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Let’s Talk About Marijuana

Mom and I had flown to Denver to meet a specialist and strategize treatment for my nontuberculous mycobacterium. Part of the clinic visit concerned treating my barren appetite and nonstop nausea. We’d tried nearly every anti-nausea prescription by then, and…

Learning to Live ‘Off-book’

I feel the freest when being told what to do. Take 1 tablet by mouth three times daily for 14 days. Flush each lumen of intravenous catheter with 5 mL as directed. Do not exhale into the mouthpiece…

When the Patient Is a Hostage

The gastroenterologist (GI doctor) shut the clinic door and towered over me, strong, bronzed, and healthy. He checked my chart and saw I had lost 3 pounds. He abruptly barked at me about my “lack of effort” in gaining weight. He yelled that it’s as simple as forcing…

The Beginning of a New Year with Chronic Disease

Some resolutions are common to all: Work out more, eat healthier, make grandiose changes, or check off an important goal. And with resolutions comes the comical attitude that many of us will fail to carry them out for more than a few weeks. However, as cystic fibrosis (CF)…

Don’t Let Good Health Make You Sick

No matter how many times my parents, my friends, or my therapist insist that having cystic fibrosis is a full-time job, I can never seem to internalize the concept. When I’m healthy, walking to class is easy, I sleep through the night, and my bones…

Making Money with Cystic Fibrosis

I’ve decided that I don’t want to live in poverty. Okay, so I’ve known that forever. I’m not trying to say it hit me this week while scraping peanut butter on my toast that, “Hey, maybe money is a nice…