Pegson’s Blog Thursday 20.9.09 – The Day It Dawned on Me that I was actually sick

The Day It Dawned on Me that I was actually sick

Under 12's Mod League

Now I have never been a person who has liked to be in the dark health wise. I have always taken an active role in Cystic Fibrosis even when I was little Bub Bub. However I didn’t always know that I was sick.

Like a lot of us CF’ers I was fairly healthy as a young child, I had my share of nebulised treatments but nothing horrific.

Up until I was 13 and had my first hospital admission which was a tune up ready for year 6 school cap , my only hospital experience was when I broke my arm and had to have the cast re-set twice and still to this day my arm is mangled like a twisted sand shoe. See Pic click here or watch video of my weird joints click here

Now I attended my CF clinic every Tuesday morning or when mum worked I would attend the asthma clinic on a Thursday at the John hunter hospital. Now while I knew this wasn’t the norm for my friends it never really bothered me and I remember thinking that everyone had their own clinic to attend.

Not Even taking enzymes (pancreas) that mum would place under the glad wrap of my fairy bread sandwiches at primary school made me think I was that different..

However I still remember quite vividly the day, and the moment that I realised that I was Sick and it was very serious..

Let me set the scene. I was always encouraged to play sport as a kid and started off with little athletics and moved on to mod league (its like NFL not soccer). We would play games on Saturday mornings and Every Thursday afternoon have training which would begin with a few stretches than two laps around the oval..

Holding the Trophey after a Grand Final Win

Now in my mod league team my position was a Winger, Now a Winger in Australian Rugby League is the guy closest to the sideline and he is usually very quick.. Similar to a wide receiver in American Football. So basically I was one of the quicker players in the team and when we needed a Try (touch down) the team would spread the ball out to me and I would run down the sideline.

Ok so this gets me to the moment I realised the severity of Cystic Fibrosis and experienced the first effects of Cystic Fibrosis’s Gradual Decline

We were doing our usual two lap run around the oval before training and I started to fall behind which wasn‘t that uncommon…I always just thought I was bit lazy and a bit unfit. Haha.

I would accelerate and eventually get back to the pack,. However this one day things were different by the time we had completed the first lap I remember I was seriously panting and breathing real deep. I started to fall behind again and this time I didn’t have the energy to accelerate back to the pack…

I remember coughing and staggering while trying to keep up as all my mates were disappearing into the distance…I still remember Thinking to myself as a  little 12 year old boy ….what’s wrong with me?? I’m a Winger….I meant to be quick….and even the front rowers who are like defensive guards in American Football…You know the really big slow guys.. Well even they were at this stage a few hundred metres ahead…

It was at this exact moment a huge rush went through my body full of emotions and It dawned on me…that this was a result of Cystic Fibrosis and that I was Sick.

I came home that night after training and questioned mum and dad as to why I kept falling behind my friends…hoping they would have some answer……Mum looked at me and started to tear up and I remember asking her why she was crying….She denied it of course but now I know, She was crying because  her little boy had just discovered that he was different and that the Gradual Decline of Cystic Fibrosis was in Full swing.

>Leave me a comment about when you first had that realisation of your Cystic Fibrosis, I would really appreciate and like to hear your story.

PeGsOn

pegson1986@hotmail.com

Pegson’s Blog wednesday 12.09.09 – Great Workout and the Run around

Well I thought today I would write my thoughts rather than film them..The camera was getting tired of looking at my face :).

Well I had my rehab class today at the JHH and like usual I couldn’t sleep the night before, other than watching movies late and drinking copious amounts of Coca-Cola I have yet to discover why I have so much trouble getting to sleep..

On a side note the movie I watched is Called Garden State and its absolutely superb, the soundtrack is up there with the best…Natalie Portman is just too yummy..if you she were lolly I would be buying those lollies left right and centre..

So on to Rehab..Well today I focused mainly on the cardio side of things..I did a 20 minute walk and when you look back to my first session I walked a whole KM quicker and 700 metres more in the same amount of time..That’s proof in itself that Pulmonary Rehab really does work if you give it a good shot.

After my 20 minute walk I had a short rest before moving on to the arm bike for 30 minutes..I’m not really sure of the actual name for this  piece of equipment , but it kinda looks like this drawing I did in “PaInT”

me doing arm bike contraption

After my first two exercises I was absolutely exhausted..Not so much in terms of being puffed or out of breath but simply feeling faint and partially dehydrated..Even though I drink 3 bottles of water during my workout..I guess it wasn’t enough for today..

But I decided I would push through the pain like Lance Armstrong on Stage 7 of the Tour de France..(you like that reference..me too:) )

My next exercise was on the 8 kilo arm weights and I did forty repetitions on each arm…My guns are bb’s rather than pea shooters.:) (Oh I’m good)

My final exercise for the day was to do 15 minutes on the exercise bike and the little Red Head nurse kept turning the resistance up to 5 which makes it feel like your pulling jabber the hut up a cliff face with a really dodgy pulley system only fit for a mountain goat on roids …Didn’t understand that last part …either did I but I had good intentions…

After finishing the bike I was buggered so I ditched the warm down and had a rest on the physio tables. Finally rehab was over but before I could leave and go home for much looked forward to nanny nap I had to walk to Respiratory department to pick up scripts which in almost taunting fashion for CF’ers is at the opposite side of the hospital to the CF clinic (1 km walk)

So I made my way down to the respiratory department risking infection with the numerous animal flus that are lurking around the corridors..

And Guess what?????????? my scripts were no where to be seen. So they said they would mail them out to me..I wasn’t to happy but I didn’t have a leg to stand on since the girls in the department are so awesome and it’s usually the doctors fault…unless you remind them 200 times they won’t remember their own name..I guess though they are pretty busy…lol excuses excuses.

So it was time to leave this forsaken place..

Now let me pain the picture for you!!! thtere was a 100 metre main corridor between me and my freedom of fresh air..So I made my gallop down the home straight I passed the Ailing swine flu victim on my right, I hurdled over the old granny selling hand knitted slippers, The kind that puts you in hospital with a broken hip if you actually do wear them..Now I could see the sliding glass doors of freedom approaching as I strode nearer and than out of no where I was ankle tapped (well not literally) by my old friend majella (she does the lung function tests in paediatrics) So while it was great to see her after 5 years I wasn’t to Impressed because she stop me right in the corridor out the front of the emergency department and she herself seemed to have a head cold and every time I took a step back she would take a step forward..

So I chatted for five minute before finally accelerating out of there….

So basically for all my efforts to get my scripts which I never got all I ended up in gaining was an increase by 600 percent of catching some hybrid bear/came/beaver  flu…

So the moral to this story is….uhmm…arh…yeah well there is none just go with the current and hope for best…because if you swim against the current your going to be buggered for whatever comes be it good or bad…

OMG PeGsOn the Philosopher in the house….how cool is that..

Hope you enjoyed reading my Ramblings..

Stay healthy

PeGsOn

pegson1986@hotmail.com

Pegson’s Vlog 9.9.09 Sunday about to watch the footy…Go Knights

Here is my vlog for today..enjoy…leave me some comments I feel lonely… 🙂

After Reading your Blogs I have been Motivated again.

After reading my fellow CF’ers blogs I thought I was dedicated and had it down with all my treatments and schedules which I abide to fairly religiously, I have my slips and days off though ( I am great but not that great 🙂 ).

I decided to really knuckle down and get all medications sorted into a tablet container and maybe take a list of medications and Ideas I have read online to my doctor and see what he thinks..as I’m also looking for something to add another 20 minutes to my treatment schedule a day but also another 2 months to life.

So yeah I just thought I would let you guys know that reading your blogs..even for a CF’er like myself that is pretty on top of things your blogs and ideas that your’ve posted have given me a new incentive to try even harder.

Haha now to pay you for your suffering for reading my excuse of a post which only achieved me getting my head around what i need to do I decided to post this video of the Insanity this song causes me…..lol

Thanks Guys

PeGsOn

pegson1986@hotmail.com