Haircut!

FINALLY! I got my hair cut. My split ends are gone, my hair is healthier, and I love it. I got some long layers put in, it frames my face, and bangs! Here's a picture.

Oh, and the colour is waaay off because I didn't use the flash, but it shows the layers better this way. So deal. lol

And on a side note, the dictionary that spell-checks everything I type doesn't recognize contractions (doesn't, didn't, etc.) as real words. Yay technology!


-Andrea

Independence Bowl 2008

On a scale of 1-10, the I-Bowl was an 8.

The game was at 7, but I started getting ready around 4:30. I was so pumped. First came getting dressed: under armour (body and legs), a Tech t-shirt, jeans, converses, and a red Magnet hoodie. Then eyeliner and blue mascara. Whataburger chicken strips, 3 episodes of House, and the boyfriend. I'm ready to go.

And so we go.

After wading through cigarette smoke and drunk people, we get through the ticket check, bag check, personality check, and finally to our seats. Great seats too! Right next to a block of students that go to the opposing team. But really, they were good seats. Row M on the 25 yard line. And these seats had backs. Yay! Honestly, it felt like Mardi Gras: loud drunks everywhere and you see people you know every time you turn around. Anyway, the game begins.

So, NIU scores and kicks the ball back to Tech. Tech catches it in their own endzone and runs it for a touchdown. Best play of the game. I had just sent the boyfriend out for nachoes (he saw it on the TV, thank goodness!) and was still gone while Tech was kicking it back to NIU. While he was gone, a man and his wife (I presume) stumble up the stairs... and into the seat next to me. The man was so drunk. He reeked. Luckily, his wife was sober and pulled him up to the next row. He tells the people behind them, "These aren't our seats, but I don't feel like climbing anymore.... we should be ok." Fantastic. The boyfriend comes back and notices the new people. I warn him immediately of how obnoxious they are (the man has been shaking my row of seats and yelling vulgar language) and he points out the two cops that are keeping an eye on him. Seems the man had pulled out a pack of cigarettes and put one in his mouth. Fine. I don't care. It's not lit. Maybe he's got such a bad habit that he just needs one in his mouth. *sigh* It's all fine until he lights it.

The boyfriend told me he was going to take it out of the guy's mouth, but I told him to just go get the attention of the police. Either way, he took care of it. Sadly, this cop was less than stern with the meager, "Sir... could you please put that out? We don't allow smoking" and walked off before he put the cigarette out. I was going to scream. I can't be around smoke and I'd gotten more than a lung-full already that evening. He puts it out and eventually leaves. Drunk college students replaced them, but sadly they were much better behaved. More loud, but I can handle that.

Tech won 17-10. Everyone cheered and we left. Aside from the massive intake of smoke, it was a very good evening!

Oh, and after a little begging and some motivation, I got the boyfriend to take a picture with me! He's about as camera shy as I am. :]

Post-Christmas Update

I keep learning of more and more people who read this blog. Neat. Hi!

Christmas is over and New Years is merely days away. But before that, on Sunday, is the INDEPENDENCE BOWL! (Can you tell I'm pumped?) I'm sure I'll have pictures from that later.

Our soccer team had a captain's practice today. So Alissa and I led a Brazilian run (death) and then we ran steep hills. I did alright. I ran a mile the other day and it's definitely a weakness of mine. I've never been good at distance running. I'll sprint all day long, but distance is my kryptonite.

Oh! But this morning, before practice, started off with a nice breakfast with Alissa. We chatted about everything from my family to dogs and everything in between. And after practice the team all went to lunch. It was a great bonding experience. :]

I have a positive health update!! Finally, I'm getting some relief in my sinuses. FINALLY. The sinuses that are right below my eyes, esp. the one on my right, no longer hurt. They feel empty. I'm so so happy!

That's all for now, I think.

-Andrea

Highlighting the Best Moments of Christmas '08

• Family came into town!(Including 2 huskies)
• My brother/sis-in-law got a new puppy!!
• My mom unwraps a Quesadilla Maker box: "Oh! I've never had a Quesadilla maker before." "And... you still don't. Sorry! Open the box!"
• My aunt giving my mom and myself Fancy Bibs: for those nights out to protect your dress!
• My sis-in-law giving her sister earrings.... when her sister has gauges.
• GREAT FOOD.
• The family's attempt to sing a Christmas song together and my mom disliking our choices.
• Watching home-videos of myself and my brothers when we were really little.
• An hour long Uno game.
• Cutthroat.... aka "I h.ate this game"
• And the Christmas Eve service and the true miracle of Christmas.

And one more thing: my favourite gift this year-
I called my brothers, their wives, my aunt, and my grandmother to pitch in money to surprise my parents with tickets to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra coming to town on Dec. 27. That was gift I was most excited to give this year. :]

-Andrea

Cliche, sure, but...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

:]

Love, me

Showcase Soccer Tournament

I am so proud of this team. These gi.rls are amazing, our managers are awesome, and our coaches are great. This weekend we were in a tournament in the southern part of the state and we were counted out before it even started. Little did the teams know that we are really good and got 2nd in the tournament.
Bracket play:
Game 1: tied 0-0
Game 2: won 3-0
Game 3: won 3-0
Game 4: won 1-0
Finals: tied 1-1; still tied after OT; lost in PKs.

Game 1 and the finals were against the same team. All games were played within 24 hours of each other. This team has worked hard and I can't be more proud of them. Can't wait to see what the rest of the season brings!!

-Andrea (Goal keeper: #1)

In case you didn't notice....

IT'S COLD OUTSIDE. Friends, I just played a soccer game against a team we should never play. This team has a soccer program for reasons unknown. In all honesty, we shouldn't play them because it's always a 9-0 game (with us winning) and it's dangerous for both teams. They don't know how to play and tend to just hack at our ankles while we play around them as best we can. That was the game I played in the goal for 30 minutes. I did *nothing*, as was expected. I wore: underarmour, a t-shirt, a hoodie, a jacket, and a goalie shirt (in that order). It wouldn't have been so bad, just standing out there, if it hadn't begun to rain/sleet. That's when things turned downhill. I was a little goalie popsicle. Miserable, cold, kinda hungry, and ready for the game to end.

That nice warm bath I took after the game reminded my hands and feet that they are suppose to have circulating through them.

*crosses fingers* Here's to school being canceled tomorrow!

-Andrea

Annie, meet schoolwork. Schoolwork, stop attacking Annie.

WOW has school taken off. With only a week left until my break (I leave for Lake Charles Friday morning at 8 for a soccer tournament!!) I have a lot left to do! I have been procrastinating from writing here because I don't have the time. I probably still don't, but oh well.

Drama drama drama drama DRAMA. And I'm just going to leave it at that.

And coughing! When did this start because I don't like it. Had a scary morning too. I kept coughing up (not too much...) but normally I'll cough up just a TINY bit and it's over. This time it was continual. It freaked me out and I finally just held my breath to stop coughing altogether. I ran today and that was probably a bad move. I'm suppose to wait 24 hours after coughing up for physical activity, but I honestly forgot until now. Whoops. Maybe my capillary will heal overnight and I don't have to worry about it.

I haven't been getting much sleep (schoolwork again) and I'm getting up between 5 and 5:30 everyday because treatment, plus Tobi, takes 45 minutes in the morning and and hour at night.
So no sleep, plus really stressed, means I don't eat. Which means I'm probably dropping a pound a week (like I did the two weeks I was on IV antibiotics...) and that's not good!! Maybe over break I can stuff myself silly and gain some of it back...

Ok. I really need to do schoolwork. *sigh*

-Andrea

So far, so good

So, like I said before, I got the line out Monday. How's life been since?

FAN-freaking-TASTIC. Except for making up loads of school work (*sigh*), I'm glad to be back playing soccer, back in school, and back in my life! My arm is healing up nicely and I'm feeling somewhat better. Somewhat.

Nothing else really to report. Just glad to be back!!

-Andrea

PICC free!

This is probably the best feeling in the world. I love being PICC free! My skin is ra.w and tired, but I don't care!! And I have a gaping hole in my arm from the line itself... it's pretty gross too. I'm really proud of it though! Battle scars from my fight with CF!

I'm back playing soccer and feeling pretty good. They told me at clinic today that these antibiotics are sometimes appetite suppressants. So I lost a few pounds. In 2 weeks, I lost almost 2 pounds. I think there are a million people on this planet who wish they could, but I don't want to! As easily as people gain weight, I lose it. But in reverse, as hard as it is for people to lose weight, that's how hard it is for me to gain weight! So it goes.

That's my update! PICC free and lovin' it.

LEAH- you're next. :]

-Andrea

Thanksgiving and such

Piles and piles of food: turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, peas, rolls, green bean casserole, corn, sweet tea and I don't even remember what else! Food galore! And yet, I ate almost nothing.

The worst part of Thanksgiving is when you can't have any. My appetite went out the door that day. I munched on some food, forced more food down my throat, and told my mom that if I ate anymore, I would be sick. And just like that, my Thanksgiving meal was over. I was more frustrated than you can imagine. Thankfully, I still got to enjoy the time being with my family, which is ultimately more important than the food.

Since Wednesday, I have not left the house. Is it just me or are the rooms getting smaller??

But now! I'm leaving to go to Joanne's to buy fabric. :] Yay!

-Andrea

PICC vs. Pliers

Wow. Scary and funny at the same time. So at the end of the PICC line is a screw-like apparatus where a syringe or antibiotic dispenser are able to screw on to it. This is a normal thing. What's NOT normal is not being able to UNSCREW it after the antibiotic dosage is over... and that's what just happened here.

My mom hooked on the antibiotic tubing at 10:30. 11:30 rolls around and the antibiotic is done. I'm sitting in the spare bedroom working an online crossword puzzle. "Mom, what's a 3-letter word for 'Ill-mannered irresponsible man'?" "'Man'?" "Tried it, no. Guess again..." While I was thinking, she's trying to unhook the tubing from my arm, without much luck. This is not really that unusual seeing as my mom has arthritis troubles and has sore hands and wrists sometimes. So I try. Nope. Hmm... we keep trying but still no luck. Time to wake the man of the family, but even HE can't unscrew it. "That means it's time to get out the pliers." EXCUSE ME?! Pliers twisting on a piece of plastic that is attached to tubing going into my artery? Haha good one Dad....."

Not a joke. He comes back with those shiny, metal pliers and my eyes widen. I foresaw horrific images of awful tugs and my PICC line coming out. But Dad was very careful and got it off successfully. WHEW....

So that was my excitement that I could have gone without. And that explains my adrenaline rush and the reason I'm still up at 12:11 on Thanksgiving morning.

Yum Turkey-Day! Let's hope I have an appetite later today and can actually eat something. I do love Thanksgiving...

But for now, sleep.

-Andrea

P.S.: The word on the crossword puzzle was "cad." *shrugs*

Oh the Irony

I go into the hospital feeling fine. I leave feeling like crap. Ooooh the irony. Is this something I picked up from the hospital? There were very ill children in the rooms surrounding me. All it took was one germ crawling across the hall, under my door, and onto ANYTHING that I drank, ate, or took via IVs. Or is this something I picked up from the boyfriend? He's been sick too. Or did he get it from me? Or did HE get it from the hospital when he visited me? OR is it my sinus infection gone bad? The world may never know.

Regardless, the end result: I'm sick. How can someone on IV antibiotics get sick?? Not sure, but I did. lol. Naturally. :P

Stuffy nose, hacky and chesty cough, tired, and dizzy on occasions. Everyone says that sleep is the key but with these IVs, sleep is still inevitable. Sure, I get more sleep at home than I did in the hospital, seeing as no one is checking my vitals every hour, but sleep is still interrupted. And I'm REALLY tired of being couped up in the house, which isn't helping anything. Getting anxious. asdkjhgakldkjf.

I know it sounds like I'm complaining, but I'm not trying to. More of just commenting to myself on my blog. Keeping a personal record of my health and noting the inevitability and irony of my staying sick until my IV comes out. But, to make things EVEN more interesting, if my PFTs are worse than before I got the PICC put in, then the PICC stays in. That would not be optimum in my personal opinion. We shall see.

We shall see.

-Andrea

This was the PICC when I had it put in. It look a little different now but the same idea.

Reason #581 I'm not going to Med School

So I've got the PICC line in and they have to change the dressing (bandages) on it every week. Today was the day. Did I mention the tape is *extremely* painful to take off? And it makes me really nervous when the nurse peels it back because it's so close to the LINE GOING INTO MY ARTERY? I thought I was going to be sick today when she changed it. Pain + fear = revisiting lunch. This nurse is fantastic, don't get me wrong, but my stomach has been less than iron these past few days. Luckily, lunch kept it's natural route south and I was ok. The same thing happened sophomore year when having my annual blo.od work done. They pull an INSANE amount of blo.od from my arm. Plus it hurts and I'm anxious... and I remember that there were 3 prisoners in the room because one of them was pregnant... that didn't help my situation.

Anyway. Med school. Not for me. Noooo siree. If I could even make it through med school, the only field I would have any desire to work in, I can't. So no thanks!

However, I do have VERY preliminary, yet nevertheless exciting news. I'm in contact with the director of fundraising in the East Texas/NW LA for the CF foundation and I'm coordinating a meet with her to talk about what the Magnet soccer teams can do to raise money for research! I'm *BEYOND* excited. I had always wanted to do something but always found options out of my reach. Then dearest Alissa told me that she wants to help out and we're going to get the soccer team, and school clubs, to organize and work a walk/run or something. I can't wait to see what this team can do, on and off the field!!! :]

That's the brief update for today.

-Andrea

Ahhh Break

Even though I'm "home-bound" and ill, I still have yet to slow life down. I got home from room 521 at 4:30 on Wednesday. I grabbed some food and made it to practice by 5. I went home, ate dinner, and was sick. Not a good sign.
Thursday morning I went to school. I came home after that and took a niiiice loooong nap before my soccer game. (No I didn't play. It was only a scrimmage that we won 9-0. Not worth risking having a main artery pulled out..) Then came home, watched TV, was sick again, and went to sleep. Friday I woke up and went to school AGAIN. Did I mention I did *nothing* at school on Thursday or Friday. Excuse me, I took notes in my Chem 2 class, but that was it for a full day of school. (YES, IT WAS WORTH IT, MRS. CLEMENTS! lol) I went to go see Twilight after school, came home, and didn't sleep well.

So here it is Saturday morning, almost afternoon. Overall, I'm still not feeling well, but I'm being patient. For some reason, my arm is sore today. *shrugs*

So not a very exciting update but I needed something to do that didn't involve me getting up and cleaning my room, which I'm about to go do. I'm not feeling well at the moment and don't exactly want to be moving around much. But alas. Things I must do anyway.

Maybe with this week of rest, I'll feel better! I have been instructed to have a good day today and that's what I plan on doing.

-Annie

Homeward-Bound

Finally! I'm on the afternoon dosage of my antibiotics right now and then I'm going home! :D I'll miss the nurses here, but I'll be glad to be home. No more Room 521!

-Annie

The Adventures of Room 521

Day 1:

I had to wait until 2:40 to get my PICC line put in, but it's in. And I did it without any mind-altering to calm me down. I'm *really* proud of myself. I just took my iPod with me to the radiology room and listened to the guys jokes while putting it in. It went well.

I had quite a number of visitors today. That always makes me happy. And I got 2 of the IV treatments in yesterday. My arm was pretty sore but that was expected. I took some ibuprofen and went on with my day.

Overall, everything was fine. My day was a little stressful and nerve-racking, but we're ok now! :]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Day 2:
How is ANYONE suppose to get better in a hospital if they can't get any sleep?? lol I mean really. People in all through the night checking oxygen levels and temperatures. Really people, I'm fine. I promise. I came into the hospital feeling fine and I'll leave that way too.

Chris has a fever so he won't be back today. :[ I appreciate his efforts on not getting me sick, but I'll still miss him.

The word is that I'll be out Wednesday afternoon. YAY! That means back to school on Thursday and Friday.

Today has been pretty mellow. Oh! But my arm doesn't really hurt anymore. It did when I used it a lot to pull my hair back and when I dried it after my shower, but in general, it doesn't hurt at all. That's more good news. :]

Lunch is here. The food here isn't bad. Yay Sutton's!

-Andrea

:]

Silver Lining and a Frustration

I like to think there is a silver lining to all situations. To mine at the moment? I get *2* weeks for Thanksgiving break, not just 1. :]

Soccer started today. While we may have had little (or no...) competition, I am glad to be BACK!

Ah, so I went to an Eagle Scout ceremony today for two guys, Alex and Kendall. Late into the reception, I had a panic attack. These things hit me when I think too much. I was hit with the reality that I was about to be admitted into the hospital again in 2 days. WHAT? No way. I was just running with my team this morning. There has got to be a mistake. Are we sure we have the right Andrea? Yep. No mistake.
----
On the car ride home from the ceremony (Chris drove me) I ranted a bit. First time I went into the hospital was because I kinda gave up on life and just didn't take care of myself. These last two times I have more trouble accepting... it's just very upsetting when it feels like I'm being *punished* for something I didn't do. I didn't do this to myself. I didn't give myself this disease. I have taken care of myself. But it's not good enough. It's just frustrating when even when I'm doing everything right, stuff still goes wrong.
----
Other than that, I'm growing more nervous by the day. Worry does nothing good for you, but I can't seem to calm down. Seriously, what am I so afraid of?! I honestly believe I'm more worried about the emotional stress than actual pain. There is a great deal of both, but I have a harder time handling emotional stress. And then the stress of making up a weeks worth of homework... and the stress of not being there to run with my team because I'm couped up in a hospital room. And the fact that people feel sorry for me!! I don't handle that well either! Don't pity me. That is the LAST thing I want. It makes me feel worse, actually. Empathy is fine, but support is better. Looking PAST the fact that I've got a PICC line in or an illness and seeing *ME*. Yes, I'm in a hospital getting antibiotics. No, I'm not those kids you see in the biology text book where I'm hooked up to 20 machines and passed out like I'm about to die. I'M STILL ME.

Oh there I go ranting again. That's just me being nervous... :/

-Andrea

2 Quick Things!

1- All people who have a Gmail account can comment on this blog.
2- I was told to mention that not only do I know other CF patients, I also know a CAT who has been unofficially diagnosed with CF. Given, I'm no doctor, nor is my chemistry teacher (the dear parent of this kitty), but Mooch (the kitty) has the symptoms!

Crazy. I need to still keep the 3 foot distance from him, says my doctor. Too funny, in my opinion.

That's all.

-Andrea

Proof is Bliss

Ahh what a wonderful feeling knowing that all of your sickness truly ISN'T because of your lungs but your sinuses! They knew my sinuses were *horrible* but I was worried that there was something going on with my lungs yesterday. But after 45 minutes of the Vest last night (YES, 45 MINUTES!) I made my diagnoses that my lungs are clear, as usual. Hooray. :]

We announce the soccer teams tomorrow morning! The returning Varsity seniors (all 9 of us) made the posters this evening and will duct tape them to the big wall in the morning. I'm so thrilled. A few people will be very surprised tomorrow!!

So, a game against another local soccer team has been scheduled for Thursday. I am not ok with this. That means I either miss out on the first real game of the season or I play the field instead of being in the goal. I can't play goalie with a PICC line in! However, if I wrap it really well, I can play on the field. If I am out of the hospital by Thursday evening, which I should be, I will go play. Like I said, nothing will stop me!

Alright. I feel Chemistry calling me again. *sigh*

-Andrea

The Countdown

One week. One week from today, I'll have just gotten my PICC line in and starting up my two weeks. Today, I had a panic attack. Why? I don't know. I talked myself down. I've had a PICC line put in before. It's not that bad! I know exactly what's going to happen and what the procedure is. So why am I so scared? Not really sure, but for now, my nerves are calm. My Small Group prayed that they would stay calm! I sure hope so!

I'm working really hard right now to get well. Trying extra hard! I can't tell if it's working yet, but I'm sure it will help in the long run.

OH. Today! Soccer tryouts day 1. *sigh* It's so good to be back. I'm still not doing the distance running I used to do because I can't. Not until the antibiotics help. And yes, I'm playing again with a PICC line in. Last year, we played our rivals with it in: rough game. And I had a PICC line wrapped tightly to my arm. It was fantastic. I love overcoming obstacles like that!

I always find myself typing on the forum while doing treatment. I guess I'm more motivated right now because with the Vest, typing is about all I can do. And instead of sitting and contemplating my health, I talk it out here. It really helps.

I have no idea who even reads this thing. I got a good response on Facebook, which made me happy. Like I said, I feel the need to spread the word about CF because it's important to me and everyone can help. The pictures online of CF kids will upset anyone, but those of you who go to school with me: I don't look like that! And yet I'm a CF kid too.

Ain't life funny that way?

-Andrea

Bah, Who Needs Sleep??

Obviously I don't. A dear friend had her 18th birthday party at her grandparents lakehouse last night. Let me just say that we were still up chatting at 5:30 the next morning. It was wonderful. We, all 7 of us, had a fun time gabbing about boys, school, and just life in general. The things you learn playing "I've Never...".....

Anyway, late that morning, after we had slept a few hours and had gotten back up, I ran out to my car where I had left my purse. Inside it was a pill bottle *FILLED* with my morning meds and some advil for my sinus headaches. It was odd. I mean, I always take a handful of pills each morning, and sometimes around friends, but this time is was different. Every person there knew there is something "wrong" medically with me, but that's not why it was different. Almost as if they had planned it out the night before, when I took my pills, 2 other people went and got their morning dosage and took it with me. Sure, I single-handedly take more than the two of them combined, but I wasn't alone. It was a nice feeling. A feeling long overdue.

So, over these fews posts someone may have gotten a glimpse into my life that may have been hidden from them before. I was not hiding it intentionally. For years, yes, I was. But can you blame me? I did not personally know a SINGLE PERSON with CF besides me until this past January. As far as I could tell, I was the lone-cystic in Shreveport. Sad, right? Yeah. It was. But I'm not alone, but at the same time I am. However, that is another post for another day.

The feeling of loneliness is a hard feeling to shake and is usually perpetual. Once you feel you are alone, you will continue to convince yourself that you are. Think of something about yourself that is a major part of you (your race, your religion, your gender, etc.). Now imagine you live in a world that you are the *only one* like that. People can sympathize that you're alone or that you go through things that no one else does, but they can't truly understand. Welcome to my world.

It's not so bad most of the time. I am extremely healthy in comparison. Of course, every CF case is different. My first hospitalization (after my young'un years) was in 7th grade. That was something the nurses just couldn't believe. I was told to be the "CF Poster Child." Great. Yeah. Sure. Ok. That's really how I want to be remembered. NO THANKS.

I am very healthy, even for 'normal' people. And really, if you learn to be compliant with medicines and the daily routine of different nebulizers and machines, it's not too hard to be a cystic. Compliance is the key.

I'll post more in depth in upcoming posts, I promise. More about my actual experiences and life. Heck, I'll even post a "Day in the Life" kinda thing. But right now, Chemistry is calling my name and it doesn't sound too happy with me... remember, I'm a 'normal' kid too!

Have a good one. :]

-Andrea

Why am I blogging?

Good question. Partly for me and partly for anyone who happens to cross by my site. My main reason: I have a disease that many people have that not enough people know about. I honestly started this up with the unrealistic hope of half the world reading it and deciding "oh! Yeah! Let's help this cause!" Or at least be more educated about it. I'm literally dying for a cure. Ha, funny but not.
Cystic fibrosis. Most people I've talked to either have never heard of it or will say "hmm... I've heard the name..." like it's someone that goes to their church. If you look for it online, it might scare people. I know it did a few of my friends/family. I won't get into the nitty-gritty details of it now because I'm really not feeling up to it.

Ultimately, if all of my friends on Facebook read this blog, 9/10 of them wouldn't have known prior to reading it that I had some disease. I don't hide it (anymore) but I don't walk around school with a giant sandwich board that says "I HAVE CF. ASK ME ABOUT IT."

So why am I going semi-public about it now? Because to me, this is an important cause and I want more people to know about it. Millions of people know about Breast Cancer and now people and companies are working hard to raise money and support the search for a cure. Well, I'm ready to see purple-coated M&Ms in support of fighting for a cure for CF.

So I'm starting NOW in getting my story and my message out to gather up more support in finding a cure and making CF stand for Cure Found.

-Andrea

Intro blog

Well hi!

I blog off and on, here and there but I would like to be consistent from here on out. That's why I started over here.

Explanation of the title:
Isn't it true? Every life indeed has a story to tell. I got that from a Cystic Fibrosis forum off of Patti's signature. I loved it and thought it was the perfect title.

This isn't necessarily being written for other people, as some blogs are, but I don't mind if other people read it. Anything I post here is nothing I want to hide! Otherwise I wouldn't have posted it online!

That's all for the intro.

-Andrea