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January IVs

Before heading back to school, I decided to start on a course of IV antibiotics. It's pretty typical for me to be on IVs twice a year for what we CFers like to call a "tune up". Tune ups are regularly scheduled IV antibiotics that help the lungs continue to fight infection. They are like reinforcements in the midst of a battle. I go on IVs so often because the bacteria in my lungs is very resistant to medicine.

Unfortunately, as my body has gotten older, it has also become weaker in not feeling the side effects of medicines. As a child, I was hardly ever nauseous with IVs, even though the antibiotics are heavy-duty drugs. Now, I get nauseous without fail. I feel slower and weaker when on the medicine. I also am fatigued quickly. I know the medicine is working for my body and doing its best to fight CF, but it sure does take its toll on me.

I will be doing a week of home IV antibiotics while I'm at school. This is a big step for me because I've never done IVs completely on my own. Yeah, I know how to connect and disconnect the medicines from my port, and yes, I know the routine. But I've never had to do all of the administration without help. I know I can always rely on my parents for support, and I'm grateful for that. However, I'm taking a big step towards independence, which is a bit scary and nerve-wracking.

CF is a crazy complicated disease. I'm glad I don't have to fight it on my own, but I'm also thankful for the independence lessons it is constantly teaching me.
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