Cystic Fibrosis: Support is Where You Find it
The Abacus
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There is nothing worse than going to your family doctor with a loved one, only to have that loved one diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. Strong emotions quickly follow, including anger, guilt and fear. 
After that phase, you start to realize that these emotions are not going to help anyone.
Once my sister was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, my family would sit together at the table and discuss different options for helping her cope with the disease. The first thing we considered was a support group. These groups are a great idea because the patient, and the patient's family, quickly see that they are not alone. We also needed a psychologist because my sister was having an extremely difficult time dealing with her illness.
Yes, support groups can be a great help, but you have to keep in mind that they are not for everyone. Young children, for example, usually don't understand them. However, for parents there is a great support group, this one e-mail based, called Cystic-L. E-mails are distributed each week, sharing with new ideas and solutions related to living with CF.
All parents want to protect their children, and my parents did a great job in that respect. When my sister was diagnosed (I have a friend who has cystic fibrosis, too) my parents shifted their attention to her and learned that the best way to help a child suffering with this disease is by creating a sense of normalcy in the home. It was difficult to let her go back to school for fear of what might happen, but Cystic-L showed us that many children go to school, and some even graduate from college.
Even though my sister went to school and carried on living a normal life, there were some instances when she broke down and was embarrassed to go out. Her cough and medications are what contributed to most of these moments. We did not know how to tackle this, so we turned to a professional. He told us that the best way to overcome this is for the patient to talk to her friends about it, assuring them that cystic fibrosis is not contagious and that she will still be able to live a normal life.
After that phase, you start to realize that these emotions are not going to help anyone.
Once my sister was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, my family would sit together at the table and discuss different options for helping her cope with the disease. The first thing we considered was a support group. These groups are a great idea because the patient, and the patient's family, quickly see that they are not alone. We also needed a psychologist because my sister was having an extremely difficult time dealing with her illness.
Yes, support groups can be a great help, but you have to keep in mind that they are not for everyone. Young children, for example, usually don't understand them. However, for parents there is a great support group, this one e-mail based, called Cystic-L. E-mails are distributed each week, sharing with new ideas and solutions related to living with CF.
All parents want to protect their children, and my parents did a great job in that respect. When my sister was diagnosed (I have a friend who has cystic fibrosis, too) my parents shifted their attention to her and learned that the best way to help a child suffering with this disease is by creating a sense of normalcy in the home. It was difficult to let her go back to school for fear of what might happen, but Cystic-L showed us that many children go to school, and some even graduate from college.
Even though my sister went to school and carried on living a normal life, there were some instances when she broke down and was embarrassed to go out. Her cough and medications are what contributed to most of these moments. We did not know how to tackle this, so we turned to a professional. He told us that the best way to overcome this is for the patient to talk to her friends about it, assuring them that cystic fibrosis is not contagious and that she will still be able to live a normal life.