Christmas Break...

So break was a very good one.  It started off with a clinic visit and the results were great!  My lung functions were at 107% and the only thing they wanted me to do was gain 10 pounds, but that's old news.  I ALWAYS have to gain more weight.  Christmas was fun.  I relaxed, did a little bit of work, and relaxed some more.  It was very nice!  My sister's boyfrie...well fiance now came up to visit during his pre-deployment leave.  He has become the brother I never had! :)  We were able to spend some time together and bond some and it was just awesome.  And as you can tell, he proposed to my sister :D.  I am so excited about this!

I go back to school on Sunday and classes start back up on Tuesday.  I'm not sure if I'm ready to go back yet.  I probably am though.  This is most likely just the right time to be away.  It has been good to be away from school though.  I do not feel ready to get back into the grind, but the coming days will prepare me for it.

This next semester entails trying to figure out what I want to do with my major, getting into a running routine, and disciplining myself in several areas.  This will be a challenge, but with God's help, I can accomplish it!  Praise the Lord!

Clinic...

So I'm going to clinic today.  Pray everything turns out well.  I haven't been exercising like I should be and only recently started so I hope that doesn't have a negative effect.  My girlfriend is coming with me and this will be her first real CF-related experience.  She's scared the report is going to be bad and I'll have to miss school and be in Chicago for a couple weeks.  Pray for her. :)  After, we're going to possibly go to the zoo! :D

Moving on...

Sorry it has been so long since I last posted. I have been quite busy. I will leave my past at that, and if you have any questions beyond what I have posted, please ask. On to my life today.

A couple of weeks ago, I went to CF clinic. The report was only ok. Back in March, my sister and I had bone density tests (our doctor does them every 5 years if I remember correctly). On June 25th, we received the report. My sister seemed ok, but they said it wouldn't hurt at all to take more calcium. They raised our Vitamin D levels as they are doing with many patients. But my report was slightly more concerning. I have what the doctor called osteopenia in my spine. She said it's basically half way between having normal healthy bones and osteoporosis. So my vitamin D levels were raised and I have to take extra calcium. I was kind of surprised because I drink a crazy amount of milk every day.

My FEV1 numbers were at 96%. In March, they were 97%, but I blamed that (as they were near 107%) on the fact that I accidentally inhaled a Cadbury chocolate egg on the trip to the hospital. But they were down this time despite not eating anything this time (on purpose I might add). The plus was that my lungs sounded clear.

My doctor decided to put me on an antibiotic, just to be aggressive. She also told me to get more rest and exercise, the first I'm doing a little better at, and the second....well I'm at least thinking about it more. It's just hard to do when you're so busy. I go back at the end of July (on the 23rd I believe) to see if my numbers went up. If so, hooray!! If not, hospital...here I come! I will have to go in for a clean-out. If I have to go in, it will be my 3rd hospitalization. The first occurred when I was 15. I am becoming more familiar with the respiratory therapists at my hospital (Fletcher Allen Health Care). I love my hospital. I don't mind being there, which helps when I have to stay for two weeks. The adult inpatient floor that they admit CF patients to is on the 6th floor. So for exercise, I run up and down the stairs.

But that visit is still a while away. Let's pray and hope that my numbers go up and that I don't have to go in. But if I do have to go in, I will be thankful that it is during the summer and not while I'm at school.

Josh