Breathing Deeply: My Life With Cystic Fibrosis

There is a harmony in autumn, and a luster in its sky--Percy Bysshe Shelley

I always loved the promise of a fresh start that was ushered in with each new school year. Although I no longer base my life around a school calendar, I do still enjoy this season. Now that November is here and daylight savings time has ended, I feel a sense of calm as I finish out the last few months of 2005.

This month marks the beginning of my second year living in a climate that very much agrees with my health. Santa Ana conditions do still occur, but here near the ocean there isn't nearly as much dust blowing around. I think I could get used to this. Of course, there are still days when my health decides to have a mind of its own despite my best efforts to keep myself healthy and in good shape, but that's okay. I realize that I cannot control every little detail. What's important is that I do my best and not let myself get too worked up by what is out of my hands.

This week has been excellent so far. Today is Day 2 of latest and greatest attempt to establish a morning routine for the two of us. Brad likes to get up early to go work out, and I usually like to sleep in until the last possible minute. For awhile there we were feeling less like a married couple and more like roommates. This wasn't causing any problems per se, but we both recognized the need for creating a more "familial" atmosphere in our home.

Now our morning routine is that Brad goes to the gym, and I sleep until he comes back. While he's in the shower I reluctantly crawl out from beneath the cozy covers and make the bed. (I've found that unless I make the bed, it's far too tempting to flop back into it. ) Then we eat breakfast together and I make our lunches to take to work. Like I said, it's only been a couple of days, so it's very easy to still be enthusiastic about it, but starting our day together is wonderful! I've asked the gals in my prayer group to pray for continued motivation and self-discipline for me so that I can stick with this new routine as much as possible.

I think the best part about it is seeing how happy my husband is to be sent off to work with a homemade lunch and a kiss goodbye. I'd do absolutely anything for that man. He deserves every ounce of my effort to be the best wife possible. He's not too difficult to please either--his tastes are relatively basic. Keeping him as happy as he deserves is certainly within my power and I'm glad to have the opportunity to do so! The last couple of days have felt very balanced, which is good. I'm tempted to take my stored up energy and spend it all on lots of activity, but I know that the reason I feel so good right now is because I've paced myself. Physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually I feel "pretty darn good" as I told my dad on the phone the other night.

On the physical side of things, I'm sleeping relatively well (even though the neighbors had a loud party last night) and I've been keeping up with my meds. Zithromax is always easy for me to forget since that one's only every other day. I reorganized the medicine cabinet recently and that has helped. I moved all the "back up" meds to a basket under the counter, and only keep the current prescriptions within easy reach. Now that November has arrived, I'll be doing TOBI treatments again. (I only do those during odd months.) I flushed my port on Monday and had no problems there. I can't believe I've had that thing for 8 years now!

Emotionally/spiritually speaking, I've rallied. October was very up and down for me for a number of reasons, but as each day passes, God gives me a measure of His grace and a new perspective on things. October ended on a high note with some wonderful fellowship time with new friends from church and the exciting news of a new baby born to our friends in New York. God is certainly at work in my life and in the lives of those who are close to me. I look forward to what He has planned next.