CF and studies - My University Story

Being a CF is hard - but manageable.  I have already told my primary/childhood school story and everything I had to go through back then. And soon I will tell my high school story. But since I am at university now, I will firstly tell my uni-story.

You know that all so common question people ask you: "What do you want to do when you grow up?"
Now my answers have always been one of the following three: a doctor, a teacher, a climatologist / meteorologist.

One of my great passions in life is nature, but to be more precise - the weather. I love clouds and thunderstorms and hail and tornado's and lighting and rain and snow...
I would rather prefer a dark, thunderstormy day than a bright, sunshiney day. I think I got the passion from my father. He too is a weather fanatic. I even have a book with different types of clouds in it - and I would write down the date on which I have seen that specific type of cloud for the first time, next to that said cloud. It is a father-daughter-thing.

BUT, getting a job as a white, female meteorologist would not have been easy. I would have either worked in Johannesburg, Cape Town or outside of my home town. With only three possible options and me being put in a situation where I had to take leave for a few weeks to go to hospital, this didn't sound like a very good idea. It was a bit too complicated a situation.

My other great passion is Biology and the human body. I have always wanted to be a doctor - because I basically grew up in the hospital (referring to all my hospital visits, check ups, and and and). I appreciated my doctors so much, that I wanted to be one of them too. My role models!
BUT, needless to say - being a doctor means hard hours, no sleep, and being around sick people most of the time. How would this have affected my life as a CF? Definitely not positively. I have spoken to my doctors as well and they too suggested that I rather go for something else.

My third passion in life is teaching and being in a wonderful, social situation where I can laugh and love the people around me.
As a high school student, I have always enjoyed school. Yes, I was kind of a "nerd" (though I am not sure what standards or scales people use to distinguishes between nerds and "cool" people,) and I did very well in metric, got my 8 distinctions in my various subjects and was even appointed under head girl of the school. I loved my teachers and friends and always felt comfortable in that type of environment.
Another plus point was the fact that I had vacation 4 times a year, which means plenty of time for hospital check-ups. 
I also l.o.v.e. teaching. It is a passion I have! 
This was the occupation for me.
And that is what I am currently studying for:

I study through Unisa - University of South Africa. Unisa is a distance education university, which means a student studies primarily on his/her own. Therefore you have to have lots of self-discipline and be able to set fun aside, go to your room and open your books for a daily study-session.
The course I am doing is a General BA, and I major in Maths and English. This is only my first year, as I have taken a gap year last year to get my health on track.
The advantage of studying through Unisa is the fact that you can continue your studies  while in hospital. Think about it: how would I have gone to uni today, tomorrow, or the past week? I would have missed all my classes and tests and lectures.
But now I am here in the hospital, sitting on the bed with all my study material with me, and I am right on track with everything!
(as a matter of fact - I have just completed one of my 5 modules earlier today! yay!

So when it comes to CF and having a job some day, I would say that it is very important to consider your time spent in hospital v.s. the amount of leave you can take. You have to prepare yourself for your future and think about these kind of things.

Happy Living

Breathe & Believe
Nina xx

Lung Function drops with 17%

Okay, so I did the LF test and my lung function has gone down with 17%.
Here is a quick comparison between my stats in February 2013 and now.

February:
Before admission:
LF before using Duovent inhaler = 49%
LF after using Duovent inhaler = 51%

After the two week admission:
LF before using Duovent inhaler = 67%
LF after using Duovent inhaler = 71% !

Now: July:
Before admission:
LF before using Duovent inhaler = 51%
LF after using Duovent inhaler = 54%


So yeah, 71% was the best it has ever been since the very first time I was admitted. I am also not surprised that my LF has gone down that much. Because that is what happens all the time.

Just to inform you: I have, in my first 17 years, never known that I was SUPPOSED to be admitted. Everytime I went to the CF clinic they ask:
'Have you been to the hospital lately?'
to which I replied: 'no, not in a few years,' to which they then replied: 'Oh good! So it is going well!'

So in 2011 I was admitted for the very first time to receive the 2 week drip. But that is another story for another day.

Right now I just want to bring you up to date with what is up and happening here in my hospital:

- The doctor gave me Meronem for my IV. Usually I am on Taziject, but in February, just 5 days before going home, I got a massive reaction and my arm got a red rash which burned like fire. So she decided it would be best to try something different, which is still the same.
So far everything is awesome!

- I am also receiving physio twice a day which helps boost my lung function.

- I am 1.88 (oh gosh, I have grown an extra 2 cm!)
- Weight is 63.7kg, which is very good as well.

All in all, except for my lung function of course, the doctor is pretty happy.

Happy living
Breathe and Believe
Nina

Hospital Time

Tomorrow I will be going to the hospital for my 2-week drip session. This will be my second time this year. My last hospital visit was in February. Usually I go once a year, but the past month I have coughed up more mucus than usual. It has a thicker, greener consistency, so decided it will be good to visit the hospital again.

When I left the hospital in February my lung function was 71. I know it has dropped quite a lot since then (like it always does), but lets hope I will be able getting up to 71 again in the next two weeks.

Stay posted for info on my current lung function.

Happy living

Breathe and Believe
Nina