"Thank you..."

Yesterday I did something I had never, ever, ever done before and never, ever, EVER dreamed I would ever even do. (It's not a juicy story, so don't get all worked up, haha)

BACKGROUND:
I'm ill. With what, I couldn't tell you. I had mentioned in my last post that it wasn't the flu, and I still think it's just a cold. Either way, I'm coughing so much that for the second day in a row, I still don't have a voice. It's BAD. I'm convinced I cough all night while I'm asleep and wake up even more hoarse, not letting my voice heal over-night. Most of my coughing has been dry coughing (not producing any of the mucus I need to be coughing up from my lungs) and that doesn't do me any good. So last night I sat down to do my Vest and about 6 minutes in, I have this wonderful productive cough that makes me feel so much better. I turn to my Vest... "Thank you...". People, I hate that thing. I cannot stand my Vest. I do it like I'm supposed to, but I don't like it. When I'm sick to my stomach, it makes me feel worse, and it's just annoying in general. I know it has health benefits which is why I do it even if I don't want to. So it was quite a unique moment when I turned to my Vest and thanked it for helping me, for doing its job.

So while I may hate it, I do appreciate its help. So here's to you Vest. And the fridge you sit on.

-Andrea

WOO College life!

Ok, so that post about my history/lifestyle will indeed have to wait.

I have comfortably moved into my apartment, been through Rush, helped my roommate move in (well, sorta haha!), and joined a sorority! SIGMA KAPPA! I'm pretty excited about the whole thing, really. I think I caught a cold/sinus infection/not the flu during Rush, so I've been coughing WAAAY more than usual. And during Rush there is a lot of talking to people and last night was a lot of yelling for your sorority. Naturally, my voice is shot. I'm doing TOBI right now, and I didn't realize my voice had died until I read something on facebook and made a comment outloud. Boy was that a shock when I couldn't keep a level tone and some words didn't come out at all!! My voice *usually* heals over night, like the rest of my body except my back, but if I'm still coughing like this then it won't. And meeting all of my new sorority sisters without a voice is going to be difficult! But since when I have I backed down to a challenge?? lol

Oh, and today, is a pool party and karaoke. Yep, they are probably going to make me sing with a voice like this because I told my heart sister Emily last night that I could sing. Whoops!

Oooh... I'm hungry. It must be time for breakfast. Yummm

-Andrea

And the countdown begins....

From Monday, the count is: 9 days until college life. Wowza. That's.... soon.

So I started that running routine and, except for this weekend out of town, it has worked well. I get up ~7:10, do treatment, and try to be out of the door sometime soon after 7:30. I have been taking two laps around my neighborhood running the pace of [3 minutes running, 1 minute casual walking, 1 minute brisk-power walking, repeat]. There is a small hill in my neighborhood. It's small enough that it doesn't intimidate, but steep enough you FEEL it.... oh man. And I start getting weary near the end of lap 2. But I have to keep going. I keep encouraging myself. I keep reminding myself that CF doesn't quit, doesn't take a day off. CF wants nothing more than to win me over, and I take pride in making my goal to stand in the way of some[thing] else's goal. So I run in the way of CF's goal and I keep running. If that makes sense. It's like half symbolism and half real. Haha!

In an upcoming post, assuming nothing drastic happens before then, I plan to kinda give a brief overview on my life: the part with CF, the part without, my family, my sport, my meds, everything. Just lay it all out there so there is no confusion at all about my situation.

One last thing. Hey, CF, you're not going to win this. Are you listening? I am stronger and more determined than you can ever be. You've made me this way, and for this I thank you. However, I don't need you. Please, just try and stop me from living my life. You already have and so far it hasn't worked. Even with a PICC I played physical soccer for a very important game. I push through even when others think I should quit, because of you. I'm going on to be great and you will be nothing but backgruond noise. I'm not afraid of you. Try me. I don't back down from fights, and this is no exception. The more you bother, frustrate, hurt, and try to take over me, the harder I fight back. So c'mon. Bring it. Because I'll bring it right back, 10 fold. You. Will. NOT. Win.

-Andrea

"Sign Danger!"

So I keep up with a few other blogs of people with CF and 2 of them stress the importance of working out daily. When I say stress, I mean glaring-in-your-face-with-a-florescent-sign level of stressing. After ~13 years of soccer and 6 years of that being premier/varsity level, I'm ENJOYING my break. Premier and varsity level... they work ya hard. And then being a goalie... basically I did everything the field players did (the running, leg work-outs, etc) AND had a goalie training (more running, arm, leg, core workouts, DRILLS DRILLS DRILLS, endurance training, etc.). Being a goalie is hard work, people, trust me. It's not for the fat kid who can't run like everyone likes to believe.

These people who are writing the blogs about the importance of working out/running when you are a 'cystic' are later in life than I am and probably wish they had started this earlier. Ok, here's where we put, as my French teacher called it, a "Sign Danger". A Sign Danger is usually placed when the French grammar is different or needs special attention. In this case, the fact that I'm learning this piece of advice from the experience of others older than myself needs special attention. When we drew Sign Dangers, she would tell us to use many colours. That's a Microsoft Paint drawing of kinda what some of my Sign Dangers from French looked like. I owned many different highlighters.

So what does this mean? I have 2 weeks left before I leave for college. When I get to college, I'm living VERY close to the intermurals center. Will I make up excuses? Or will I get up early every morning and go running before my 9:30 or 10:00 am classes? More importantly, will I start running in the morning NOW to work up a habit as I get to college? If I don't, there will be an even larger Sign Danger next to my PFT results because I didn't maintain my health. So, tomorrow, I start running again. Darn.

-Andrea

Saturday on the Lake

I spent a large chunk of Saturday on a lake with my friend Gaelin, my friend Alissa (see Sci-port adventure) and Alissa's grandfather. When riding in a fast moving boat, my favourite place to sit in near the bow (the front, for you land creatures). When hitting a wave, it gives the same senation as sitting in the very back of a school bus: a bumpy ride. But there's something I love more than feeling like I might be thrown from the boat at the next wave: I love the wind in my face. I breathe the best at these moments, when oxygen is not only being inhaled but practically forced into my respitory system. Those times when it's actually harder to exhale than inhale. It's relaxing and I feel CF free for those few moments. Bliss.

Well, the lake was bliss until I was floating in the water downwind of 2 people who decided to smoke IN the water!? I'm blunt when it comes to that. Kill yourself, but don't take me with you. I've got enough lung problems without your help. Thanks.

But other than that, the lake was a success. Today, I'm VERY sore from my master tubing abilities, but it was very worth it. Now, I just wait for Sept. 2.
.................
*Checks calender*
This is going to take a while....

-Andrea