Personal Narrative: A Day In A Life Of Someone With Cystic Fibrosis

You guys were wondering, when do you have to see the doctor, well you know when you have it or not. If you don’t know Often has lung infections (pneumonia), colds, a cough, shortness of breath, or wheezing. If you or your child or even you parents has symptoms of cystic fibrosis or if someone in your family has cystic fibrosis, you should talk to your doctor and has to be very

I fight for my health every day in ways most people do not understand I lay in bed struggling just to get up in the morning only to get faced with a new day of troubles. All I think about is the day that being a normal eighteen year old ended for me. I was responsible went to work every day, and was trying to figure out my first year of college until everything was flipped upside down.

Cystic fibrosis, a debilitating, genetic disease, disturbs the mucus glands of the lungs, pancreas, and other organs. To fully comprehend the everyday impacts, envision Emily, a fourteen-year-old girl struggling to adapt to high school life with cystic fibrosis. She spends over three hours a day exclusively nebulizing and performing airway clearance therapy; this time does not include doctor’s visits or other therapists’ appointment (Sawicki, 2008). Due to the high treatment demand, Emily feels stressed since she cannot find adequate time for social participation, homework, plus added teenage milestones. Consequently, cystic fibrosis influences many of her occupations. Attitude has a major impact on her overall progress of managing this serious, chronic medical challenge. A solid understanding of the entire person helps create an enriched treatment plan and improved outcomes.

A person with Cystic Fibrosis is affected by these symptoms on a daily basis, making their life harder. These symptoms force people with Cystic Fibrosis to live with a daily routine, where they are required to have one or two nebulisers, every morning and night with physio sessions in between. According to Cystic Fibrosis Australia (2015), they are also required to take up to 40 tablets a day, consisting of enzymes each time they eat. They also have keep their lungs and body active with exercise and a healthy diet, making sure they eat nutrients and healthy fats to maintain a healthy body weight and avoid

In 1955, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation was formed by mothers who were determined to find a cure for their children who were diagnosed with the disease but were given a small life expectancy. As the years went on life expectancy for people diagnosed with CF increased. In 1965, a four-year-old boy was listening to

Respiratory disorder, mostly affect the upper or lower respiratory tract, however bacterial or viral infection are the causative agent and the disease is common in all ages. In addition, the lungs and the bronchi can also be affected, causing inflammation and obstruction of the airflow resulting in wheezing, chest tightness, stridor, low grade fever, cough, and hemoptysis due severe damage to the lung tissues. Most common diseases of the respiratory system include; pneumonia, croup, asthma, bronchitis, laryngitis, and tuberculosis, affected disease location determines the signs and symptoms. Hereditary and environmental factors such as allergens and other irritants can be a contributory factor, especially in children. However, respiratory compromise occur as a result of incomplete airway development among this vulnerable population predisposing them to chronic asthma (Huether & McCance, 2012).

The main goal of any treatment for someone who has cystic fibrosis is to prevent and/or control lung infections, loosen and remove the mucus build up in the lungs, prevent and treat intestinal blockage and ensuring proper and adequate nutrition. If the treatment includes medications, antibiotics would be used to treat and/or prevent lung infections. To help get the mucus up and out of the lungs, mucus-thinning drugs will be used to improve lung function. By relaxing the muscles around the bronchial tubes, bronchodilators can help keep the airway open. Lastly are oral pancreas enzymes which help the digestive tract absorb nutrients. Non-medication treatments include chest physical therapy which helps the thick mucus loosen and in turn makes it easier to cough up. There is also something available called pulmonary rehabilitation which is something that can help improve lung function in an outpatient setting and this may include exercise training, nutritional education, breathing techniques to conserve energy and counseling and/or support groups. There are also several surgical procedures that can improve quality of life for patients with cystic fibrosis. These in removal of any nasal polys to help breathing, oxygen therapy to help prevent pulmonary hypertension or high blood pressure in the lungs, endoscopy and lavage treatments to

In order to live with cystic fibrosis, having ongoing care is vital to your health. It is normal for people who are affected by the disease to go to cystic fibrosis checkups approximately every three months. You should always talk to your doctor about whether or not you should get the annual flu shot and/or vaccines. You should contact your doctor immediately if you have any of the

Lung infections are caused mostly by bacteria, are a serious and chronic problem for many people living with the disease. Limiting contact with germs is a top concern for people with CF. The buildup of mucus in the pancreas can stop the person from getting there food and key nutrients, resulting in malnutrition and poor growth. In the liver, the thick mucus can block the bile duct, causing liver disease. In men, CF can also affect the ability for them to have children.

Cystic Fibrosis, a very serious inherited genetic disease, is also known as CF and sixty-five roses. This disease affects one in every 3,000 live births. It may first appear in a newborn, but can appear all the way up until a young adult. However, ten percent of most cases are apparent at birth. CF affects the lungs and causes a build-up of abnormally thick mucus which leads to chest infections, and CF also affects the reproductive system. Doctors do not know what causes the mucus to thicken. CF’s infections usually lead to death in childhood and early adulthood. Most people infected with CF had a life span into their teens long ago. Now, due to advanced technology, the life span is in the fifties or older.

No none can deny cystic fibrosis is one of the toughest diseases to battle. CF is a severe, life-shortening, inherited condition that imposes an enormous burden on the family and patient because of intensive daily treatment. Every day when Leslie woke up, she began to deal with the chronic condition she has known all of her life. Cystic fibrosis is a disorder that causes the body to

Cystic fibrosis is a debilitating, genetic, disease that affects the mucus glands of the lungs, pancreas, and other organs. To fully comprehend the everyday affects, envision Emily, a fourteen-year-old girl struggling to adapt to high school life with cystic fibrosis. She spends over three hours a day solely nebulizing and performing airway clearance therapy; this time does not include doctor’s visits or other therapists’ appointment (Sawicki, 2008). Due to the high treatment demand, Emily feels stressed since she cannot find time for social participation, homework, plus the added teenage excitement. Consequently, cystic fibrosis affects many of her occupations. Her attitude can affect or change the course of care; therefore, understanding the entire person is integral to successfully treat the disease.

The average life span of a person with Cystic Fibrosis is 25-30 years of age. Although the more traditional treatments of this disease are adequate, is there something else that could be even better? Gene therapy is fast becoming one of the more studied aspects of genetics today. Let's take a look at some details of Cystic Fibrosis and gene therapy.

Cystic Fibrosis is a disease that affects the body in many ways throughout the patient's life. Newborns with Cystic Fibrosis may experience delayed growth, inability to gain weight, and salty-tasting skin ("Cystic," umm.edu 1). Older patients may be infertile, have recurring pancreatitis, and respiratory problems ("Cystic," umm.edu 2). Considering that these are just symptoms involving age, the full spectrum of ailments that afflict a patient with Cystic Fibrosis is far more taxing on a patient.

The World Health Organization (WHO) (2006A) defines COPD as a disease state characterized by airflow limitation that is not wholly reversible. The airflow limitation is usually both progressive and associated with abnormal inflammatory response of the lungs to noxious particles or gases. John's chronic bronchitis is defined, clinically, as the presence of a chronic productive cough for 3 months in each of 2 successive years, provided other causes of chronic cough have been ruled out. (Mannino, 2003). The British lung Foundation (BLF) (2005) announces that chronic bronchitis is the inflammation and eventual scarring of the lining of the bronchial tubes which is the explanation for John's dyspnea. The BLF (2005) believe that when the bronchi become inflamed less air is able to flow to and from the lungs and once the bronchial tubes have been irritated over a long period of time, excessive mucus is produced. This increased sputum results from an increase in the size and number of goblet cells (Jeffery, 2001) resulting in John's excessive mucus production. The lining of the bronchial tubes becomes thickened and an irritating cough develops, (Waugh & Grant 2004) which is an additional symptoms that john is experiencing.