We're in the homestretch of our east coast vacation and have had a great time. We've had the opportunity to see a lot of friends who we haven't seen in a long time and are definitely bummed that we still won't get to see others.
Drew has done really well here. We haven't skipped a beat with his treatments, even taking the Vest and his nebulizer with us to a friends house in Princeton yesterday so that we didn't have to cut our visit short to get home and do the whole routine.
It's definitely interesting seeing friends who haven't yet met the twins. They read the blog and keep up with our goings on via emails and Facebook, but when we meet in person they have all the same questions that many of our friends from Cincinnati had when they first met Drew. They get to see me Clorox off restaurant tables and high chairs, use crazy amounts of hand sanitizer, and administer enzymes before every meal, snack or drink of milk. It's secondhand to us now, but when you don't see it everyday it surely looks like a lot of work. I've eased up over time, but I'm still extra cautious because I know that Drew has a pretty high propensity to pick up germs that turn into nasty infections and the way those infections turn our world upside down.
A few weeks ago, I asked Drew's doctor about swimming in our little backyard pool. She said that as long as we were cleaning it out regularly (read always empty the pool after use and clean it out with some bleach before using it again) that she wasn't to worried. The concern is pseudomonas, which grows in water. We just got rid of it (knock on wood) and I'm happy to take any and all precautions to insure that it doesn't return via some preventable method. Public pools are fine for him, and are even an encouraged form of exercise because the chlorine kills the bacteria and keeps the water clean. His doctor told us that we probably shouldn't swim in friends or neighbors little backyard pools that we're not responsible for cleaning because we don't know how clean they are or what Drew could pick up from playing in them. Even if it looks clean, it might have been sitting for just long enough to grow a little slime. We used a friends water table yesterday, and I will admit that it made me a little uneasy. It had just been filled that day, and Drew was having the time of his life splashing and playing, and that always helps to ease some of my anxiety, but I guess as his mom I'll always be a little bit apprehensive of things I can't control, bacteria being one of them. We're going to another picnic this afternoon and were told to bring along bathing suits. I know drew would love to play with the other kids in the pool but unless I can clean it all appropriately, my nerves get the best of me and we conveniently forget swimsuits.
It's easy for people to tell me to relax, but when its your kid you're trying to protect from a potential life threatening infection, you'd look like a crazy person too without a second thought. It's impossible to protect him from germs. Some germs are good and will help him to build up a resistance, but things that I can control, even if it's only in my head and for my sanity, i'll go ahead and take the extra steps.
Finally, a blogger friend who has a daughter with CF is waiting for some culture results. They just developed a new cough and are working on determining the cause. Anything new or different is always scary. It's hard to not have your mind go to the worst case scenario or let stress and wonder and worry get the best of you. I liken it to someone recovering from cancer and having to go back every few months for follow ups. Waiting for those results can cause some serious stress. Even if you have a positive attitude, there's just never any telling what's going to turn up. Anyway, if you have an extra prayer in your back pocket, this family could use it.
Happy 4th! I'll post some pictures of our PA adventures once we're back home.
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