I have 2 sons with CF (16 & 21). Both are fairly mild cases however, one has more trouble with his lungs and the other with his pancrease. However, both are very blessed with fairly good health. They are active enough to play sports and be very social. We are currently in the hospital right now with the youngest and many things have come up while here.One of the hardest issue I have faced is the dangers of my teen being with others and the daily issues he faces of smoking both cigaretts and marijuana among other issues. This is very scary and I really wonder what other parents do and how they handle these issues. My son knows the dangers, but that doesn't mean he will comply.Help!Mom
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Help with raising a CF Teen?!
- Thread starter anonymous
- Start date
I'm 22 years w/cf. while growing up my family constantly let me know the dangers of cigarettes and Marijuana (both mother and grandmother are nurses). But the choice of experimenting was up to me. I made the decision to take care of myself and not put my dreams into jepardy. One of my siblings has made the opposite decision and has gotten into a lot of trouble due to drug habits. What I am trying to say is that you can only do your best and then it is up to your son to decide for himself what he wants to do. We both come from the same family, heard the same stories and got the same lectures, but we made different decisions.Hope this helps a bit.
Hi, I too have teenagers, both with CF. I can certainly relate to your concern. All I can say is that at some point you have to trust that what you have taught them has sunken in. Open communication, as much as possible. I don't know if girls are easier than boys (mine are both girls 16 & 13), or if some things are easier than others. I'm sure there are both aspects with both girls and boys. I think partly the way you live, your views on smoking, is what your child learns. Our girls both think smoking is gross, disgusting and they say "I'm not stupid!" when we discuss smoking and what their friends might be interested in. I don't know if having a grandfather die of lung cancer caused from years of smoking drove in the dangers or what. I will say, my husband smoked for years and then took years to quit. It was a long difficult process. They saw that it is an addiction, the struggle and the failure at times that their father had. My brother-in-laws still smoke, but not around my girls. They harrass them every chance they get. I'm straying, I'm sorry. It's hard, but at this age, we have to hope and pray that what we have taught them sticks with them, and just continue to talk and ask questions. Liza
You know, we are just like every other kid. We make choices for ourselves. It is not realistic to assume that because we have a diesease that we automatically make the "right" choice about things like drugs. We are just as likley to experiment as we are to fail a class. We are not superhuman, we make mistakes and learn from them.
I would say that the best way to make the lesson "stick" if they seem to want to experiment is to let them know what they stand to lose. I like to be active, so I don't even go to really smoky bars with my friends, even though I want to, because it has REALLY negative effects. I agree that you can only "lecture" them so much, but if they like being active and STAYING HEALTHY, then they will probably make the right decisions. If not, then they'll learn the hard way, which I know will be HARD on everyone, but it sure is a wake-up call. I remember being next to a girl in the hospital one time who had an eating disorder and smoked and had CF, and it was sure doing a number on her. I'm in college, and I know how easy it would be to drink, but I know that not only my parents, but my docs would KILL me if they knew!! So that has a lot of impact, knowing that my docs would be none to pleased. So that has a lot of impact. But good luck, and know that I always listened to my parents more than they thought, so maybe your sons are the same. Hope it all works out for you.
I have a 15 year old son with CF. He was diagnosed when he was 5mos. old and has been pretty "healthy" with mainly digestive problems. His dad and I never thought we would have to fight the drug battle with him having CF but have recently learned he has been smoking pot for over a year. As you can imagine, we're devastated. We've always been very open in our communication about the dangers of drugs, drinking, and the like. After initially finding out, he told us he would stop, but he hasn't. Unfortunately, our son has come across information on the Internet promoting the use of it and that it can actually help protect your lung cells!!! I've sat down with him and shown him opposing evidence of the dangers. I've taken him to counseling and again he was told by the counselor the many dangers of smoking but he doesn't want help. His last two visits to his pulmonary doctor and regular PFT's have strangely shown his lung function increasing. I'm completely baffled. I was going to tell his doc about the smoking but his last visit was right after we found out and he said he would stop. I know at some point our kids will make their own decisions and have to live with the consequences. If there is a teen with CF or a parent out there that has gone through or going through this, your advice, input, etc. would be greatly appreciated. I believe in my heart he's using this as an escape from his reality of having CF.
I have a 15 year old son with CF. He was diagnosed when he was 5mos. old and has been pretty "healthy" with mainly digestive problems. His dad and I never thought we would have to fight the drug battle with him having CF but have recently learned he has been smoking pot for over a year. As you can imagine, we're devastated. We've always been very open in our communication about the dangers of drugs, drinking, and the like. After initially finding out, he told us he would stop, but he hasn't. Unfortunately, our son has come across information on the Internet promoting the use of it and that it can actually help protect your lung cells!!! I've sat down with him and shown him opposing evidence of the dangers. I've taken him to counseling and again he was told by the counselor the many dangers of smoking but he doesn't want help. His last two visits to his pulmonary doctor and regular PFT's have strangely shown his lung function increasing. I'm completely baffled. I was going to tell his doc about the smoking but his last visit was right after we found out and he said he would stop. I know at some point our kids will make their own decisions and have to live with the consequences. If there is a teen with CF or a parent out there that has gone through or going through this, your advice, input, etc. would be greatly appreciated. I believe in my heart he's using this as an escape from his reality of having CF.
I have a 15 year old son with CF. He was diagnosed when he was 5mos. old and has been pretty "healthy" with mainly digestive problems. His dad and I never thought we would have to fight the drug battle with him having CF but have recently learned he has been smoking pot for over a year. As you can imagine, we're devastated. We've always been very open in our communication about the dangers of drugs, drinking, and the like. After initially finding out, he told us he would stop, but he hasn't. Unfortunately, our son has come across information on the Internet promoting the use of it and that it can actually help protect your lung cells!!! I've sat down with him and shown him opposing evidence of the dangers. I've taken him to counseling and again he was told by the counselor the many dangers of smoking but he doesn't want help. His last two visits to his pulmonary doctor and regular PFT's have strangely shown his lung function increasing. I'm completely baffled. I was going to tell his doc about the smoking but his last visit was right after we found out and he said he would stop. I know at some point our kids will make their own decisions and have to live with the consequences. If there is a teen with CF or a parent out there that has gone through or going through this, your advice, input, etc. would be greatly appreciated. I believe in my heart he's using this as an escape from his reality of having CF.
I have a 15 year old son with CF. He was diagnosed when he was 5mos. old and has been pretty "healthy" with mainly digestive problems. His dad and I never thought we would have to fight the drug battle with him having CF but have recently learned he has been smoking pot for over a year. As you can imagine, we're devastated. We've always been very open in our communication about the dangers of drugs, drinking, and the like. After initially finding out, he told us he would stop, but he hasn't. Unfortunately, our son has come across information on the Internet promoting the use of it and that it can actually help protect your lung cells!!! I've sat down with him and shown him opposing evidence of the dangers. I've taken him to counseling and again he was told by the counselor the many dangers of smoking but he doesn't want help. His last two visits to his pulmonary doctor and regular PFT's have strangely shown his lung function increasing. I'm completely baffled. I was going to tell his doc about the smoking but his last visit was right after we found out and he said he would stop. I know at some point our kids will make their own decisions and have to live with the consequences. If there is a teen with CF or a parent out there that has gone through or going through this, your advice, input, etc. would be greatly appreciated. I believe in my heart he's using this as an escape from his reality of having CF.
I have a 15 year old son with CF. He was diagnosed when he was 5mos. old and has been pretty "healthy" with mainly digestive problems. His dad and I never thought we would have to fight the drug battle with him having CF but have recently learned he has been smoking pot for over a year. As you can imagine, we're devastated. We've always been very open in our communication about the dangers of drugs, drinking, and the like. After initially finding out, he told us he would stop, but he hasn't. Unfortunately, our son has come across information on the Internet promoting the use of it and that it can actually help protect your lung cells!!! I've sat down with him and shown him opposing evidence of the dangers. I've taken him to counseling and again he was told by the counselor the many dangers of smoking but he doesn't want help. His last two visits to his pulmonary doctor and regular PFT's have strangely shown his lung function increasing. I'm completely baffled. I was going to tell his doc about the smoking but his last visit was right after we found out and he said he would stop. I know at some point our kids will make their own decisions and have to live with the consequences. If there is a teen with CF or a parent out there that has gone through or going through this, your advice, input, etc. would be greatly appreciated. I believe in my heart he's using this as an escape from his reality of having CF.
im 19, with cf and i smoke. i just stoped competing professionaly in a sport because iv got ill, and smoked then too. its a terrible hbit to have when your sick like us. but im a person. i want to smoke. and it makes me cough and my parents are devestated too, iv thought alot about weather its a metal rebelion thing or some deep phschological problem. but all iv seemed to come up with is im a kid, just like everz other 19 year old. i shouldnt do it and im sure bth ur sons know that. but thats not gunna stop them. its a life and death choice, and it still dosnt stop me. the closest ivgot to stoping is when some friends sat me down and begged me to stop. really begged. your sons dont think about the risks on their health, but when they realiye how much it hurts everyone else it will hit them. really show how much it hurts you. if i was to quit it would be for my family, and friends, not for me. mabey its the smae for them.
good luck!
Cianne
good luck!
Cianne
im 19, with cf and i smoke. i just stoped competing professionaly in a sport because iv got ill, and smoked then too. its a terrible hbit to have when your sick like us. but im a person. i want to smoke. and it makes me cough and my parents are devestated too, iv thought alot about weather its a metal rebelion thing or some deep phschological problem. but all iv seemed to come up with is im a kid, just like everz other 19 year old. i shouldnt do it and im sure bth ur sons know that. but thats not gunna stop them. its a life and death choice, and it still dosnt stop me. the closest ivgot to stoping is when some friends sat me down and begged me to stop. really begged. your sons dont think about the risks on their health, but when they realiye how much it hurts everyone else it will hit them. really show how much it hurts you. if i was to quit it would be for my family, and friends, not for me. mabey its the smae for them.
good luck!
Cianne
good luck!
Cianne
im 19, with cf and i smoke. i just stoped competing professionaly in a sport because iv got ill, and smoked then too. its a terrible hbit to have when your sick like us. but im a person. i want to smoke. and it makes me cough and my parents are devestated too, iv thought alot about weather its a metal rebelion thing or some deep phschological problem. but all iv seemed to come up with is im a kid, just like everz other 19 year old. i shouldnt do it and im sure bth ur sons know that. but thats not gunna stop them. its a life and death choice, and it still dosnt stop me. the closest ivgot to stoping is when some friends sat me down and begged me to stop. really begged. your sons dont think about the risks on their health, but when they realiye how much it hurts everyone else it will hit them. really show how much it hurts you. if i was to quit it would be for my family, and friends, not for me. mabey its the smae for them.
<br />
<br />good luck!
<br />Cianne
<br />
<br />good luck!
<br />Cianne