Smoke and IVs

If you watched the news last week you may have noticed there were some catastrophic fires on the West Coast that completely devastated communities. We were so fortunate to be far enough away to be safe from any flames and destruction. We did, however, have a much less threatening, but relatively scary side effect from the fires. Our city and surrounding area was completely engulfed in smoke. When the fires first broke out some smoke made its way to our area, but we have experienced smoky days from fires in the past. We usually avoid exercising outdoors for a few days and move on with life so I assumed we would have a few days of avoiding the outdoors and life would go on. Sure enough on Saturday Kaylee's soccer game was canceled and we spent the weekend indoors to prevent breathing in the bad air. We had no idea that within a week the air would go from unhealthy to hazardous which would result in our local schools shutting down. By midweek the air would be so thick that visibility would resemble the foggiest winter morning. It was terrifying that we were breathing such horrible air, but it was even more heartbreaking that the smoke that filled our neighborhoods was carrying small fragments of other people's destroyed homes, and family heirlooms and human lives. 

Several of my friends fled and a few close friends invited me to stay with them in their Airbnb or hotel rooms in the mountains at an elevation that sat above the smoke. I had a strange predicament in that I was on IVS (again!). I guess I should back up and explain the IV situation really quickly...

I went to clinic a few weeks after stopping IVs and blew a 34% on my PFTs. It was up 5% from pre-IVs, but over the summer I blew 40% so we weren't happy to settle for 34 anymore and I went back on IVs for 7 days. I was finishing up IVs when the smoke rolled into town and I called my doctor genuinely terrified of what breathing "hazardous" air and what it would do to my lungs. We decided to extend my IVs just a few more days.

With the extended IVs came drug deliveries and needle changes which didn't really work if I was 2 hours away in the mountains (not to mention that high elevation is pretty hard on me). So we hunkered down with the doors sealed off to prevent smoke from leaking in through any seams and the air purifiers on full blast. My extended family and I eventually left the area to stay in an Airbnb about 50 minutes away so that we would be close enough to return for any CF care issues I might need, but far enough from the smoke that we could go outside.

The rains arrived right before thanksgiving and washed away the smoke that was lingering in the air. I am also officially done with IVs. Unfortunately, Kaylee and I woke up yesterday with pretty bad head colds so we will see in a few weeks if the IVs worked despite the bad air quality and this nasty cold. This Thanksgiving we were reminded to be grateful for all we do have and even when things don't seem to be going well whether it is with health, a career or whatever else seems to be bringing you down, that we are so incredibly lucky to be alive and able to experience this beautiful life.