Debbie I totally agree with alot that you said about college. I went to college in DC for two years, and it was definitely difficult at times. I had made up my mind that I would rely mostly (this became entirely) on exercise instead of chest PT. My whole life since I was diagnosed at 2 my mom made me do chest pt every day (except chistmas), but by the time I was about 16 i started to skip some. Since I didnt get sick very often at all, and since I exercised, my docs said that it would be ok but they would have to see how it went and i would have to exercise for at least 30 minutes a day, cardio. Anyway, the first 3 months of college I did very well, and my pft's were higher than when i had left. However, i caught mono in January and this was when the problems began. Basically, if you are well, exercising is great, but when you can exercise with mono, then it is not so great. To me it was not even an option to attempt to do my PT in front of my roommates. It always amazes me when I tell someone I have CF, and then they say something like "I saw this thing on TV where people had to get like HIT, on thier BACKS.....you dont have to do THAT do you?" and they have this disgusted look on thier face. So obviously i have, in many cases, quickly replied NO!. As much as i exercised those 2 years, it was always hard if i had a small setback, like a cold, to bring yourself back up to normal with just exercise, especially if you're tired. Anyways, to make a long story short it got difficult to even do a simple cleanout, because i automatically had to miss class and stay home, since I lived a plane ride away from school. Plus, I HATED where i went to school. So i transferred after my second year to a school back up in Boston, half an hour from my house. I DO NOT live at home (no way) but in an apartment ALONE, and like Debbie, this has made all the difference. I also just got the vest which has made a huge difference, it is so easy to do, and i feel that it helps me in a way that chest pt never did. I never used to feel the difference from Chest pt...i just "knew" it was working. Now i can actually feel the difference with the vest, its amazing, and so easy. However, its not that I am modest but certain things i just dont feel comfortable doing in front of others, so I dont know that I could ever live in a dorm with people and Strap on my vest. Something about CF therapy just LOOKS so bizarre, its too bad. I can only do the vest in front of my parents and my boyfreind. Believe it or not freinds that I have known since I was 2 dont even really understand that I do Chest pt, i think they just have a vague idea. However, two of my freinds came over unexpectadley and saw it, I felt like such a loser but it was like I was caught with a sex toy or something (!) and they just shrugged, like "ok, sounds like its good for you..." Anyway, living on my own has made all the difference, i buy my own food from whole foods, cook, go to bed early, and go out when i want to. No matter how hard i tried in DC to eat well, sometimes it just wasnt possible; now i have my car and can go wherever i need to. And when i do my cleanout at the end of Feb. i can start out at home, but still not miss class, and hopefully finish up my treatment in my apartment. In retrospect i realize that it is so much better for me to be here, but the reality of why I left my school in DC was based 99 percent on that fact that I really didnt like the school, but now I see that maybe that was a blessing in disguise. There are certainly ways to take care of yourself in college, but it takes a lot. Not being in the midst of people who can eat nothing all day or eat pizza all day and stay up till 2 am is a good thing. If i had stayed in DC i think i would have requested a single. My life is different than others, but i try not to think about the things I cant do, and instead think about the fact that I do not think it is really important that a person live a "crazy drunken college life." I never thought that college was supposed to be the best time of your life...god, thats when you do the least! Basically, i think college is the hardest for every person with CF, not because of slacking off or anything, but because your life drastically changes and you sort of dont expect it. Even if you dont drink a lot in college for example, a little bit in college could be once a week, where for the majority of your life you didnt drink AT ALL, and even in high school it was a lot less. To go from that to twice a week is a big difference in the big picture. ok this was long, hope it helped maybe!-Caitlin