May and CF!

May is the month for Cystic Fibrosis Awareness! So this month I am going to post something about Cystic Fibrosis every day! I know I don't have it but I have so many loved ones that are affected by it and I want to do my part in making sure there is a cure found.

So today I am going to talk about what CF is and how I learned about CF.

What CF is:

Cystic fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the United States (70,000 worldwide). A defective gene and its protein product cause the body to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus that:



clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections; and


obstructs the pancreas and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food. -cff.org

How I learned about it:

I started working at the U Hospital in July of 2007. I didn't know anything about CF when I first started. I honestly had never heard of it until then.I wasn't sure what to think of this disease, all I knew was that they coughed alot and spit up stuff. I was a little afraid of it at first and kind of grossed out to be honest. It was interesting to watch them hook up to this vest thing that shakes them and use nebulizers to inhale different medications. This was a whole new world to me. I was used to changing adult diapers and dealing with people who have Alzhiemer's. I would have never expected to be so involved and have my life change so much.