Perspective

Parts for a nebulizer,  a device used to administer medication
in the form of a mist inhaled into the lungs 

Mere days ago I mused about my love/hate relationship with my antidepressants. " I hate taking them," I wrote, "every frigging gol-darned day of my life." My niece, Diane, commented on that post, "You'd think when I already take 14+ a day, one more wouldn't hurt, and yet I still think to myself, 'I just don't want to be on any MORE pills!'"

In fact, for Diane and her sister Laura, the 14+ pills a day are the least of it. They both have Cystic Fibrosis. CF is a genetic disease that is not curable (though it is treatable) and is fatal. Full stop.

Every day since diagnosis, these girls have been on a regime of medications and physical treatments several times a day. This includes things like antibiotics on a regular basis (28 days on, 28 days off), digestive enzymes, sinus rinses, vibrating vests to loosen mucus, and ... well, I didn't actually ask the details. But "meds" are just part of the routine here. They pop a few capsules before they eat, to help their bodies digest as much as possible. (The viscous mucus of CF also affects their digestive tracts.) Morning and evening they get out the nebulizer, add medication, then sit for several minutes inhaling the mist. They can't talk while doing this. (Which, for Diane, is a hardship.)

There's no "pity party" going on here. (Though we would all happily say goodbye to CF in a heartbeat.) The meds are just facts of life. What's more important is what's going on in these two women's lives: work, education, baby. Just like everyone else.

Diane

Laura

So, yah. My few pills a day? That's nothing.