hi, im new to this message board, so im just writing to say hello. im 21 years old and i have CF. anyone who would like to talk about their experiences with CF , please feel free to e-mail me. ive never met anyone who has CF, so id really like to learn more about my own situation by learning how others have delt with their condition.

ive had my lung collapse 3 times in the last 4 years, but other than that i have been really healthy, and have only spent 3 weeks(1 week for each collapsed lung) in the hospital in my life. but since this last hospital stay ive been getting incresingly short of breath, and have a hard time climbing a couple of flights of stairs, although i used to be able to play sports (baseball, basketball, skateboarding) with no problems. is this normal, and will my lungs ever get better? my doctor says that my lungs aren't that bad, but he also says that they will never get back to the way they were. is that true, are there any things i could do to help increase my lung function? im really worried about this, and if anyone had any advise or ideas id really appreciate the help.

oh yea, i forgot to include my e-mail address(i thought my screen name would be a link to it, but i was mistaken). here it is if any one wants to send me some mail.

joepunx@hotmail.com

The most important thing you can do to keep your lungs as healthy as possible is exercise!! They doctors say this along with your regular treatments and healthy eating, will help to fight off infections,which cause the scaring in the lungs. I am 33 yrs old and although some days you really don't feel like moving, push yourself..it will help you in the long run!!

Cheers to good health,

Tina