A BIT ABOUT MY BIRTH

When I was born how did they know I had CF?  My birth story is a little bit crazy & rather lengthy so in a condensed version....I was born with 'meconoum ileus'- I did not pass the black tar-like poop. In fact I did not have any type of bowel movement for over a week. As you can see in the photo, I was born with a swollen stomach and frail, tiny limbs. I also had the tube in my mouth to suck out all fluids from my stomach until I had a movement (they didn't want anything else getting backed up in my intestines). I had an IV in to keep me hydrated. I was moved to the ICU for a week & eventually had my movement. I refused to eat & a feeding tube was placed in my nose so I could get the necessary nutrients. I was then moved to a different level of critical care for another week. Every test in the book was being run but they all were coming back negative or normal. Everybody was baffled because they couldn't figure out what was wrong. The doctors had told my parents I wasn't going to live past the first few days, but I was still here so I must be a fighter! They had no idea who they were dealing with. ;) One day my Ma was holding me & kissed my cheek, "Oh, that tasted salty!" She said in passing & to no one in particular. One of the blessed, angel nurses with bionic ears, overheard my Mom & asked her to repeat what she had just said. The nurse went & grabbed my Dr. and told him they needed to run a "sweat test" on me. (One of the two tests that determine cystic fibrosis). They immediately began treating me as if I had CF. I started to improve & began to stabilize. At six weeks the "sweat test" was run, came back positive & I was officially diagnosed with cystic fibrosis.

How did I get CF? It's a genetic mutation...too bad it doesn't give me super powers like the x-men. One mutation must come from the Mother & the Father. Many people carry this gene mutation unknowingly. My parents did not know they were carriers until I was born. I will always pass the CF gene to my children & they will all be carriers of the CF gene. If Ric does NOT carry the CF gene, NONE of our kids will have the disease, but all of them will be carriers. If Ric IS a carrier of the CF gene, then there is a 75% chance our kids will have Cystic Fibrosis. Either way, we will be happy.  Yes, we all hope for & pray for healthy babies BUT if ours do have CF it's okay. I've had a beautiful, blessed life that has included CF. Living with CF has taught me SO many life lessons at an early age & some lessons that I simply may never have learned without this experience. God knows what he is doing, even if we don't quite understand it. 

XX, M