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Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Hanging in There...

I am sitting with Rickie right now - trying to get him to eat more. One of the issues with cf is weight loss, and though Rickie is doing OK, we need to be vigilant about making sure he stays that way.

This is a great hospital. Volunteers stayed with Rickie almost the entire time I was gone for meetings today. I got back at 5pm, and he was playing football (Madden 2006) with one volunteer. As soon as he left, another young girl came in and has been talking to him on and off for the last hour or so.

We are eating right now - but it is tough to get him to eat. And when he does, theoretically, it doesn't "stick" inside - so he just passes it without getting any of the nutrients from it. He takes enzymes to break down the food, but he still needs to take as much in as he can. Another odd characteristic about cf is that the kids need as much protein and calories as possible. So "eating right" means eating as much as possible. It doesn't make sense to me entirely, but I have now been schooled by a number of people who I respect and who understand cf far better than I, so I am willing to go along with it.

As a result, Rickie can eat ANYTHING he wants. Ice cream, junk food, sugar, etc. Whatever it takes to get calories in his body... McDonalds is considered health food for him...

I didn't swim today. I'll go tomorrow. Sitting here makes me want to get in the water and just pound out the laps. It is interesting to me that my reaction to all this is to want to swim even more - not sure how that was learned or how you can teach it. I am starting to get antsy because I missed today. And of course, my back telegraphs me little signals that tell me I need to be in the water soon.

I read recently where people who are unemployed or underemployed are in greater danger of getting unhealthy because of inactivity. The theory is that the depression that often accompanies underemployment causes a lack in desire to stay healthy. Wow. I think swimmers really skew these numbers. Seems to me a lot of people I know who swim do more rather than less in periods of anxiety or stress. The perfect balance - sort of...

2 comments:

  1. I just read your article in swimmer magazine (my first article..I am new to Masters). I just had to comment. When I was 12, I swam with a group of high school students in a relay race from weko beach, michigan to oak street beach in Chicago to raise money for CF. One of our swim families had a family member with CF. I will never forget the experience and details of CF. Our friend too was treated at the Childrens Hospital in Ann Arbor and they were remarkable back then! It was great to year that some 25 years later a similar event is happening to raise money for such a great cause. Keep Fighting!!

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  2. I also just read your article in Swimmer Magazine. I've been a swimmer all my life and a masters swimmer for 11 years. I put in about 4,000 yards three days a week. I have two daughters with CF (ages 13 and 15). My youngest was in the hospital in December and my oldest hasn't been hospitalized in 5 years. I think its great how you're using swimming to raise funds and awareness for CF. Keep it up! And good luck in 2010!

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