Tim Blowfield

How normal you are. Well done. Depression is neither an unreasonable nor abnormal part of the human condition. It is a reasonable part of grieving and has been seen as so for thousands of years. Was present as the Hebrew slaves sat on the banks of the river in Babylon so poignantly told in the Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves in Verdi’s opera Nebucco,…[Read more]

Good to hear you got rid of those rocks. They are not nice. Great to hear that you are getting great support. Love to you both.

Patient Burnout! Yes, My wife & I were talking about it last week. She has had a very difficult last 2 years with CF support being reduced as medical support was redirected to COVID. Then last January she almost certainly had COVID and has been slowly recovering from long COVID since. In April her CF physician resigned and to date he is still to…[Read more]

Ahh! The ‘Kidleys!’ as my anatomy lecturer said some 60+ years ago. Very important. one of the 2 garbage collectors of the body. But they do more than garbage collection – more than being the sewers.  The work very closely with the nearby Adrenal Glands to regulate water and electrolytes. They also play a big part in Diabetes and glucose…[Read more]

Sorry Judy that you are still confused. Join the club!

The issue with Chloride in the lungs and other mucous membranes is that there is too little Chloride being pumped out of the cells, combining with Sodium to form salt. It is that salt that attracts water into the mucous and makes it less viscous. The lack of salt in the mucous leads to it…[Read more]

Hi Robert, Sorry to hear of your issues. Restarting TK at a lower dose is reasonable. I would think your gut has been has been abnormal your whole life and is having trouble coping with normalization. Your Sauerkraut is good. I would add a probiotic and a soluble fibre supplement (eg Benefibre) both of which will alter the gut biome and reduce H2S…[Read more]

I wish they knew a lot more about the effects of the faulty CFTR protein has on the whole body – not just the lungs – endocrine glands, muscles & heart, blood vessels, etc even nerves. And be open to seeking why TK is presenting effects in so many organs as well as the lungs.

Any more comments on this thread? Side effects or normalising effects of TK? What are CF Doctors saying? What is Vertex saying?

A good question is why? Why is TK ‘causing’ such mental health issues. With lung and bowel improvements one would expect mental health to improve as one feels better. Or is there an organic change in the brain caused by ion changes there-in. Lower chloride affecting the other ions (K, Na, Ca etc) affecting brain function? Does this suggest why…[Read more]

Yes. With most drugs reducing the dose is better than skipping doses. Various factors need be considered such as how long the drug is active in the body and the levels at any one time. The former is generally reported as the ‘half life’ – that is the time it takes for half the drug to disappear. The other is usually  reported as a curve and also…[Read more]

Yes: Inflammation and infection do go together. Infection without inflammation is generally harmless. Normal Flora is just that. Bacteria that exist in a commensual way. Inflammation is the body’s reaction to a foreign substance/organisism. The body may react appropriately, inadequately or excessively. If inadequate the organism may not be…[Read more]

Paul’s comment “love and be loved, love and let love be” is so true and appropriate. Being a caregiver is not easy but understanding love is a great help. Another Paul wrote a great passage on Love in his letter to the Corinthians (1Cor 13) – he concluded “the greatest of these is love”.  He talks about other gifts and abilities and says “If I…[Read more]

‘giving precious advice’  We need to be wary of such – sharing experiences is great and appropriate but ‘advice’ needs to be weighed up carefully. There is a mountain of bad advice on the Internet – some dangerous. Sharing what works or does not work for you is good and may stimulate and suggest questions and possibly answers to the issues that…[Read more]

Yes. It is  the shampoo with myconazole and chlorohexidine – also leaves the skin slightly acidic which also inhibits the yeast.  – Sorry to hear of Budda’s paws – certainly worthwhile washing them (his paws) as soon as possible after returning from a walk. Can include a spray of Vinegar before drying too. Mildly acidic skin wipes are also a…[Read more]

Sounds suspicious. Maybe an allergist (Allergy Specialist) can test you to see what you are allergic to. Skin tests are routine these days – should not be difficult to make a test solution from a TK tablet.

Re your Labradoodle: yes the breed was developed by the Royal Guide Dog Society here in Victoria near to my old Practice and despite its wide…[Read more]

As the old add said “When you are on a good thing, stick with it!”.  If Antihistamines work – it seems to be an allergy – on top of CF! There is no reason why pwCF should not get allergies.

Sodium hyalurate is quite natural – highest concentration is in joint fluid. Has helped Reva’s dry eyes.

Not sure what a ‘pseudohole’ is but it sounds interesting. Drooling suggests that you are producing more and thinner saliva which for a pwCF is generally good. PwCF often have dry eyes & mouth similar to those with Sjogren’s (Indeed can have both) often causing swallowing difficulties. That the solutions within the eyes have changed should…[Read more]

Talk it over with your CF Physician & clinic staff. They may not know the answers and may try by modifying the dose for a while. Or adding something else. Tingling, etc, does seem to be a CF thing – Reva had ‘Restless Leg Syndrome’ for years before CF was diagnosed – seems to occur in milder forms of CF – prednisolone seems to have helped her. Dry…[Read more]

Oh! How philosophers get tied up in knots and so often end up as the G542X Cf mutation. So much nonsense. As a Christian I acknowledge that I am: as God made me and loves me. I need no other and my response is to love him and all he has created – even enemies though that can be difficult. I love because He first loved us (me!) and what good I do…[Read more]