CF Strikes Again!

I lay here thinking about last nine months… where I have been, what I have accomplished. It’s no surprise that it hasn’t been an easy time in my life. Hence, why I have been missing for over a month. Many of those last nine months have been spent just trying to keep up… keep up with my health, keep up with my career, keep up with my personal life. It seems like every time I feel like I am finally catching up on life, CF strikes again…

Health

Over the past nine months, I have been on and off IV antibiotics several times. If you have been reading my monthly health updates (which I will be cutting down to quarterly unless there are objections), then you probably already know this. It has been difficult to keep up to say the least. I have never had to test my self-motivation more. I have never exactly been perfect at doing treatments. I mean who really is… we’re all human, right? However, I have made some incredible leaps and bounds in the past few years to being much more diligent and responsible with my health. I guess that’s part of growing up, huh? I have never been more proud of myself than I am now. I have fought through the exhaustion and weariness to stay diligent with my treatments. Every time CF strikes, I have to remind myself that all the hard work that I do is not for nothing.

CF is so unpredictable that it has grown frustrating to keep up with. I have had moments where I wonder what it matters whether I do my treatments because it seems like no matter what I do, CF strikes when it feels like it. While I know how important it is, it’s a mental game that all of us must play. I am so thankful for the support system that I have been gifted – each and every one of them helps me in many ways. That includes all of you people! The ones who have random conversations with me or I am lucky enough to call friends, the ones contact me with support and thanks, and the ones that tell about their own journeys. I know that together we can beat CF, whether that means a cure or not letting it get us down. We got this and we will conquer!

Sorry it got a little cheesy there, but I really am thankful for all you people and the support that has gotten me through this difficult patch.

Career

Many people can relate with the post-college jungle of finding a career and getting a move on with their futures. Although I was fortunate enough to find a career that I LOVE and is a perfect fit for me, that does not mean that it is easy or stress-free. After all, it wouldn’t be me otherwise! I live for challenges, and that can sometimes make living with a chronic illness a challenge in itself. A lot of the past nine month have been figuring out the puzzle of staying on top of my career while handling illnesses. Not the sniffly, sneezy kind that last a few days, but the draining, out-of-breath kind that knock you down for a few weeks. Luckily, I have extremely understanding bosses who truly care about my well-being. I know many people who do not have that luxury, and I most certainly do not take that for granted. With that being said, I care about my job and don’t want to slack on the quality of my work because I’m not feeling well.

Here are some ways that I have found to help balance my health and career:

• REST – Do not over-do yourself because you will just get more and more drained. I have also learned to not be afraid to ask to work from home (for more reasons that just rest.. but I’ll get to that).
• TREAT YO’ SELF – Ok.. I don’t really mean buy yourself a bunch of unnecessary junk. What I really mean, is make sure your body is getting what it needs… rest, treatments, and nourishment. This is another reason I work from home a lot when I’m not feeling well; I can work and do extra treatments at the same time!
• COMMUNICATE – Ask for help and make sure you are communicating your abilities. It will put less stress on you (and help you get better faster) and lead to less frustrations in a team setting.
• GET HAPPY – That seems like a no-brainer, but I think it is incredibly important to do what you love. If you are going to be sick and drag yourself to work each and every day, in sickness and in health, then you best love what you are doing!

These are just some tips that I have found helpful for my success during my latest roller coaster. Of course, each career and life is different. These tips can even change each time CF strikes because that is the nature of this disease.

Personal Life

Health will always have to be my top priority. Without it, I wouldn’t exactly have a life to live. The struggle with my personal life has been trying to keep up with all my hobbies and friends. While I have grown accustomed to missing out on social events and declining invitations, the feeling of missing out never quite fully goes away. I know that I needed to pull away for a little to get the rest of my life organized and caught up. I spent many months just trying to stay afloat. It wasn’t working. I was always drained and nothing was ever quite caught up. You know that feeling when you are spreading yourself thin and many things are just kind of getting done? I decided that I needed to take a step back and focus more on the quality of the different aspects of my life. It has made a HUGE difference. I have been able to focus more on friendships and personal growth.

My most important accomplishment was that I was able to actually enjoy my vacation. Many of you may remember that I went to Florida in November. Much of that time was spent fretting over the piece of my life that were sprawled all over the floor. The pieces that I thought I had a hold of, but would slip through my fingers. Although I had tons of fun on the vacation, it wasn’t as relaxing as I had hoped it would be. This time was different. This time I had spent a couple of months focusing on just a few aspects of my life and picking up those fallen pieces. Cutting down on internet time was a huge part of this. While I love writing, and the ideas that would float around in my head during this time were incredible, I knew that it would still be there when I got back. I had to get my priorities in order. Only then would I be able to get a grasp on all these pieces I had dropped.

So for now, I feel that I have gotten a handle on life. I have recovered from all the CF strikes and can get back to living my life. Please comment and let me know how all of you have been!