Hey Mel and Purple Angel!You both are having quite a time of things, though differently. I sympathize! I know we all have a different ride, but I have gone through periods where it seemed like everything was falling apart and just kept falling apart. In my teens and early 20s I had about 5 or 6 years that were just rough. It was always something and we rarely knew what to do about it. Things have been getting better steadily for about the past 4 years. I am thankful. I know we aren't guaranteed this. I would like to encourage you that the single thing that has helped me the most in terms of getting my health on track and getting stable has been nutrition. Reliv has made a huge difference for me (<A href="http://www.geocities.com/MurrensNatureMama/Reliv">www.geocities.com/MurrensNatureMama/Reliv</A>). From putting on a few pounds and keeping them on to recovering faster from infections and surgery. There is a lady in Georgia whose two young boys with CF have had lots of positive changes since starting on Reliv. I didn't try it until I was 23, but I have often wondered what my teen years would have been like if I had known about it then. I know my Gramma has experienced an improvement in her bones and my docs expected significant bone-loss because I chose to breastfeed my daughter, but I didn't have any. Purple, if your nutrition is good, you ought (if you haven't already) to look into something like swimming. It won't beat up your joints like running, but it build muscle which helps to support your bones. The more exercise you get the better your bones strengthen. Swimming also builds lung strength and breath control. Swimmers regularly have the best pulmonary function even among athletes. You are still at an age when you can build bone mass, so I'd really work hard. I know that even though you can take calcium, your body can only absorb a finite amount at a time, so you should spread them out through the day. If you take Reliv, your body will absorb more of the calcium and will have the other nutrients that work synergistically (they make each other more effective) with calcium. Make sure you have vitamin D. Iron tablets (because of their formulation) can cause your body to reject calium, so don't take them together. Dark, leafy green veggies also have calcium. You can also eat bone-meal. It is powdered so you can put it in whatever, or even in a smootie with fruit.Drinking nutrients is an excellent way to make sure you get them. You absorb more (especially with CF) because your tummy doesn't have to do so much work. And when you are dehydrated (even a little) your cells cannot absorb nutrients efficiently. Hydration is REALLY important. If I can help either of you at all, help you get information or be of encouragement, let me know.I will pray for you.
