The Beginning

So where do I start... I am Michelle I am 27 years old and I have Cystic Fibrosis and diabetes. I live with my boyfriend, our doggy Dexter and our 2 cats. I also have a younger sister (24) who also has CF. 

I do not let my CF define me but these days I find it takes up more of my life than anything else. I have been thinking about starting a blog for a while now. I know of lots people who use blogs these days as a way of blogging their thoughts, feelings, and sharing their experiences with others. This is my diary. I want to be able to detail my journey and for others to read my experiences.

Growing up CF didn't seem to stand in my way all that much. I had my medications to take but it was all normal to me. But as I hit my teens things slowly started to get worse. The last 2 years things have got a lot worse. My lung function now sits between 35-45%. I have iv antibiotics every 6-8 weeks on average for 2-3 weeks at a time. I do this through my portacath at home as much as I can but will go into hospital for some of my admissions. My hospital and team are amazing and do a great job at looking after me. Transplant has been mentioned to me as a nearing possibility but for now I am focusing on keeping myself well enough to stay away from that right now. It is something I cannot deal or cope with at this moment in my life. Lung transplant is the last resort for a person nearing end stage CF. This is the only thing left which can give you chance of a longer life. It can be amazing but its not an easy ride. 

Life gets lonely sometimes. No one really understands what your going through when you have any illness unless they are going through it themselves. I do not work many hours due to my health and I do not get out as much as I would like to. So I don't meet many new people. Even the closest of friends don't see how hard it is for me sometimes and realise how lonely it can be when you cant get out and about and do as much as everybody else. I am guilty to I don't explain fully to people how I am feeling because ive never wanted to be defined by my illness. I find it hard to get attention for being sick because deep down inside I just want to be like everybody else. I don't want people to feel sorry for me.

Here is a link to the cf trust which explains what CF is:

https://www.cysticfibrosis.org.uk/about-cf.aspx