Cystic fibrosis And peer pressure

hey, i felt compelled to write because i could relate a lot to what you said.  i was a pretty crazy teenager--although i'm not sure it stopped when i turned 20!  first of all, sex is not bad for your cf, unless you are talking about the potential of getting an STD, which can be mostly prevented. but i understand if you see it along with drugs, alcohol as a teenage temptation.  i'm glad that you are thinking about these things, because many people just DO and don't think. 

i personally believe that experimentation is a perfectly natural part of being a teenager.  even having cf doesn't make that different.  there will be temptations for your entire life, and now is the time for YOU to start figuring out what you're comfortable with, and drawing boundaries for yourself.  let me tell you, i did everything, smoked cigs, pot, drank, plus more (not all at once, i wasn't a junkie!)  and the smoking really hurt me.  i went from hardly any hospitalizations in years to being in there 3 or so times in one year.  i'd sneak out for a cig at the hospital even--so hard headed i was. 

But, my point is that this was something i had to go through.  like i had to test my body or something.  i had to see how far i could push myself, how "normal" i could be.  (as in, normal people don't end up in the hospital from smoking.) and it was from the depths of this really bad place i had put myself in that i rose up and decided, i don't want to die, i don't want to live like this. smoking isn't worth it. my life is more important than all of that stuff--peer pressure, etc.  because your real friends will understand and will like you no matter what you do. i did lose some friends when i "cleaned up", but i moved onto a much better and happier place in my life. and for once i thought about things beyond high school like getting into a good college--living somewhere else, meeting new people, having new experiences.

i'm not telling you i'm perfect now.  but i have learned to put my health at the top of priorities. 

hope this helps--

laura

    i wanted to let you know that the same stuff happened to me when i was a kid and a teenager people wanted me to do stuff that i knew that i could not do becuase of my cf i knew that in order to not get sad and get through this better i had to also pray to god that he would help me through this hard time in my life if there is any thang that i can do for you please note that im here often and would enjoy talking to you and helping you through this . i will pray for you  take care and may god be with you

 

 

david

 

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Hey what's going on? Well I'm 21 years old and I was definitely a huge party girl. Ever since I was in 6th grade I was hospitalized about once or twice a year. Once I started drinking in HS - it stayed about the same, so I never related it to doing anything to my CF. However now that I am in college, I realized that I drank and partied much more often, and was getting sicker more frequently. 21 isn't old, but each year I feel that everytime I get sick it gets more difficult to bounce right back - which is primarily why this summer I have cleaned up my act. I have one year left of college and then one more year before getting my RN - I can't screw around - I want to live as long as possible .. and ever since I haven't been drinking and partying I have been feeling much better. It's okay once in a while, it's not going to kill you .. but when you party - you lose sleep which is so important and drinking causing you to get dehydrated which puts a huge strain on your lungs. I know how I feel when I'm at my best and at my worst .. and anytime I'm tempted now I just think back to the times in the hospital and choose not to. It is hard though .. my teenager years were the worst - between peer pressure and just kids being mean and ignorant in general.

- Katy

Hey Bullethead, I think larurapancoast78 hit the nail on the head, when she said, "experimentation is a natural part of being a teenager". I am 25, and really cleaned up my life. I was so crazy, the CF doctors used to say to me, "Do you think CF ends when you turn 18?" Cause I figured when I turned 18, I was considered an adult, so I would do what I wanted- that meant NO treatments. This worked out for a while, but I soon found myself in the hospital. I was a really bad alchoholic, I've got 2 D.U.I.'s to prove it. I never smoked... cigarretes that is. Weed is a different story. When I was 19, I used to sell and smoke alot of marijuana. I think it is very much a gateway drug- it let to coke and even exctasy. I'm so glad I'm clean now, yea I lost some friends, but they weren't true friends, just "drinking buddies, or "pot-heads".

Hey Chris. I cannot believe that you feel the same way i do. I'm 14 going on 15(APRIL) and I'm facing a right upper lobectomy Feb. 7th. I am not gaining any weight, I'm only 5 foot and only 85 lbs. My DR thinks that this will help me grow. Anyway, I know exactly how I feel. I've only been on this forum for about 10 minutes and it is already making me feel better.

Lauren