Patient

I had an appointment at the CF clinic on Tuesday, so I thought I'd write a bit about it to give an idea of what a typical hospital visit is like. Brace yourself, because this might be a long 'un!

Firstly, I get weighed. A CFer has to keep weight up because it helps fight chest infections and since we tend to lose weight quickly it provides reserves for when we're ill and have no appetite. I have to take tablets called Creon (not crayons!) for everything that I eat in order to keep the calories that I'm consuming. I also get to eat as much crap as I want...I like to think of this as a perk of CF haha. But I have been known to go in dressed like this to seem heavier.

(Source)

Ok, maybe not quite as extreme as this, but I can now fit three pairs of leggings under my jeans. It's because I get nagged so much about my weight, but I suppose being moaned at to eat more chocolate isn't the worst thing in the world!

Then I have a lung function test. This is basically a machine where you put a mouthpiece in your mouth (sorry that's a bit obvs, where else would it go!) and take a massive breath in. Then you breathe out as hard and fast as you can. Two measurements are taken as you breathe out: an FEV1 and an FVC. The FEV1 measures the amount of air you breathe out the split second you blow and is the most important one. The FVC  measures the total amount of air you are able to breathe out. This time my FEV1 was 50%, which had gone up so I was very happy indeed! It's a direct result from putting on weight, so I shall be stuffing myself this Christmas. I still get breathless very easily though; to put it into perspective, the average healthy, non-smoker has an FEV1 of around 75-80%. 

Then I see the dietician and doctor. They were happy, my Mum was happy and I was happy. So I've treated myself quite a lot this week for being a good patient, maybe I'll show you soon. But there won't be any outfit posts for a few days due to an unfortunate incident late last night involving me, a pair of scissors and my fringe (when will I learn??)