One day, in my high school days, our science teacher told us that our class was going to receive in a new student that had a rare condition called cystic fibrosis (CF). My friends and I had mixed emotions about that. We were scared and curious about it. Some of us were expecting a strange person. Our teacher told us to support her in every aspect we could, to integrate her to our class and not to treat her as disabled but to treat her as a normal person. The day came when this new student came and to tell you the truth she just looked normal as any of us. However, we later found out the problems and issues of having CF and more specifically of being a teen with cystic fibrosis.
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an inherited condition. The CF disorder may cause severe lung damage. CF is a genetic disease. The defect of a specific gene causes patients with CF to produce mucus, sweat, saliva and digestive juices that are thicker than normal. These altered secretions instead of helping, as normal secretions would, and become a severe risk since they may plug different ducts within the body. A significant risk exist that the mucus in CF patients may obstruct breathing and may cause respiratory failure. Also, the altered secretions of CF patients can affect the pancreas and liver.
The first thing we noted with our friend was that she used to eat a lot. She used to eat the food that today we do not want our teens to eat. She ate a lot of cheeseburgers, fatty products and high-energy snacks.
An excellent resource for teens and nutrition can be found at this Web site. You can easily download this resource for teens with cystic fibrosis. According to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, teens with cystic fibrosis need 30 to 50 percent more calories than other teens. Fat is the most energy efficient, making it is understandable that teens with CF eat a lot of fatty products. I remember that many friends had some kind of envy, because she could eat food that we were told to stay away from because of obesity-related issues.
Now this does not mean that teens with CF have to eat only fatty food. In fact, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation recommends eating a balanced diet for good nutrition. We also learned that our friend had to take a pill before each meal. We found out later that this pill contained enzymes that helped her digest her food.
The Mayo Clinic provides a Web site for people who have CF. There you can find a lot of information on CF and treatments available for people who have this disease. I remember that my high school friend, in addition to follow a high-calorie diet and taking digestive enzymes, had to use a medication delivered through an inhaler. This inhaler kept her lungs clear and working properly. Remember one of the main complications of people with CF is the risk of lung failure because of duct blockage. She also had to take antibiotics very frequently. She told us that antibiotics kept her airway free of bacteria in order to avoid complications. Other treatment and drugs recommended by the Mayo Clinic resource include mucus-thinning drugs, bronchial airways drainage and pain relievers.
Another great resource for teens with cystic fibrosis is the New York Access to Health (NOAH) Web site. There you will find links to online resources for teens and cystic fibrosis such as About Recipes for Teens with Cystic Fibrosis and Sexuality and Cystic Fibrosis: Information for Adolescents.
More resources about cystic fibrosis include:
Cystic Fibrosis MD, an educational site aimed at keeping you informed of cystic fibrosis issues. Also, you can check the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Education
