Cheriz: My life with Cystic Fibrosis

Those Tough Topics : Andrew and I have always been very open and honest about what we want out of life. Whether it is a certain career, lifestyle, location of home, family, etc. We both pretty much want the same future. Live close (within a couple hours) to our families, have careers we love and do well at, and most importantly have a family. A Simple Life. Well, you would think so. I mean we work during the day, then enjoy making dinner & eating together..  On our days off, we do our errands or doctor's appointments, but also take walks at the park, and enjoy attractions near my doctors. We have careers we love and still spend lots of  time together. We lead a pretty nice life. I may complain about my Cystic Fibrosis (lately about or our $6,000 deductible). BUT, there are plenty of CFers that don't even have 100% coverage post deductible. I'm thankful we do! Plus, we can prepare for the deductible (which I pay off in January of every year), then no more surpris...

Lots Going On: Wow, sorry, it's been just over two weeks since I have blogged. That may be the longest I have ever gone without blogging. Here are the 3 big things that are taking place in our lives right now: 1 . Work- Lots of it. Andrew is gearing up for the holidays at the store he works at and I just started my new career. (Read last post below to learn about it). In the last two weeks, I have signed a contract with Jim Maloof Realty in Peoria, IL (see my link on our office website click HERE ). I paid all my dues to the Peoria Area Association of Realtors, etc. Paid for advertising, some equipment, even got a few work outfits. I did my all day orientations & have been going to every new agent workshop that has been available. It's been pretty busy around here. Little about my work: I still need to finish up my business cards, buy a new laptop, and more. But I am beyond ready to start helping clients sell & buy homes! The only downside to Real Estate is all th...

Working with Cystic Fibrosis: I've have worked a variety of jobs. Daycare Teacher, Server, Retail, Office work, Media, etc.. I know as I got older my ideal career path changed. For example in third grade I wanted to be a ballerina & a teacher. I went to college for Geology and by the time I graduated I was following the path of social work. I started Graduate school in 2013 for Medical Social Work, but just before the first semester finished I got really sick and realized I couldn't keep up with college or a full time career anymore. I ended up medically withdrawing in November of 2013. I spent a lot of time in the hospital that first semester & my daily med routine is pretty full, learn about it in  this post here . Working a typical 6-8 hour shift is very difficult for me. I do three sets of nebulizer treatments a day, and some days I just don't feel very well. Between GI problems and my arthritis, I very rarely have a day with no problems or complications. P...

Why it was AWESOME being born in the 1980s. Besides our mom's awesome hair-dos right? Well, there are some perks to being born in the 1980s with Cystic Fibrosis. You may think I'm joking. I mean, what perks? Right? We didn't have almost any of the beneficial medication or research that we do today. Because of this lack of research & proper meds the expectancy of life was around 10 years of age when I was born. Sadly, this was pretty accurate in my life as I watched 3 best friends pass away between the ages of 10-14. It was tough having CF or a child with CF in the 1908s. Our treatments took longer and the machines were wickedly heavy. Parents didn't have the vest machine, my own mother had to do manual chest percussion on me multiple times a day (up to four times). In the 1990s, pulmozyme was introduced and some research started to take off (but nothing like today). Most people in the 1990s still didn't know what CF was and had never heard of it. With a f...

& of Course my Results: I realized this morning as I sat down to start this blog entry that even though I go to clinic between 4-6 times a year, I have never REALLY explained it. Cystic Fibrosis Clinic is where most CF patients go to talk with their doctor & care team about their health (various aspects of it). A CF Care team is usually compromised of a: CF Doctor/specialist- who exams you, discusses treatments, trials, meds, overall health & prescribes anything you may need (exams, X-rays, meds, etc).  Nurses or P.As.- Assist the doctor with tasks & usually is the person you talk to on the phone when you are sick. Respiratory therapist - they help you do your breathing tests, discuss therapies, etc Physical Therapist (or Athletic Trainer)- helps you get active and gain/ or lose weight (whichever you need, usually with CF it's the former) Dietician- helps you focus on how you need to eat, choosing good foods, or tips to help with weight. Social Worker...

Thankful for Halloween: One picture can say a lot. For example:  This picture (besides saying I just woke up) Also, say a few other things:  I have lung problems (Cystic Fibrosis) since I'm doing a vest treatment & nebulizer, It's Halloween or I have eye problems. Well, actually it's all three! I'm thankful it's Halloween, because it makes my eye patch blend in more. Why am I wearing an eye patch? I don't wear glasses or contacts, right.... Did you know that I did have glasses for many years. I had such bad eye sight that as a baby that I got my first set of (thick) glasses by 6 months old.  I had bifocals by the age of three. However, the eye problems were corrected (sort of) by age 11 and I could ditch the glasses.  Only in the last year have I noticed them coming back. Lately, they have been pretty bad. I've hit more curbs while driving and stopped driving at night all together.I keep running into things and tripping, I'm usually ac...

Life at Our House:  I want to take some time to update everyone on what is going on at our place. Our life has been a little crazy since getting married and only now, do I feel it is starting to slow down. Whew. We got married on August 16th, Andrew's new store (where he works) had its grand opening on the Tuesday after our wedding. We moved into our new place on Wednesday that week. Since then Andrew worked 12-14 hour days 6 days a week until we left for our honeymoon on September 27th! I spent most of my days unpacking, cleaning our new home, Calling docs & updating all the accounts with pharmacies, etc. (See our Wedding pics on my Facebook page! ) We got back from our Honeymoon on October 2nd. Read about our Honeymoon Trip right here . Luckily, since then Andrew has been able to work less hours (averaging 50-55 a week) and he gets two days off a week now. I've had some job interviews and meetings,which went awesome. I then met with the Real Estate company, where I p...