therapy.

CF health update: I have been feeling pretty good. I had my yearly labs drawn along with my liver labs for the new CF med Trikafta. My vitamin D was a little elevated so I had to stop all vitamins, calcium and extra vitamin D. They will redraw my blood in 3-6 months to check my vitamin levels again. High vitamin D can cause problems with organs especially the kidneys which I have had issues with before. I was taking extra calcium and vitamin D was because of my osteoporosis diagnosis. I take Fosamax weekly for it as well. I do know that I am not having any of the side effects of high vitamin D which are nausea, vomiting, poor appetite, stomach pain, constipation and diarrhea.

I have been on Trikafta (the new CF drug) for about 10 months. My liver levels have been good every 3 months when they have been drawn. After being on Trikafta for a year I should be able to go to having labs drawn every year. There is a possibility they may want to check my levels more often since I do have nodules on my liver to make sure my liver enzymes are still maintaining. Who knows they could request a liver ultrasound at some point since that is what my transplant team does at my yearly check ups with them. I didn’t get to go to my May appointments because of COVID. I’m not sure when I will get them rescheduled. Maybe next summer when things “have calmed” down.

I think that is a good update for now. I do have a Telehealth visit for CF clinic on September 3rd. I’ll update if there is any thing to update about. haha

Until next time…