A difficult illness to deal with.... (Cystic Fibrosis)

Member Name: ehallett25

Product:	Cystic Fibrosis
Date:	11/10/08 (24 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Has made me stronger as a person

Disadvantages: Shortened life expectancy, LOTS of tablets, feeling like I live at the hospital sometimes

I have had Cystic Fibrosis all of my life (27 years) and can say that it isn't the worst illness in the world (I can imagine that cancer is a lot worse to deal with), however it is also not the easiest.

It is the most common life threatening inherited disease in the UK. CF sufferers should usually have a shorter life span than that of a healthy person. The average life span for someone with CF is 31 years old, however I think that this statistic is slightly out of date as treatment has improved since then and people with CF are living longer these days.

It basically means that people with CF produce thicker and sticker mucas than non-CF people. This means that it sticks to the lungs and can be difficult to shift. This leads to many chest infections and the need to clear the lungs daily.

It also affects the pancreas (we can't digest our food ourselves) and can cause complications in later life such as liver problems and diabetes.

I rattle when I walk as I can take up to 50 tablets a day. I take tablets for everything that I eat so that it digests my food and I am constantly on antibiotics to help prevent chest infections.

I do physiotherapy on myself daily to clear the mucas from my lungs and have IV antibiotics as and when I need it.

It is a hard illness to live with, however I was born with it and therefore don't really know any different. I feel sorry for the people that discover it in later life as this would be so much harder to adapt to life with CF.

Summary: Please support the CF Trust and help to find a cure.