Clinic Appointment

Greg came with me to clinic on Thursday. I am very glad he did because we got some great information, and they said, “You have to help her” to Greg multiple times J. Here’s a summary of the appointment:

• My lung function is still great (FEV1 of 111%).
• I need to do more to get myself above my baseline lung function, which means adding chest physical therapy to my daily routine, and there is no slacking off allowed.
• I can vest while pregnant. In fact, the vest may even rock the baby to sleep!
• I have to start getting more calcium because people with CF are at risk for osteoporosis (they don’t 100% know why this is the case). I need to be extra rigorous about this because, otherwise, the baby will take the calcium from my bones.
• We need to think about what life will be like after the baby is born - i.e., how will I get all of my treatments in if I am caring for a newborn? This was one of the times they said, “You have to help her” to Greg.
• I must allow my body to gain extra weight during pregnancy, just in case I get sick along the way. They said anywhere from 25-40 pounds. (Luckily, I am currently at a healthy weight of 125 lbs at 5’5”. If I were underweight like many CF patients, I would need to gain even more.)

I left the appointment feeling encouraged, but also frustrated that I have to add even more steps to my daily routine. I know I should be grateful for my health, and I am (very, very much so!), but I was already stressed about fitting everything in before they added more stuff! I will talk about that more next time.