Small blessings

My oldest son has what I believe is his first crush. She's a darling girl, with wonderful parents, who lives in our neighborhood and who goes to our club. She's one of a group of kids that he met when we first moved. So fortunate do I feel that he quickly met and was welcomed by such a great group. The kids hang out at the pool, play tennis, etc.

His crush has some swallowing issues - and while they don't preclude her from swimming, playing sports, etc. - she periodically has a feeding tube through her nose. Crush's mom told me about it and said her daughter was really amazed that my son had never asked about it - as if he didn't notice it. It made her feel good. I asked him and he said he really didn't pay attention to it.

I would like to think that one of the small blessings of my life with CF is raising children who understand and appreciate that everyone has something they have to deal with and it doesn't make them any less of a person.

J sees me do various treatments, take a host of medications, and often go to the doctor. His exposure and experience seems to be translating into seeing a person for who they are without judgement. Medical things do not really phase him.

Sometimes the CF experience isn't so bad.

TMI

Sometimes it's just easier to say I have really bad lungs and allergies and leave it at that . . .

One of the hardest things about moving to a new city is starting all over explaining CF. Sooner or later that cold that never seems to go away needs an explanation. (I don't have a constant cough, but I do cough - especially when I'm nervous or somewhere it is dusty and moldy). How much to say, how much to explain, when someone's "friend" enough to be privileged enough to hear "my story." I don't want to burden anyone I've just met with too much information.

Happy Birthday to ME!

A right of passage (or perhaps an accomplishment) for someone with CF . . . I turned 4o years old on the 13th!!!!

Most people cringe at the thought of turning forty. And while I must admit, I have noticed more and more that I am starting to look "older," I am excited to have reached this milestone. In many ways 40 is still so young . . . and yet, for those of us with CF, I am more than middle aged.

Now the quest is on to reach 50 . . . then 60 . . . then 70~

Happy Birthday to me

I'm really okay!

Haven't written on any of my blogs for a long time - not that I haven't been thinking of "wonderful" things to write about. Just been a little crazy - my husband was transferred to the Windy City, so have spent the last several months trying (and still trying) to sell a house, get ready to move and move. Not to mention, work was really busy and I was crazy enough to work right up until the day we moved (kind of the "you can't tell me no" syndrome kicking in - work needed me, and I figured it was good to keep more than busy, though it probably about did me in with stress!)

But bottom line - no health problems whatsoever. Just life getting in the way of my extra-curriculars.

In the meantime, I chaired, for the second time, the KC Wine Opener for CF - beat our fundraising goal! And had a wonderful time. Went to Chicago's Wine Opener this week - nice to meet some people in the CF community here.

Now the quest begins for a CF doctor. I've had one recommended to me . . .but there are a lot of CF doctors in Chi-town, which is really nice. I may be shopping around a bit. The older I get, the more picky I seem to get about my doctors - I want this to be a partnership, not a "let me tell you what to do." I've been around long enough to know my own chemistry and what works . . . and need someone that appreciates that! I think that's probably an issue with CF adults across the board. We know enough medicine to be dangerous and don't take everything a doctor says at face value!

More later . . .