I'm 48, female and diagnosed with CF at 2 months (DF508/DF508). I too was just treated as a normal kid, doing everything my non cf sister (2 years my junior) did. I walked everywhere, sometimes great distances and in all weathers. In my late twenties I met my husband, a personal fitness trainer, who I worked out with. I had my daughter at age 30 and that takes up a lot of energy too. My FEV1 has been low for years - around 30% but my body has adapted. I am on IVs around 5 times a year but I always bounce back after 10 days and my last crp was 1. My husband says because of the exercise and weight training earlier I have good muscle memory because I thrive very quickly when I get back to exercising after illness. I do want to go on the transplant list but as a back up. I am not on oxygen. Hope this helps. X
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M
MissSnoozer
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Just wanted to comment for my 55 yr. old, soon to be 56 yr. old husband. He is DDF508 and is doing pretty well. He works full-time and does 3 Vest treatments daily, along with taking a multitude of medicines. He was on disability for 18 years but was determined to come off of it and got a second college degree during this time. He had a bi-lobectomy at the age of 41 years old. He is very diligent in doing his treatments and very seldom misses one. I think he is very stubborn and works hard at staying healthy. His lung function is at 38% but that doesn't stop him from doing what he wants to do. He does need to exercise more, by his own admission, because as he says "I'll be on the Discovery Channel as the first CF patient who was overweight and told to lose the pounds." Hope this helps you out a little bit. Let us know how you're doing.
Not sure if this thread is still open but I wanted to add my story. Female, 62 yrs, diagnosed at 40. Respiratory symptoms my whole life. I tried to run and keep up with all the kids, but always had to stop often to cough up awful gunk and oftentimes blood. This was back in the 50s and as so many before me on here said, CF wasn't the first things doctors thought of -- bronchitis, pleurisy, bronchictasis, etc. So at 40 I weighed 95 pounds and someone recommended a pulmologist to me. He put me in the hospital immediately and treated me with IV antibiotics. In fact he treated me like a CF patient for the most part, even though he "knew" I couldn't possibly have it. Later he admitted I needed to see a specialist who did the gene test and discovered I do have CF. I get IV treatments 3 to 5 times a year. At one point about 10 years ago my FEV1 went down to 22% and I went on the transplant list. I decided to go through pulmonary rehab and eventually got my PFTs back up - FEV1 40%. Have pretty much hung there, up and down several times. I do QI GONG exercises daily when I'm well enough. Good exercise and good breathing technique, both key. And I walk when I can. Nothing like others on this site. Some days if I can walk 10 minutes I count it as progress. Other days are better. Some are worse - I count my walking in terms of 1 or 2 minutes at a time. I guess I would say, keep trying. I do all the meds, take pancreaze, have chest PT probably 4 times a day. I am fortunate to live with a friend and she is more than willing to help me through this. Every day is a blessing to be here and I always ask God everyday what would He like me to do today. And I look forward to the answer. I am a writer - I write articles for 2 newsletters, plus I have one of my own, Spiritual Mastery. And I am the author of 5 books (all fiction). These are the things that keep me going. That and helping my 90 year old Mom. Keep up your spirits. Scream or cry when you need to. It's okay. Then pick yourself up and try again. We're all doing great -- we're still here!