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Cystic Fibrosis.

If you stumbled across me within a crowd, a lot of people wouldn’t even notice me. However, there is a little something about me that sometimes could make me that little bit more noticeable. As I briefly mentioned before, I have an illness called Cystic Fibrosis. Now is probably a good opportunity to explain CF and how it affects me individually in more depth.

Let's start with some statistics fro the CF Trust (the boring part, I apologise) :

 

- Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic condition affecting more than 10,800 people in the UK.

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- CF is a genetic illness therefore this means that you are born with cystic fibrosis and cannot catch it later in life.

 

-1 in 25 of us carries the faulty gene that causes CF.

 

- However, for an individual to get Cystic Fibrosis, BOTH parents must carry the faulty gene.

Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic illness that primarily affects the lungs and digestive system (though it affects other organs also), as it causes a build up as thick, sticky mucus which quite frankly is annoying as hell. No person affected with Cystic Fibrosis has the same Cystic Fibrosis – but then again no person is the same. People have a habit of automatically assuming that if a community of people are afflicted with the same disease, they will all present with the same problems, in the same way, at the same time. This is not the case. I know many individuals with CF – with different mutations, different symptoms, different experiences of the disease. However, we all experience at times how difficult and challenging CF can be.

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Here is just a little insight of some of the CF-related issues that come alongside CF. Not every individual will experience every single 'related illness' or suffer from all potential complications, however I personally believe it is always good to educate yourself regarding your health whether you have CF or not!

Cystic Fibrosis does NOT define me, nor does it define anybody else with it for that matter - undoubtedly at times, it does get tough and can get the better of you -  however I  constantly try and remind myself that I have CF, CF does not have me.

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CF and the MIND

If there is one thing I have learnt over the past year, it is that Cystic Fibrosis is not just influential on the psychological. CF is with you for life and sometimes, emotionally it is extremely tough. I hope to speak about this in more depth.

Everyday Life and CF

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I think once you are so used to a routine of some sort - it just becomes second nature to you. I feel like this is how my CF affects me from day to day.

In the morning I take half of my medication with my breakfast and have my nebuliser on the way to school or before school (multitasking at it's finest)

Then, if I need to take any medication during the day within school times - I often have to set alarms to remember haha!

I take another nebuliser after school and my second half of medication with my dinner or sometime supper. I finally have my last nebuliser a couple of hours before bed.

Alongside this, I am in my last year of ALEVELS - studying Health and Social Care, Religious Studies and Sociology. Also, I dance 3 -4 times a week.

Although it is 'second nature' it can be quite tiresome at times - but the hard work does pay off!

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