If you've been following me on this Odyssey journey, you may remember "The Dream Mini-Series" and the two articles I have done about Cystic Fibrosis. I think it's time I combine the two and make a "Cystic Fibrosis Mini-Series." I have never been open to talking about Cystic Fibrosis and the ups and downs that come along with it but I think it's about time I get over it and let you in on what is honestly like 95% of my life.

Since my recent article about CF came out, a few young CF patients have reached out to me on Facebook and Twitter expressing thanks as to how I put into words the feelings they couldn't quite describe about Cystic Fibrosis. This made me realize I have much more to tell and if it makes a difference in even just the slightest bit, that's all I could ever ask for.

In this mini-series, I'll post updates on my personal health, the struggles and the wins, answering questions I've been asked on social media about Cystic Fibrosis, and more. To start, I'll update on my current health as I just had a three and a half hour doctors appointment earlier this week.

When you have Cystic Fibrosis, you are strongly encouraged to work out in whatever way possible-- not for weight loss as CF patients typically are always struggling to keep weight on actually-- but to keep your lungs healthy and reduce the risk of lung infections. In the exercise department, I haven't ever been a great CF patient until recently. I was in the hospital in September due to a lung infection. When I got out, I was curious to see if I took the best possible care of myself--better care than I ever have before--would there be a longer period of time in between my hospital visits? (Which typically is about every 10 months.)

It took me a bit after my hospitalization to actually get into the mindset of a constant exercise routine, but as November 1st came around, I was out and about in Raliegh walking 3-4 miles a day. This was a huge leap for me, as right before this, even walking up the three flights of stairs to my car in the parking deck would have me in a coughing fit as soon as I got to my car.

But just as I started being happy with the progress I had made, I realized that shortly after beginning my walking and other forms of exercise, I'd feel dizzy, nauseous, lightheaded, and just all around not great. This is when I came to the fantastic realization that any time I exercise and now that my lungs can finally kind of handle it, my blood sugar immediately drops to dangerous levels. This is common for CF patients my doctor says. It's also terribly inconvenient.

But I kept going on and always kept a juice with me which helped--barely. Now, keep in mind, the only reason I was pushing myself so hard here is that I wanted my PFT numbers to be better than they have been in the past few years. PFT stands for Pulmonary Function Test which to put it simply: it measures how well your lungs are doing/breathing. This is a test that is done at LEAST every three months by CF patients.

My first "check-up" appointment with my Cystic Fibrosis doctors since I was admitted a few months ago was last week. I went in a bit anxious as always, but I was still excited to see how much my lung function number had gone up since I had been putting in so much effort with all my medications and exercise. So you can imagine my disappointment when I did the exhausting test of my lung function only to see that not only did the number not go up, but it went down. Not only did it go down, but it went down to a number that when I typically get it, it's a sign I'm getting sick.

I immediately was disappointed. It's basically like if you studied for two hours, every day, for a month and a half for a final exam only to receive a 60.

I won't bore you with all the three-hour talk that my doctor and I had before figuring out that what may be the cause of the lung function number going down was a mix of the low blood sugars and the fact that acid reflux is GOING INTO MY LUNGS. Yeah, you read that right. I mean, I can't blame my lungs for freaking out. That's gross.

I walked out of my appointment that I had originally thought was going to go great with a three new medications, a lower lung function, and a referral to Gastroenterologist to figure out why the acid reflux is deciding it wants to have a party with my lungs.

The moral of this article; sometimes things aren't going to go exactly as you expect.

But that's okay. Maybe all that effort I put into exercising really did pay off and I don't know it. Maybe if I didn't do all my nebulizers, physical therapy, medications, and exercising like I did, I could be in the hospital right now.

All I know is I'm not going to let those numbers stop me from putting in the effort. I'm still going to try my hardest to keep my health up and take each day one day at a time. I'd just really appreciate if my acid reflux would stay in my stomach as opposed to trying to mingle with my lungs. Is that weird to personify? Maybe a bit.