Clubbing
- Thread starter anonymous
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Everyone with CF that I have met have clubbed fingers....and toes. I have CF and have clubbed fingers...along with my brother. His are clubbed more than mine...but mine are still noticeable. Ever since I can remember mine have been clubbed....as well as my brothers. It has something to do with the lack of oxygen in the blood..Dea
Your lungs, like your liver, have a hand in cleaning out your blood. When the lungs are compromised, blood is not only less oxygenated but full of toxins or "impruities" that travel to the extremities and build up. People with severe pnemonia, empazima, asthma, lung cancer have it too. And it can go away if your lungs improve, or have a transplant.Debbie22 yr old w/ CFI call them my "E.T. fingers"<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif" border="0">
I've had clubbed fingers as long as I can remember as well... and this harkens back to the day when my fev was normal (90% or better). It gets worse as the lung disease progresses. As far as it going away with a transplant, well that's not entirely true either- same as with the barrel chest... those are the gifts of CF that keep on giving, bad lungs or not 
-morley
-morleyapparently it has more to do with O2 deprivation than level of FEV1. myself, my clubbing is very slight and hardly noticable, yet i am 19 with an FEV1 of 35%!!! <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0"> most people i know with CF have it so its not unusual or worrying.
Thanks for everyone's response to this. The reason I was curious is that I am 25 and my sister is 30. She and I both have a very mild case of CF. We are not clubbed at all and were just wondering if you were born with it or it comes on later in life. She has noticed her fingernails starting to grow downward. Is this how it begins? Thanks!
You say you have a mild case. I am confused- Are there different types? My wife and I both have the Delta F508 gene and are awaiting results back to determine if our unborn child has CF. If there are different types, which are worse? I am reading that many CF patients live into their 20's or later. Any info is appriciated-2 parents confused on what to do!!!
The 508 gene almost always guarantees that a person with cf will need enzymes to help digest their food. The lung disease varies from person to person even with the same mutation. If a person with cf goes for a long time unable to digest their food, they tend to get sick really fast, which is why the delta 508 mutation is the severe mutation. The median age for someone with cf is 33, and it continues to grow. So if you have a baby with cf now, and the age of people with cf keeps getting older, your child could live into his or her 60s or beyond. Cf is not a death sentence.
P
pyriah
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I am also confused about different types of CF. I just posted a (long) question about my father, who died of CF. He was not diagnosed until he was in his 30's, had 2 kids (I'm 25 and brother is 21), and lived to be 38 (he passed away in 1990) . Now I'm in shock because my 40-something uncle (dad's brother) has JUST been diagnosed as well. He also had kids, 3 of them (age 21, 18, 16). I don't know anything about this rare form of CF, and have posted seeking answers. Please check out my post "Rare CF, without male sterility... need info". It's here in the Families Forum. I'm terrified that this means my brother and I could be very susceptible to CF also(sp?). My father never had clubbed fingers, but he had all of the other symptoms, such as being tired, infections (he had a piece of his lung removed at one time), not being able to keep his weight up, coughing, and later having to use portable oxygen at all times. Does anyone know anything about this CF that comes later in life?pyriah@comcast.net I'm going home but I will be back in 2 weeks. Thanks everyone so much.
Hello! I have two daughters with CF and they also, so far have mild disease. Some people have more complications than others, CF varies from person to person. They are 5 and 7 and so far no hospitalizations or serious effects from CF (knock on wood)! They do daily treatments and chest physical therapy and to look at them you would never know that the are sick. They are so full of life and energy and i thank god for every day with them. Dont get me wrong, they do get on my nerves every once in a while too!!!!! Ha! Ha! I wouldnt trade them for the world!!!! Good luck with your newborn and if he or she does have CF, there are so many new medicines and treatments and the outlook for a cure is in the near future, im sure! Jen R
I started this thread about clubbing. I want to respond to everyone, but especially the confused mom and dad. My sister and I had our genes tested and we have a form that no one in the US has heard of. It is still Cf, but my sister is overweight by about 25 pounds. I don't have any weight issues, as of yet. Neither one of us are clubbed. We didn't get diagnosed until I was 18 and she was 23. It is not unusual to be diagnosed later in life. This does not mean that it onset at this time. You are born with the disease. You may not have any symptoms until later in life. You do get progressively worse with age and time, but if you keep up with your treatments and air way clearance, it can help you. I did not have any problems for 18 years. No doctors, no medicine, nothing. As far as there being different genes, yes! I don't know which ones are what, but I am sure that there are other people on the website that could help you. I will email my doctor and get my gene and get back to you. My email is jeffandalaina@yahoo.com if you would like to speak further on this. Thanks!