Finally, a CF update!!

So it's been awhile since I have talked about how I am doing health wise. I went to the doctor a week or so ago cause I was feeling horrible again. I was only a couple months off iv's and I have school coming up here fast so we needed to get my feeling better ASAP. I already had a sinus surgery set up for August 10th which should help my coughing cause I wouldn't have any more post nasal drip going on while I try and sleep. The appointment didn't go as well as I had hoped but I knew by the way I was feeling it wouldn't be good. My PFT's were at 44% which was lower then when I started iv's this summer. The doctor didn't feel as if I need iv's that I should be able to just pop back up so he put me on Cipro and Amoxicllin for 10 days. He also said he would be so a bronchosocopy along with the doctor that is doing my sinus surgery to clean out gunk in my lungs. It took a bit till I started to feel better but a week later I still wasn't feeling up to par. So today I went in to blow and see what else could be done or if I needed another PICC. It went alot better then I expected!! I blew a 53% I was so excited!! That was only down 3 percent from where I was after iv's. They put me on Zyvox to take along with my meds so my PFT's should be back up near the 60's in no time. I have been sleeping with oxygen for a couple weeks now and I am absolutely in love. I feel so great when I wake up in the morning now and it only took me a couple days to get use to the nose and things in my nose while I sleep. I am so blessed to have such amazing doctors that work so hard in getting me the care I need. They are like family to me (I see them more then some of my actually family lol) They love to see my succeed so they do all that is in the power to give me and my lungs the strength to succeed.

Who doesn't love a trip to Vegas?!

So the past weekend Sherise and I were very lucky girls. One of our best friends and roommate Lorin got to come spend a couple days in vegas!! Her aunt and cousin were coming to town for a Paul Mitchell Hair convention thingy so they invited Lorin and her Mom Dawn. Happy days happy days when us three girls are together, and Lorin's Mom happens to be one of my favorite people in world she's so freaking cute. On there first day in town they found a drunk guy passed outside of his room, gotta love vegas!! So on Monday we spent the day at the Mandalay Bay pool, everyone got tan I got toasted hahah what a pooor pale white girl I am! Burn or not the pool was a blast, there was a lazy river, wave pool, regular pool, beach and gorgeous lifeguards (: After that we hung out in the room with her mom before we headed off to the Fashion Show mall to spend 3 hours at the brand new, 2 story, department store size Forever 21!!!! I don't think I had ever been happier in my life. After that we went back to the room and took 2 hours and like 4 different outfits and a skype call to bobby till we were ready to go listen to music and munch on wings at the House of Blues. After that we just hung out. I miss Lorin and sherise already!! I was suppose to go with Sherise back to Loyalton to stay for a week but I have sinus surgery I would miss so I am stuck here in vegas. Only 3 weeks till I am headed back to Reno though!! Anyways here are some pictures us girls took. I love my best friends and cousin elaina oh so much.

A little Friday Night Lights!!

Ok ok maybe it's ALOT of Friday Night Lights. For anyone who doesn't already know about my obsession with Coach Taylor an the Dillon Panthers well now you know! Friday Night Lights is my all time favorite show and I am madly in love with Coach Eric Taylor. He is not only gorgeous with his amazing southern charm but the best husband, father and coach! I had watched the first couple season awhile back with my best friend in HS but ever since my mom invested in Netflix. I have started re watching shows when I stumbled upon FNL's I watched the first few episodes and remembered how much I loved that show. The last couple of days that is basically all I have done it is the only thing that will keep my head from exploding! There is like a whirlwind of thoughts going on in my head and it's been driving me crazy. Luckily last night sherise came over and we talked and I felt alot better when I woke up this morning. Like all I needed was a good night with a good friend to help. Dont get my wrong I still feel uneasy about things going on right now but it's definitely not a whirlwind anymore!

Some of you might be reading this and have no idea what I am talking about. I feel like I am just rambling, which I probably am but that is how things in my head are right now... jumbled. Let me try and explain things. First and fore most I have been totally PMSing (sorry boys) but for girls out there they know how that makes everything much worse. Say hello to mood swings! Then there is my ex. Hold on! Don't think I am going to start rambling on about moving on and wanting him back or something cause thats not it. I have worked long and hard to get to where I am today... over it. I have been through hell and back (excuse my language) with that boy. The last two semesters of school were rough with him popping in and out of my life and every time he popped in I reverted back to myself when we first broke up and I still loved him. Not anymore though. He is in my life and we working on being friends. It has taken sometime but I think I got it down. Well, you say what is the problem?! The problem is is I didn't get to say bye to him when I left Reno then he went back over seas to Afghanistan and we have been talking over skype but it's not my normal conversations I am use to with him and I guess I am still getting use to being just another friend and not his best friend you know? So I have been dealing with that. As Lorin would say he is just a "giant boob." Then I am trying really hard in getting back to church, but it is SO HARD. I have been living for 3 years in a totally different way and now that I know I need to stop I can't. I went almost all summer with no problems but then you slip up once then it gets easier to slip up again. If I think it's hard now I can't even image what it will be like at school. I am not to worried though I will start going to church and find the support and help I need to "Choose The Right." Now after a month of ivs I am sick AGAIN! The doctor put me on two antibiotics and in August when I get my sinus surgey he is going to do a bronch and clean my lungs out and culture the gunk that he sucks out, gross!! The antibiotics have started working but it kept me up coughing and throwing up for a good hour 1/2 last night. I am still working on getting financial aid back. I finally mailed the school all my paper work so now we wait. Then the day that I felt most over whelmed I had a best friend email me and say just the things that pushed me over the edge so I went over to my friend Levi's house for a relaxing movie night to clear my head. It was the best idea I've had in a long time. I had the perfect night and I am so glad me and him are friends. I had my phone on silent so the moment I realized how late it was and saw the million missed calls from my mom and dad I knew I was right back to reality. I never turn my phone on silent but I did this time so my mom was freaking out and was sure I had died in a crash. So I called her said I was fine and lost track of time and would be home soon. I felt bad that next morning how I reacted to the news from friends and I treated them both badly and acted immaturely so I apologized to both of them but something just didn't feel right. That is when I had sherise come over and we talked and everything felt better.

I'm sorry this whole blog was just me venting and probably made no since but I needed to get things out and on to paper (blogging is easier hahah) I am so glad I have the friends I do that no matter what little bump in the road we still love each other. I am so glad I have ppl to help clear my head and I am glad I have Friday Night Lights! So I can leave Las Vegas for a while and jump into Dillan, Texas.
If you really watch it there are so many good lessons to be learned. I wish I could have one of the pep talks with Coach Taylor he always knows what exactly to say and is there for everyone no matter what. I guess in a different kind of way I have my very own coach taylor when I get down on my knees and pray. That is something I have always struggled with and have felt weird about but now that I think about Christ gives the best pep talks and always knows just what to say when you need him. Wow, I just had an epiphany while writing this hahah. Anyways this has been long enough... until next time!

so much to do so little time.

So first let me explain a little bit of what happened up at school last semester. All was going well, grades were good, health was good, I was having a blast. Sadly in April my oxygen sats dropped really low and I ended up in the hospital, because of this I ended up failing my two morning classes. Now I am unable to get financial aid for the following semester unless I submit an appeal an they approve it. So today I talked to the people at the DRC, Disability Resource Center, to help me in getting my money back and the F's off my transcript so that my GPA will be back above a 3.0. So now I must write 2 letters explaining what happened and why it won't happen again. I must get all the paper work from doctors visits that semester and a letter from my doctors also explaining what happened. There is about a month left till school starts. I really hope this is all cleared up before it starts or I won't be going back to school. Allison, the person I work with at the DRC, is amazing! She is very confident this will all work out and I have nothing to worry about. Next time I get sick I just talk to her and I can medically withdrawal from classes if needed so I never have this problem again. I was an honors kid in HS so this whole failing thing does not stand well with me at all!

On a happier note as of last night I am now sleeping with oxygen!! After all the appointments my doctors asked me about it and all the times my mom and Aunt Landa talked to me about its pro and the never the cons I am finally doing it! Besides the learning to sleep with the noise of the machine it really isn't to bad. I will have to let you know how I am feeling in a couple weeks and how it is working. I also have sinus surgery FINALLY set up for the like week before I go back to school (hopefully I recover fast) and an appointment with the doctor that will set up my port. Hopefully that gets put in before I go back to school but I am not sure it will happen. If not then that will be my plan for winter break! It always makes me laugh the kind of stuff I get excited about or what I consider a "happier note" while others might feel as if all the things I just listed were bad or sad but really for me they are great and life saving, literally!

I've been feeling a little under the weather so I am going to make an appointment to see the doctor. No getting sick right before school and moving into my new apartment!!! No way jose. I can't wait to move into my new place with only the 3 most amazing roommates anyone could ever ask for. Two of whom happen to my best friends Sherise and Lorin. You know it is so crazy to me how both these girls don't think twice about my CF. It's just another part of me like my personality or hair color is. They don't give me funny looks when I cough alot, they don't stare when I do my treatments or take my pills. Heck Lorin is like mom away from home and makes sure I get everything I need to done and Sherise will hold off on going out just to make sure I have everything done. When I have my iv's they don't even flinch or give me weird looks like other ppl do when I am out and about. At school when I went to the hospital I didn't wanna go alone so they both came with me and sat in the waiting room while I went back and they didn't think anything of it. They both ask questions and look things up so they know whats best for me. I am the luckiest girl on earth to have friends as amazing as these two girls. I don't know what I would do without them. I feel normal and free around them and that is such a breath of fresh air.

Christina & Ali America's Got Talent Hollywood. Two amazing CF sisters.

Visiting my sister!

I went and spent the day at the hospital with my little sister today! Man I love the girl and I love the hospital food :D It's funny when the nurses come in and think I am the patient since we look so alike and I normally am the patient not here! She should be home soon but I think she is enjoying the attention from people a little to much. HAHAH jk love ya Cortney. I am trying to spin the night with her on Saturday night but she said no so I will go to church. Dang it!! Here are a couple of pictures we took while we were hanging out. You know how I love to take pictures.

Doing it right this time!

Well I realized my last couple post have been kind of negative and I don't like that cause I try to be as positive as I can be!! So that's what this post is all about positivity and how grand and blessed my life is! To start off my little sister is in the hospital for a few days to get a picc line set up. Some of you might be confused cause at to how this is positive well let me spell it out for you. First off the fact that there is such thing as a picc so she can come home and do her meds is a blessing in and of it's self. Our doctor Dr. Nakamura is amazing. Also my sister isn't sick she is being proactive! See she blew a 73% which is the highest it's been in awhile but not where she wants it. She got sick during the school year and they are hoping 2 weeks on meds will pop her back up to the 80's where she belongs. So see she's not sick she is just smart and she is the healthiest out of us 3 kids and I am so proud of her for that!

Now on to me and my life. Well I am getting ready to do a sleep study so that I can start sleeping with oxygen on at night. I am so excited.Why? Then I can sleep soundly and because my body will finally have the oxygen it needs at night I will feel refreshed in the morning and wont wake up with headaches anymore. Straight A's here I come!! :D Also on my list of medical endeavors is getting my port set up. Every person on cystic life that I have read so far has sang praises of the port. I will never have to go through the picc line routine again it was such a pain literally and figuratively. I will also be able to more easily do meds at school if I need them. Once again straight A's here I come!!

I can't believe there is only like 40 days left until Sherise and I are finally Reno bound and just a few days after that we are moving into our very own apartment! AHH I couldn't be more excited. I bought a shower curtain (zebra print), have a bog full of movies, and some plates and what not so far for the new place I still have a ton to go!! Summer break has been pretty uneventful which I guess I should be kind of glad about. Mostly I just hang out with sherise. I am going to die with her being our of the country for a week with no cell phone :O I know horrifying I couldn't agree more! If I am not with sherise I am over at grandma's house just chillin hoping they don't move =/ Nothing will ever be the same again, I'm not a fan of this kind of change but if it's what needs to be done so be it. In August we are going up to a hot springs in Idaho for a family reunion I am so excited!

So these past couple weeks I have decided to make a change or in the words of sherise "turning over a new leaf!" I have decided to get my life back on track on on the right path. How I was living life before might of been fun but things just weren't working out and thank to my amazing friend Jake I was able to see that and have started working on changing and making things better. Man oh man I did not know how hard it was going to be and how much of a hold certain things have on me (sherise knows what "things" I am talking about hahahah) but really it's hard. The moment I think I have got it down and I think I have been going good and strong for a few days now a temptation presents its self. 99% of the time I can say no right now but sometimes it is just hard. Once I am back up in reno single ward here I come. omg I can't believe I just said it! We will see how I do and what happens.

Well that is it for now I guess. Until next time.... Adios (:

Happy 4th of July!!

234 years ago 56 men signed The Declaration of Independence and proclaimed our freedom, uniting us as a country! I am blessed to come from generations of proud men and women that call this country home; Some of my family came over on the Mayflower and have been here ever since! I was raised in a family that teachs their kids pride for their country, respect for the flag, and to know we are blessed with freedom that many others wish they had. One of my favorite quotes is from John F Kennedy, "Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country." We are blessed with this great place to call home and everybody must put in a helping hand to keep us strong and thriving. Our country depends on us not the other way around. Don't get lazy and take things for granite. We only have what all of this because of hard working Americans. Several family members of mine have served their time in the armed forces and if I could I would join in a heart beat, but due to medical reasons I cannot. I have all the respect and appreciation in the world for those serving in our armed forces. I know how hard it is for the families to have them fighting in harms way but I also know how proud their families are of them. I am privileged to have many friends, some of which I consider family, to be serving in our Air Force and Army and Navy. I know that they would do anything for their country These are great men and women and I know we would not be here today if it wasn't for them. So on this special holiday please thank someone who has served for our country and keep those who are currently out in the war field in your prayers so they can return home to their families safely. I am so very proud to call this country home. I know, we are having a rough time right now but look back in history and you'll see we always pull through! God Bless America. Fly your flags high and with pride today. Have fun and stay safe!