Living with CF is…

•  Trying not to trip over or become entangled by various types of tubing and medical equipment as you rush around trying to make yourself presentable before work.
• Actually tripping over tubing and medical equipment on an embarrassingly regular basis.
• Being surprised when people are grossed out by mucus. Doesn’t everyone have an up close and personal relationship with their mucus?
• Occasionally forgetting to cover your mouth when coughing, because you cough so often that you don’t even notice anymore.
• Rolling your eyes when people dart nervous glances in your direction and edge away at the sound of your cough.
• Ditto when people do the same at the sight of a medical mask covering your face. This is for my protection, buddy, not yours.
• “I’m having a bad air day.”
• Being able to eat whatever you want without worrying about your weight (at least until CFRD strikes).
• Sitting on the ground hacking up mass quantities of blood and trying desperately to catch your breath, then reassuring a concerned police officer that you’ll be fine and he doesn’t need to call an ambulance.
• Your special someone saying, “You need to hydrate, you taste salty.”
• Packing a bag before going to a doctor’s appointment, because you just know you’re about to be admitted.
• “I can’t breathe. Why can’t I breathe…? OH, right.” *puts nasal canula back in*
• Feeling a sickening jerk inside your stomach when the feeding tube unexpectedly gets caught on something, and wondering if that’s what a Portkey feels like. (http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Portkey)
• Having disheartening familiarity with gastric juices due to feeding tube malfunctions.
• Waking up in a cold, sticky puddle of nutritional supplement, and realizing that the tube accidentally detached during your overnight feeding. Again.
• Never knowing when you’re going to stink up a bathroom or clog a toilet with your rancid digestive issues. Bonus points for public humiliation.
• “That sounds bad…” “Oh no, I’m fine, this is actually my healthy cough.”