Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis is an inherited disease that affects about 70,000 individuals worldwide.

In cystic fibrosis, a defective gene will cause the body to make a thick and sticky substance that clogs the lungs and causes lung infections. This mucus also obstructs the pancreas, which will not allow the body to break down food properly. The symptoms of cystic fibrosis are wheezing and shortness of breath, poor weight gain, coughing, lung infections, salty-tasting skin and bowel movement difficulty.

A couple can obtain prenatal genetic testing to rule out the condition. Newborns can be screened for the disease after birth. Cystic fibrosis can be treated with antibiotics and diet therapy. It is also very important to drain the excess mucus by coughing it out.

Comments: Cystic-Fibrosis

Comments 1 to 24 of about 24.
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1blessedmom - 231 days ago.
@dee25 .. we were both tested but sorry couldn't tell ya..We live in Canada and these test are covered by government. I am thinking of all of you who are dealing with health issues in your baby. We have had our share and can well relate to the stress and pain.

dee25 - 235 days ago.
im 13wks and about two weeks ago i found out im a carrier of cystic fibrosis but i was covered by medicaid but tha bby farther is not ... for tha ladies and there partners who both got tested was it costly for there ur partner to get tested and if so how much? or could my medicaid cover him... any info helps! take care blooming ladies :)

cheeser212002 - 237 days ago.
Ok So we just found out yesterday that our 3 1/2 week old baby girl has cystic fibrosis :(. Is anyone here dealing with the same thing?

1blessedmom - 244 days ago.
Our Dr's office called us this morning concerning our blood work to see if my husband and I carry the cystic fibrosis gene. It turns out we are both not carriers, which mean it is not possible for our baby to have it! One major concerned ruled out! We were so happy about that! Even our kids were all so excited! I hadn't realized they were all thinking about these things so much too. thank you to those who were praying about this!

1blessedmom - 244 days ago.
Our Dr's office called us this morning concerning our blood work to see if my husband and I carry the cystic fibrosis gene. It turns out we are both not carriers, which mean it is not possible for our baby to have it! One major concerned ruled out! We were so happy about that! Even our kids were all so excited! I hadn't realized they were all thinking about these things so much too. thank you to those who were praying about this!

1blessedmom - 253 days ago.
Signs of improvement on the ultrasound today. There is a good start and though things might not seem completely normal yet, this gave us a lot of hope and we're happy to have gotten some good news! Dr. seemed a lot less concerned now about that! Only got the blood work done today as well and don't have results yet to see if my husband and I are carriers.

1blessedmom - 268 days ago.
We are suppose to go do the blood work to see if we are carriers at a clinic near us. (I'm at a high risk clinic an hour away from us) The other day we went to do that and couldn't because my Dr.s office gave us the wrong paper work. Now I have to starighten that out again first.

gretch - 268 days ago.
Blessedmom- have you and your husband been tested to see if both of you are carriers? You both have to be to pass it along to baby.

1blessedmom - 269 days ago.
The reason the Dr. thinks our baby has cystic fibrosis is because of Fetal echogenic bowel. Has anyone heard of this sort of diagnosis before and is my Dr. assuming too much too soon?

1blessedmom - 280 days ago.
We were told yesterday that it looks as though our baby will have cystic fibrosis. we have already dealt with so many health problems with our babies in the passed and this was very hard to hear. We loss 2 full term babies . I could really use some support in this area now and also any info you might have or experiences.

nurse25 - 412 days ago.
hi ladies i am a cystic fibrosis nurse so if anyone has any questions be free to drop me a line xxx

the--official-mrskelly - 629 days ago.
thanks sweerbabyella :) you really helped

sweetbabyella - 629 days ago.
mrskelly- i did a little reading online to see what they might have been talking about. (i had no clue!) and from what i saw on a bunch of different sites, there is little to no connection between the two conditions. (hyperechogenic fetal bowel & cystic fibrosis). I am NOT an expert, and i'm sure your doctor knows best, but i would try not to get worried. I read that there was ONE study done to see hyperechogenic fetal bowl was a marker for cystic fibrosis, and In that study only 1 out of around 200 babies with gyperechogenic fetal bowl was diagnosed with CF. I know what you mean about the needles though, i am deathly afraid too! if my BF comes back positive for a carrier i'm going to get an amnio done too just to be sure.

the--official-mrskelly - 629 days ago.
sweetbabyella-im not sure what they saw but all i know is that in the ultrasound they gave me they said they saw what looked like a Hyperechogenic fetal bowel which i have no clue what that is lol. They have me seeing two drs one regular ob and a high risk ob until they get my blood work back seeing if i carry it but they said i dont they just want to be sure. Its a big mess and its very stressful. The worst part is not knowing for sure if she has it or not. I think im just gonna go ahead and get the amniocentesis to see if she has it. But if very afraid of needles :(

sweetbabyella - 629 days ago.
mrskelly- what did they see on the ultrasound that would make them think your baby has cystic fibrosis? from what i understand, i thought you could only tell through blood work, or if someone starts to show signs/symptoms (and i'm sure an unborn baby isn't showing symptoms). My doctor said that BOTH parents have to be carriers in order for it to be passed on to the child. I recently found out I am a carrier, but in order for it to even have a chance of passing on to the baby, my boyfriend has to be a carrier as well. Good luck, i'm sure it will all be fine :)

the--official-mrskelly - 629 days ago.
hello ladies im 24 weeks pregnant and they think my baby has cystic fibrosis it seems that she has it in her ultrasound but my first blood test it shows that i dont carry it can baby get it from the father? im very nerves is my baby dose have it

sweetbabyella - 637 days ago.
I found out last night at my OB appointment that my blood work came back and I am a carrier for cystyc fibrosis too. There is no history of this in my family at all, AND I was tested for it when I was pregnant with my daughter and it NEVER SHOWED UP! has anyone had an experience like that before? My Boyfriend now has to get tested as well, i'm praying he comes back negative!

meesemommy - 837 days ago.
i found out today that I'm a carrier too. no one in my family or my husband's family has ever had cystic fibrosis so I was completely shocked when we found out. His blood was drawn today so we will wait and see if he's a carrier. PLEASE PRAY FOR US!

simone-nelson - 931 days ago.
cystic fibrosis isn't so scary anymore, my mother was told my brother had it at 6 weeks and would not live to see 2 well he lived to see 23 and sadly passed away on march 08 2007 it's not such the death sentence anymore!! Have faith because they are always bringing out new drugs and 1 day there will be a cure :)

bwest - 1253 days ago.
My little cousin who is 8 has got CF. She has it pretty bad, but with help from doctors and family you can't even tell she is sick. She goes once a year to a hospital and stay for 10-15 days. They call it her tune up. She has to take about 15 different medicines everyday and has to wear a special vest that beats her. It's a lot of work and you need family support but with today's technology you can beat it and live an old age. The doctor's can't believe the way she looks and her health. SO if any of you ladies find out that your precious baby has CF, i know it's scary but DONT let that put you down! You CAN fight it. Good Luck!!!

firstlilschlegel - 1266 days ago.
My daughter is 8 weeks old, and on her nb heel prick came back with a mutation for CF. We have had 2 sweat tests done and she has failed both coming back in the 'grey' area each time. She is gaining weight and growing great, I know that is a concern. Is there anything else I should be looking for, we are going to test her again at 6 months.

blessed with baby - 1274 days ago.
I wanted to send a little bit of encouragement to both of you. I had a child four years ago. His name is Conner. I found out i was a carrier as well as my husband, well into our pregnancy. As you know, its the scaries thought to imagine this little blessing being given something we can't control. My uncle died of it when he was 6- so i had a pretty good idea i was a carrier. However, we never imagined my husbaand was a carrier. I refused to even do the amnio in fear of losing a healthy child. My husband talked me into it as we had very opposing views of bringing an unhealthy child into the world. I have to tell you it was one of the biggest challenges my marriage has ever faced. Though faced with it all and all the things that, sure, could go wrong- you must have faith. They scare you with all the statistics, and yes there are some. However, my uncle died of it at 6- my grandmother had 3 more children and two more are carriers- one isn't. My son, Conner ISN'T EVEN A CARRIER. Keep the faith guys. Its ok to be educated with the genes we are given, but it doesn't mean its over. I am pregnant again, I actually go in for my CVS test tomorrow. Keep the faith. Know that its not so bad to be a carrier nor your child to be, and yes though there are statistics saying you probably could have a child with CF, the chances you won't are MUCH GREATER! I lost a baby in my last pregnancy as I was doing the ultrasound minutes before my cvs test. I saw a still fetus- i have to tell you, you have higher risks at other things going wrong. But don't fret. Keep positive. We've been blessed with this amazing child growing inside of us. Don't lose faith. Embrace the special uniqueness that we have and just educate yourself. Don't give up hope that this may be your last child either due to it. There are options out there. There's a cvs test early on you can do, and there's also an a PGD invitro fertilization procedure to ensure you don't even have a carrier as a child if you decide for future. Enjoy what you have and I'll be praying for you and crossing my fingers that all is well! Have fun with baby!

Lou24 - 1290 days ago.
I am also a carrier of Cystic fibrosis my little sister has it we have jst had tests to see if my partner carries it jst waitin for the results to see what happens next

1st-time-mommy08 - 1353 days ago.
JUST FAUND OUT THAT I CARRY CYSTIC FIBROSIS AND I AM SCARE FOR MY BABY TO HAVE IT TO!!!