Why do some parents keep their CF kids from doing certain things?

Parents can be over-protective about letting their children do certain things. It is not because they want to make your life miserable, it is because they care about you, are concerned and want to protect you from all the evils in the world.

Being too over-protective is more common in parents whose children have a chronic illness. These parents may fell that their chronically ill child is more susceptible to the dangers of the world. Like other parents, your parents may feel they will be able to keep you healthy.

Some parents may also feel that because they have invested so much in your care in order to keep you healthy, they are not going to let you jeopardize your health.

My mom was not over protective. Yes, she did make sure I took my treatments and enzymes, but she still let me go outside and have fun when I was younger.  Now my wife keeps me in line. Yes, after 28 years I still have to be reminded (not all the time).

Growing Up (School Years)

Growing up has a lot of ups and downs when you have CF.  The hardest thing for CF people (and me) I think, is that they want to be a normal person. No vitamins, aerosols, enzymes, Iv's, hospitalizations -- wouldn't that be great.  It's hard for a lot of CF kids and even adults to remember that you have to do all those things to stay healthy.  No matter what disease or problem you have, you still are a normal person.  Another hard thing for me was not growing up as fast as everyone else.  I'm not sure if that effects every CF person.  But, for me, it sucked.  In 8th grade, I only weighed 87 pounds. To me, I felt like a shrimp-- not just in 8th grade, up till about 10th grade.  I didn't mature as fast as everyone else either.  I hated that.  I think I didn't have a lot of self confidence in myself at the time or maybe it wouldn't have mattered.

I always felt nervous taking my pills around other people.   Even know when I go out to eat, I wonder what people think (It does not bother me as much now).  I know it shouldn't matter, but I think every CF person wonders about it once in a while.  

Dealing with Death

A person close to me died August 22nd, 2003.  It was a really hard to deal with. I didn't eat right for a week.  I just think about the memories. That's the only thing that helps me.  The only positive aspect about death is that they do not have to suffer anymore. My sister, age 32, passed away on August 12, 2008 after a year long battle with pancreatic cancer. I still think about it every day. I never thought she would go first.

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