What is a good day like for me?

    Everything I do takes a great deal of energy because my lung function is low.  Imagine a day where you push yourself with physical work, and at the end of the day you’re absolutely exhausted. Your body aches, you contemplate taking pain medication, but instead crawl into bed. It feels so good to just lay there and drift off to sleep. That is pretty much how I feel at the end of every good day. Only I’ve spent the day accomplishing small tasks, about an eighth of what I used to do. 

    Most of my day is spent achieving all of my healthcare stuff. I have to do three treatments a day, which I show in the video below. They basically consist of breathing medications and chest physiotherapy. I have diabetes, and I am unable to absorb fats and proteins from food, because my pancreas does not work properly due to Cystic Fibrosis. This also causes me to absorb less nutrients in general. As a result, I have to take insulin prior to meals, as well as enzymes to help me digest. I also take additional pills for various reasons, such as for my liver and thyroid, all are due to having cystic fibrosis. I have to eat a lot of extra calories, I aim for 3,000 a day! It is quite a bit of food. These days, eating is more like a chore, not something I find desirable. Many people have told me they wish they could eat as much as I do, and not gain weight. But honestly, it sucks. I have to force-feed myself when I don’t have an appetite, and believe me, I know which foods are high calorie in small portions! 🙂

    On a good day I don’t have to wear oxygen as much, especially while I’m sitting or doing light activities. I can walk around without it, I’m just slower. If I walk at a normal speed my oxygen level drops, then I have to put it on. I also cough frequently, and have coughing fits throughout the day. But in between all these things I feel good, and I find time to do things I enjoy, since that is what makes life worth living. Sometimes though, I am frustrated because I know what I used to be capable of, how much I could accomplish in a day. But I remind myself to appreciate what I can still do, it can always be worse. Slowing down has forced me to reflect on life, and reevaluate the way I spend my time. So most days my house is a mess, and I spend very little time on personal beauty, but who cares? I certainly don’t, it’s not what I find most important. Instead I focus my energy on doing activities with my loved ones. Watching movies, Pokémon hunting, talking into the evening hours, laughing, soaking in the time I have with them. These are the things that make a good day great, and help me get through the more challenging ones.