Breathing Deeply: My Life With Cystic Fibrosis

Brad and I are planning our long-awaited trip to New York! This will be a bit of an adventure for us, but one I'm sure will prove memorable. We're going to do some touristy stuff in NYC, then take a train out to visit some friends. From there we're off to Vermont and New Hampshire as something of a side trip or two. The timing is perfect for a lot of reasons, and since the opportunity presented itself, we're going to attempt to take full advantage of it.

My doctor appointment last Wednesday showed me to be in good health in terms of lung function and nutritional status, so I doubt this willl take too much energy out of me. The appointment the other night was pretty much the usual fare. I did my PFTs downstairs before coming up to the clinic. I managed to perform around 75% of predicted, which was an improvement even from last time. That was actually a surprise since I was feeling a bit tight after having been exposed to a co-worker's perfume just prior to my appointment. My weight was also up to 54 kilos--don't ask me what that is in pounds, but trust me, it's a good number.

The only disappointing part of the night was finding out that that the amount of hearing loss I have sustained from ototoxic medication (i.e. TOBI) doesn't appear to be reversible. The ringing in my left ear has gotten quite annoying in the last several weeks, and nearly all sounds seem muffled to that ear. Still, I'm reluctant to face the possibility of needing a hearing aid. As bothersome as it is to have to make sure I'm tuned in with my "good ear", it's not unbearable--yet. That's something I chose not to dwell upon, because truth be told, it bums me out.