Ok so im jumping on the bandwagon 2 days too late but who care's?!
Medication- One very important word in cf life! Eve currently takes 10 different medications daily, which is actually not very many in comparison to previous times where she has been on 15/16 meds daily.
These include:
1. Creon 10,000- 30 capsules daily.
Creon capsules are essential for people with cf who are pancreatic insufficient (the inability to properly digest food due to a lack of digestive enzymes made by the pancreas). Eve takes at least 30 a day, usually 4-5 with her main meals and 3-4 with snacks. Imagine not being able to eat or drink anything without popping several pills?! But Eve does that everyday without a second thought!
2. Probiotics- 2 capsules daily.
Probiotics are essential to a person who takes antibiotics daily. Constant use of antibiotics kill the good bacteria in the intestines, so taking probiotics helps to replace some of the good bacteria.
3. Floxapen- antibiotic taken 3 times daily.
Floxapen is a daily antibiotic that Eve has been on since she was diagnosed with cf 5 years ago. This antibiotic is used as a preventative to help keep infections and bacteria at bay.
4. Zithromax- antibiotic taken 3 times a week.
Zithro is the newest antibiotic that Eve has been put on for her problems with inflammation in the lungs (caused by a number of environmental factors). Zithro helps to prevent inflammation in the lungs and this has always been a huge problem for Eve. She has improved immensely since starting the drug over 7 weeks ago.
5. Ventolin- nebulised medication taken 3 times daily.
Eve takes ventolin 3 times daily through a nebuliser machine- once in the morning to open up her lungs before school, once before she takes her hypertonic saline in the afternoon, and once before her pulmozyme at night time. The purpose of ventolin is to open up the airways and allow other nebulised medications to get right into the lungs and make it somewhat easier to breath.
6. Hypertonic Saline- nebulised medication taken 1/2 times daily.
Eve takes hypertonic saline (which is basically just saltwater in a nebuliser) once daily when healthy, and twice daily when sick. She takes the 7% concentration which is the strongest so it is really hard on her airways and makes her cough alot!
7. Pulmozyme- nebulised medication taken 1/2 times daily.
Pulmozyme is a nebulised drug that breaks down the mucus in Eve's lungs, which makes it easier to loosen (using the vest) and cough up. She takes this once when healthy and twice when sick.
8. Aquadek- 1 capsule daily.
Aquadek is Eve's daily capsule of Vitamin ADEK. People with cf have lower vitamin levels than others and therefore need a lot of supplements.
9. Vitamin C- 2 pills daily.
Eve has a low vitamin C level so she takes 1,000mg of vitamin C daily to help prevent colds, which eventually turn into lung infections.
10. Vitamin D- 12 drops daily.
Eve has very low vitamin D levels (not suprising given that we live in Ireland and get no sun!) so she takes an extra vitamin D supplement daily.
So there you have a list of Eve's medications...it's alot for a girl of 5, but remember this is only the list of meds she takes when she is HEALTHY! When she is sick you can guarantee that at least 4-5 more meds will be added to that list!
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