Wednesday, April 4, 2012

I Write About My Health Because.....

Oh, that's easy, because I don't want others out there to be an idiot like me.

For those of you who have been following this blog since the beginning know the full story about how this blog came to be, but for those of you who have recently come on board, let me give you recap:

I was a "sick" kid.
I became healthier through living a very normal life which included a lot of sports.
I always did 2 treatments a day, rain or shine, everyday of my life from ages 0 - 20.
I had over 100% lung function in high school largely due to my commitment to treatments and sports.
I moved out of the home when I was 20.
I no longer did two treatments a day everyday rain or shine.
I would do one treatment a day everyday rain or shine and two if "I had time".
I no longer was active everyday in sports or the gym.
My hospital stays increased.
My lung function declined.
I blamed it on CF.
I wasn't willing to adjust "me" because I wanted to "live life".
I continued making stupid choices.
I continued putting other things such as a social life, work, friends, vacations above my health.
My lung function continued to decline.
My hospital stays continued to increase.
I continued to "not let CF control me".
I almost died.
I "woke up".
I looked in the mirror.
I realized that in fact I was contributing to my decline in health.
I reflected on the days that I had higher lung function.
I found a common thread.
I always did treatments and I was active.
I started a blog to hold myself accountable.
I adjusted.
I started to do 4 treatments a day.
I started to run.
I started to go to the gym.
I put my health as my number one priority.
My lung function increased.
My hospital stays decreased.
I got married.
I had a baby.
I continue to do my treatments.
I'm still active.
Not only has my lung function increased, but my "life function" has as well.
I'm still adjusting.
I still blog about it.

Get it? Got it? Good! So why do I write about my health? Because I'd like to see other avoid the middle part of my life. I'd like others to learn some life lessons from my story instead of having to learn through the pain and trashed lungs that I had to learn through. I'd like to give others the sense of power and control that I feel over this disease.

I started this blog thinking that no one would be interested in my story. That no one would really care what I was doing everyday to get back to the "old me". I started this blog because I knew I needed to change. I knew I needed to do my treatments each day, everyday for the rest of my life. I knew I needed to challenge myself physically like never before. I started this blog because I needed an accountability partner. I started this blog for you. I started this blog for me.

I started this blog hoping to impact just one life in a positive way.

I've done that, my own.

Now, I'm hoping to impact two.