Cheriz: My life with Cystic Fibrosis

Been awhile: Update AKA.The Burbs :-) Well, its been a while since I blogged. I'm a slacker. Okay, really though I have been busy. At the end of July I went to Florida to help a friend move back to Illinois ( called it my mini-vacation).  Went to the ocean, did some shopping, and loaded a big moving truck and drove back to Illinois. (and, yes I know I'm really skinny here. I hadn't put back on the weight I lost after my surgery yet..) Then I worked my last two weeks at work, while packing up my entire apartment.  Moving was a big decision for me. Yes, I want to get my Masters and I could transfer my job at the video store. Plus, finish up my Real Estate Licensing to start a career in that. So, why would I stay in Princeton? Especially when Andrew is moving up to Dominican University to get his bachelors degree. I will miss my friends and family, and my babysitting kids; But, I'm not about to miss out on this chance, when there are so many perks to ...

Moving Day is coming up! On the 17th Andrew and I will be loading the U-Haul and moving to the burbs! We will be closer to work, school, and my doctor! However, farther from our families. Still moving is always exciting, however a pain. During the day I've been trying to pack as much as I can, so we are not up  all night before we move trying to finish packing. I want it to go as easily as possible. Dad's driving the U haul, Andrew and I will be driving our cars, and our friend Jake will be driving up to help as well! I realized though going from 1,000 sq ft apt to 650 ft is quite a challenge, especially considering the loss of closets and the garage! I think I have most of the stuff sorted and ready. But still so much more. And living arrangements is only one part of moving. Figuring out school and work was quite a task too! I got into an MSW program, however, I'm going to put off going right away. I want to really get going with real estate. Focus on the state exam a...

Clinic: My weight is 94 lbs. So I need to work on that, but my lung function is still at 63%. I'm glad it didn't go down at all. Now to just make it go up... lol. We are working on it. Andrew and I ate at Pinstripes, a nice restaurant that serves upscale food, but has a bocce ball and bowling alley in it! Maybe next time we will play some bocce ball! Other news I found out at Clinic is that my Vitamin D level is finally up from around 14 to 55. Which is normal enough. I just have to maintain it by taking 50,000 units of vitamin D every week. He said he did notice in my blood work a spike in liver function. But, that could be from antibiotics I was on at the time. So next clinic (in two months) I'm getting my liver re-tested to make sure its not an issue. Overall, nothing big happened at Clinic. It was the first Clinic that Andrew has been able to go to. So afterwards we apartment hunted around the school he/ and hopefully I will be attending in the fall. He's been ...

Big Macs huh? I've had a couple customers at work mention things like " you're so skinny, you probably could eat anything. and still look that way."  Which I always just respond " yep, I guess I'm lucky" But I always think... Lucky.. lucky. yep I'm lucky I'm struggling to stay above 90 lbs right now. I have a stomach tube in me, have had it for 12 years and will have it for the rest of my life. I'm supposed to eat at least 4,000 calories a day. But I also have to fit in exercise to keep my lungs active, plus make up for all the calories that I burn. I get easily tired and if my weight drops suddenly it usually means I'm sick again. But since I'm skinny, yep I guess I'm lucky (rolls eyes). I hate telling people that I'm lucky. I'm not lucky when it comes to weight. Here are some phrases I hear that drive me nuts: - I'm lucky cuz I can't gain weight - you need to eat to put some meat on those bones...     ...

All the New Things: Since my surgery on June 4th I haven't had a stomach feeding pump and unfortunately my weight took a hit. I'm stuck at 90 lbs. I've gotten my new insurance and my new pharmacy to work together and I should be receiving my NEW pump next week. I will have to start off slow (not doing all 4 cans a night) to get my stomach used to it again. And it will be hard considering I get off work some nights at midnight then go back to work the next morning at my 2nd job. But if I speed it up at night I should be able to do all four cans and 1,250 calories during the night. The upsetting part is more that I can't gain the weight without the feeding. I always had the goal of getting rid of my stomach tube. I wanted it to be before I was 30. Well, I now have realized in the last month dropping 10 lbs. that its not gonna happen. Its going to be a permanent part of me. Also, new... I have been working a new 2nd job to save money so Andrew and I can move to Chica...

Post Surgery Appt: As you prolly know, I had Laparoscopic Triple Hernia Surgery last Tuesday. Here was a picture of me devouring a piece of bread so I could go home afterward the surgery (4 hours post surgery and 20 mins post waking up from recovery). I was ready to go home! Today I had my post surgery check up. He said everything in the surgery went well and besides the finding the 3rd hernia there were no surprises. He pointed out where the staples/stitches (they are holding the mesh in place) are in me. I have two on each side at the end of the mesh (so 4 on top) and two down farther in my groin. Apparently, I just have one huge piece of mesh that runs the width and length of my whole abdomen/groin area. Bahaha. I am Inspector Gadget after all. He said a few more weeks before I can lift stuff or exercise. Also, he said the area where the staples are will hurt when bending or twisting. However, I only notice really when I twist or turn too fast. Overall, it was a nice appoint...

Surgery: I was sick all last weekend and didn't think Doc would go through with my surgery. However, we did. Dr. C (my surgeon) said it went well, the only surprise was that, I had 3 hernias instead of two that they had to repair. Which means I had more mesh put in my abdomen and groin muscle wall. To be honest I was moving around fine, but I cough a lot. Which means the mesh digs into me and that can hurt if I get into a coughing fit. I had the surgery Tuesday.  Surgeries tend to make my intestines block up ( I know TMI, but I know many CFers deal with this, especially after surgeries). So Wednesday and Thursday were not ideal after surgery, but Andrew and I had a Downton Abbey Marathon. We are hooked. Mom had bought me season 1 for Easter and I got Season 2 from Ada for my Birthday! So even though those days were rough, I still enjoyed them. Luckily, by Friday Night I was starting to feel better, and yesterday I even got to go to Wal-Mart. I know exciting right? lol. Today,...