I'm backkkkkkkk

Good Morning all my lovelies!

It has been quite some time, about 3 years, since I was last here.

AND BOY HOW THINGS HAVE CHANGED...

I guess I should catch everyone up on my life now, but I think I'll make it short and sweet.

THIS IS ME NOW

Work life:

• I  graduated college with my Bachelors in Hospitality Management.
• I worked as a wedding planning assistant.
• I worked in event sales.
• Now I am an events specialist at an event venue!
• Some of my clients are people from my local CFF chapter and others.
• I recently met a mom of a young fibro, who I sat with and answered all the questions. It was very rewarding.

Personal Life:

• I'm single (that's right boys, line up).
• I live with one of my best friends from high school and her two adorable puppers.
• I'm turning 25.
• I want to open my own business.
• I love to do beach yoga, calligraphy, paint canvases, bake, and I'm currently learning to play the Ukulele .
• I'm going to be starting another lifestyle blog on how to live on a post grad salary.
• I have a burning passion to do more in life.

Health Life:

• I'm on Symdeko.
• I'm feeling mostly well.
• I started being compliant with all my stuff (including my diabetes that I neglected before).
• I'm gaining weight.

ALL IN ALL

Things are going pretty well for me! I wanted to come back and restart this blog because honestly, I miss doing it. I don't always have much to talk about, but I'm sure y'all like to listen to me ramble about random things anyways right?

Coming back to this blog as a full-fledged adult (scary right?),  I have more insight into adult problems with CF (insurance, jobs, leave time, and co-workers who give you a hard time!), as well as advice to a younger audience like teenage problems and boys (scratch that, I'll never understand guys so don't ask me anything about that)!

Tips for the CF College Kid

Hey y'all! So as y'all know I have been to three colleges so I kind of consider myself an expert on college. One day I may even graduate. I have had some ups and downs throughout my ongoing college experience so I figured I would share some tips for all you kids heading off to college this fall.

Chelsea's College Tips

• Do not overpack. This is crucial because your mom will be taking some stuff back home when she leaves you. Your dorm room is not that big, especially when you have to share it. You will not use a quarter of the stuff you bring, I can almost guarantee it. That cool lap desk thing? It will sit under your bed. Make sure you have all of your health stuff!
• You will not need those 50 shirts from high school. You will get tons of free shirts.
• Bring a power strip. There will not be enough outlets for all your things especially once you have your vest and breathing machine going.
• A plastic 3 drawer compartment thing will come in handy to hold all your medicines and CF supplies. If you do not have CF, it is still pretty handy.
• Use ratemyprofessor.com when registering for classes. You will know what to expect from the class and what to expect from the professor. But keep in mind just because some people do not care for a professor does not mean you will hate him too.
• Get out of your dorm. I repeat, get out of your dorm and make friends.
• If you happen to be in your dorm, leave your door open. Believe me, that is how you make friends. People will just walk into your room and BAM instant friends.
• If you go to a party, pour your own drink and watch it the whole party. Do not put it down, this even applies to just soda.
• Do not go off with people you do not know well. I know that sounds like common sense but you will meet so many people in college that you'll feel more comfortable than you should with a stranger. 
• You might decide to drink- make sure you have a friend with you.
• Stay away from smoke-no brainer.
• Be organized- you will lose stuff if you are not.
• If you have CF, be upfront with your roommate and suite mates or get a private room. This eliminates you having to sneak in treatments like I tried to do for the first few weeks. They will understand. If they do not, request a new room or sit down and talk through a solution, such as you doing treatments when she is in class or her leaving when you need to do them.
• Also  sign up with student disability services. I know it may not be something you want to do, but it is better to do it now just in case than having to do it as you are sitting in the hospital. Plus you usually get to register early- better classes!
• Make time for your treatments- its going to be hard at first. You're going to want to skip to do other things but it really is important to make time.
• Take your enzymes because the college cafeteria is going to mess your stomach up.
• With that being said, always have enzymes on you because you will never know when you will eat.
• Make sure you have lots of snacks and little microwave meals. Some dorms even have a kitchen you can cook in. You might not feel like going to the cafeteria or you may get hungry when it is closed. My roommate and I lived off CVS pre-packaged subs for a week because we kept missing dining hours. Gross- I know.
• Your roommate does not have to be your best friend but you do want to get along. I loved all my roommates. They are fantastic.
• College finals are going to stress you out but they will end and you will be fine.
• Get plenty of sleep. All nighters are not as cool as they seem.
• Bring air freshener for that shared bathroom!
• If you can avoid it, do not buy your textbooks from the bookstore. It will drain you financially. Try chegg.com, amazon.com, half.com, and other textbook sites. They are usually much less expensive.
• Also try to sell your books back to those sites or to other students. The bookstore will not give you much. After spending over $550 on textbooks, I got $30 back at the end of the semester. No joke.
• Do not sign up for 8am classes if you do not normally like to get up early. You will skip. Do not think just because you got up in high school that you will get up for that class.
• Do the extra credit.
• Keep a calendar with everything due.
• Make a schedule including treatments and medicine and such.
• It is a lot easier to be upfront about your CF with people in college. It really is.
• It is really easy to get run down in college. Trust me because it happened to me. You have to stay on top of your health.
• Have fun but stay healthy!!

All right y'all...that is my list so far. If I think of anymore I will add to it of course. Feel free to post your own tips in the comment section.

Blessing in Disguise

When people find out I have Cystic Fibrosis, they usually respond with sympathy and pity. Oh how I hate pity! Some ask if I have ever thought about what it would be like to be normal. What is normal? My CF and my diabetes and everything else are my normal. My normal is a day filled with medications, shots, and treatments. My normal is hacking up a lung and gasping for breath. My normal is visiting doctors and spending weeks in the hospital. My normal is coughing up blood (this really scares a lot of people). I honestly could not imagine a different normal. Like what would that even be like? I would not wish for a day without my CF and other problems. What is the point in that? A day of "normalcy" would only be a tease. A life I would never have access to. Seems like torture to me. I have CF, it will not go away. People always seem to feel bad for me but I alway wonder why because I have never once felt bad for myself. Even though my life may be cut short from these problems, I live more than most people! I do not take for granted the time I have. I love more deeply and laugh more loudly than I would if I thought I had all the time in the world.
I feel normal. I do what "normal" college kids do. I have friends. I go to parties. I go out on dates. I have fun. I spend too much money. I choose fun over class sometimes. I have a life. One thing I refuse to participate in is smoking though, anything at all.
If I did not have my CF and other medical problems, I would not cough everyday (seriously, it blows my mind that some people do not cough even once a day...seriously BLOWS MY MIND!) I would not spend forever doing treatments and taking medications. I would not constantly be pricking my fingers or giving myself shots. I would be taller and be, let's be honest, probably as big as a house the way I eat. I would be terrified of needles and hospitals. I would not have an expiration date stamped across my forehead. If I did not have CF, I would not be the person I am today. Make no mistake, CF does not define me, but it has shaped me.
CF has made me appreciate more. I call it a blessing in disguise. I always wonder "would I value these things as much if I did not have CF?" and "would I be this awesome if I didn't have CF?" I'd like to think I would. CF makes me value my education (even though it seems to be taking forever to get that bachelor's degree!). It drives me to keep going and to be successful. It allowed me to obtain a part in a TV show (I wanted to be an actress. It was my wish. The show went off the air a couple months after my on air performance.). It makes me love and trust more than I probably should. It helps me to jump over life's hurdles. It makes me value the time I have with my family and friends. It makes me hold them closer to my heart. It makes me more eager to be outgoing and to treat everyone with kindness because every person I meet is fighting a battle I cannot see. It allows me to make a difference and to educate others about CF so maybe one day it will stand for cure found. It tries to help me not sweat the small stuff (but I stress easily). It forces me to look at the bigger picture, but to also appreciate the little snapshots. 
Everyone dies sooner or later. I just do what I need to do to live as long as I can while living my life to the fullest extent.

You know you're a CFer when...

I haven't seen this done very much so I thought I'd give it a go.

You know you're a CFer when:

• Your gas can clear a room...or house...or town
• You groan when you see one line to list your medication
• You start carrying a medication list with you to avoid said groan. 
• You groan extra loud (internally of course) when a nurse asks what medicines you are on after you just wrote them all down.
• You're in the hospital so much that you know almost every nurse and respiratory therapist that comes into your hospital room
• Even though you're older than 18, everyone assumes you are still a teenager (I constantly get told I look 15)
• Your stomach bloats out so much that people give you stank looks because they think you're a pregnant teen. (I'm 20 and I'm not pregnant so you can stop staring now thanks) 
• You can't help but get a little irritated when healthy people act like they are dying when they get a little cold. (don't blame them, they aren't used to not being able to breathe)
• People give you stank looks for coughing too much in public
• People ask if you're contagious
• That first cough when you first wake up sets the tone for how the day will go
• You make weird obnoxious noises or sing when you wear your vest (oh wait please tell me that someone else does that and I'm not just weird)
• People always comment on how big some of your pills are and wonder how you manage to swallow them
• You know when it's time to go into the hospital and even take a packed bag with you when you go to see the doctor
• You know more about drugs/what they do/ and side effects than most nurses
• You can ride an IV pole around like no one's business
• You carry something to do into the bathroom because you'll be there awhile 
• You stock up on air fresheners for the bathroom but let's be honest...there's no helping that
• You have a love/hate relationship with your treatments. You hate to do them but if you didn't, you'd feel downright awful
• You can do a nurse's job without a degree (maybe better than some nurses)
• You work like dog to gain weight while everyone else works to lose
• Every one thinks you're so lucky to be able to eat what you want and stay skinny
• You have a third nipple aka a port (does not to apply to all)
• You've had so many PICC lines that your upper arms are covered in little dot scars 
• One of the most annoying sounds is beeping IV machines in the hospital
• Laughing leads to a massive cough attacks
• You have had a violent cough attack that your face turns red and makes your eyes watery
• You've had a cough attack and mucus flew out....and you never found where it went. ( don't lie, it happens)
• You've had so many X-rays that you'd probably glow in the dark
• You've tried to trap and blow "smoke" out of your mouth while doing treatments 
• Those pill organizers just aren't big enough for the job
• You become a salt shaker when you sweat 
• You cough up blood around someone and they completely freak out and want to call 911
• Your fingers look just like ET's
• You make it up a flight of stairs exhausted and panting...only to realize you have another 2 flights to go
• Doing treatments involves everything and everyone in a 3 feet radius getting sprayed by medicine particles when you exhale
• You've used empty saline syringes as water guns
• You've tried that breathing through a straw because you saw that post about how breathing through a straw is like having CF (then you realize where your thinking went wrong with that idea as you gasp for air)
• You can be sick, wearing oxygen, on the transplant, and still manage to keep a positive attitude and a smile like I see so many of my wonderful Cysters and Fibros doing. Bless their hearts.

Gosh I might need to do more parts to this list as I'm sure I'll think of more. Make this a list longer and funnier. I'd love to get some input from y'all! Feel free to comment with your "You know you're a CFer when" ideas!