Let’s start this Wednesday night off with the “c” word: compliance. It’s the word you hate to hear and it means you have to do what you are told when are told, no matter how much you bitch and moan about it.

I’ve never really had an issue with compliance, we’ve been pretty steady from the get-go and we are hardly ever separated. Sure, there are minor blips here and there, my leash gets a little loose and like an excited dog in the park I try to break free and chase the squirrels, mistaking a loose leash for a thing called freedom—but really all I end up doing is strangling myself and nursing the after effects of poor judgment. This is all figuratively speaking of course; I chase cute irresistible bunnies, not squirrels. Let’s be reasonable.

I am a little bit of a doctor’s pet in that I very, very rarely skip mask or physio treatments (I might miss part of one during the odd special occasion) and this is quite an accomplishment considering I have done three treatments daily for as long as I can remember (four treatments daily when I am sick, but that gets a little much). In fact, my friends are pretty surprised to learn all the shit I do when I stay over for a weekend. I would guesstimate that treatments take up 5 hours of my day, sometimes more, depending on the type of day it is. For instance: the “PEP” mask (which is a mask you breath into that creates positive pressure thus making you cough up the junk trapped in your lungs) supposedly takes 20 minutes. I say supposedly because it very rarely takes 20 minutes because of all the coughing it causes—40 minutes is more like it. Speaking of PEP I am always told I have “perfect” technique too… wow I’m such a brownnoser...

Anyway enough of my bragging and back to the issue of compliance, it is probably THE most important aspect of keeping healthy (or stable, which is what I consider “healthy”) with CF. So that is why I don’t miss treatments (not to say I am a complete angel). I suppose it is because I’ve been in the hospital easily over 10 times (I have lost count, so I just say 10+) and would do anything to stay the heck out of there. But mostly it is because my lungs are greedy little devils that require constant attention—missing one treatment=no sleep and coughing fits for moi.

But there are only so many hours in the day…

It is amazing where you can find the time if you really look. I am a bit of a scheduler, which is helpful, although I don’t follow times to a tee I have a general idea of when I do things. For instance, when I have a full time job (which I do in the summer) I wake up early for my mask + pep, do another one right when I get home (or after a snack) and another one around 11 at night. Strangely enough it is when I am on these tight schedules that I strive, because I am aware my time is so compressed and I am less likely to waste it. And yes, I am even able to fit in a workout (though I was much better with that last summer opposed to this summer…) and there is still time for downtime as well. It IS possible, just a little bit exhausting at times and you have to make a conscious decision about whether or not it is worth it for you.

Here’s my biggest reason for being compliant:

The day when I do go on the active transplant list I don’t want any regrets. No “What if I had taken better care of myself? What if I hadn’t skipped those treatments?” Regret is a horrible feeling and not one that I wish to experience when it comes to my health. Once the damage has been done there is no turning back. I want to know that when my time with these lungs has come to an end that I have made every last-ditch effort to keep these babies going—I do have a Scottish background after all and we like to make things last as long as possible.