Day 7

Symptoms of Cystic Fibrosis

People with CF can have a variety of symptoms, including:

very salty-tasting skin

persistent coughing, at times with phlegm;

frequent lung infections;

wheezing or shortness of breath;

poor growth/weight gain in spite of a good appetite; and

frequent greasy, bulky stools or difficulty in bowel movements.

(From the CFF website)

Day 5 and 6!

I missed yesterday! Oops! It was kind of a long day. Hope everyone had a great Cinco de Mayo. We went to my BFAW's (best friend at work) graduation from nursing school! It was a great graduation! I almost cried! Haha. She has work really hard and I was really proud of her! =) Then Adam and I went to Del Taco and had some 29 cent tacos! It was awesome!

Anyway.... here is my fact about CF for the day!! One way to clear the airway!

Clearing the Airways

People with cystic fibrosis do airway clearance techniques (ACT) to loosen and get rid of the mucus from the lungs. Clearing mucus helps to reduce the severity of lung infections and improve lung function.

Some airway clearance techniques require help from family members, friends or therapists. Adults with cystic fibrosis can do many airway clearance techniques themselves.

One technique is called “postural drainage and percussion.” People with cystic fibrosis sit, stand or lie in a position that will help free up mucus as their chest and back are pounded or clapped. Sometimes a patient will use a mechanical “vest,” or blow into a device that shakes the mucus loose, to help clear their airways.

Day 4 of CF information and other stuff!

Statistics

• About 1,000 new cases of cystic fibrosis are diagnosed each year.
• More than 70% of patients are diagnosed by age two.
• More than 45% of the CF patient population is age 18 or older.
• The predicted median age of survival for a person with CF is in the mid-30s.

(From the CFF website, visit cff.org for more information)

On another note, I am probably going to pass both of my classes this semester! I am super happy! =) ♥ 

Day 3 of cystic fibrosis information

Cystic fibrosis is a recessive disorder, which means that both parents must pass on the defective gene for any of their children to get the disease. If a child inherits only one copy of the faulty gene, he or she will be a carrier. Carriers don't actually have the disease, but they can pass it on to their children. About five percent of Caucasians (one in 28) are believed to carry the gene.

ETSY SHOP!!

A while ago I posted a blog about creating a CF etsy shop! My mother-in-law and I have been working hard on this site for a couple months!

And guess what! 

We are finally ready to advertise it! 

So here is the link!




http://www.etsy.com/shop/SouthcastleCause


Please check it out! Some proceeds will go to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation! Please help us to make CF stand for Cure Found! 


Also, let me know if there is anything you would like to see. =) 

Wahoo!! I can't believe they actually found him!

Sources: Al-Qaida head bin Laden dead - ksl.com

This day will go down in history as another U.S. victory!

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.