The lungs are a delicate thing. They are sacks of air that keep you alive. It is an understatement to say that breathing with crappy lungs is hard work. There are many things besides just the standard crappy CF lungs that can happen in someone with CF. A short list is the following; muscle/skeletal pain from all the coughing, collapsed lung (pneumothorax), pneumonia, pleurisy and lung bleeds (hemoptysis).
CF Happens
Sometimes in life CF (Cystic Fibrosis) happens…pun intended
-
One thing people with CF are good at is hoarding bugs in our lungs. If you have seen the Mucinex monster commercials, our bugs are kind of like that but on steroids! They like to hang out in there and not budge. The problem is, that once the bugs are in there, it is hard to get them out. The bugs thrive in a wet environment which is defiantly our lungs. All of the thick sticky mucus in there holds onto the bugs and doesn’t let them go. Therefore we have to take antibiotics to help kill the bugs, whether it is pills, IV or inhaled. It can be a combo of those 3 methods also. Reoccurring infections lead to scaring in the lungs which leads to lung damage. Once again CF is progressive so it will get worse over time. I like to describe my lung infections like this, “it’s like mono (the kissing disease), once you have it, it’s always there, it’s just whether it is active or not.” So yes my lungs will most likely always have these bugs in them but it is whether or not it is making me show signs and symptoms of an active exacerbation (infection). I have not had a clear sputum culture in too many years to count. It was when I was a kid. Don’t worry you “normal people” don’t get bugs like us. We are special. (more…)
CF Happens 