Current HealthBrayden is doing very well. He is a happy healthy little boy most of the time. The CF team is very pleased with his condition, and a recent chest CT, which he will have repeated every 2 years, came back with a very good report. Brayden sees the treatment team at the CF Clinic at MUSC every 3 months.
Prior to this week, Brayden had not been sick since early fall. However, a week ago Friday a nasty little virus showed up, and we have been diligently fighting to get rid of it. Brayden is finally feeling better thanks to lots of breathing treatments and plenty of fluids and rest.
Everyday Life for BZ
Brayden takes pancreatic enzymes with each meal and snack to ensure that his body can absorb the most fat and nutrients from the food he eats and drinks. Since he can't yet swallow the pills, we have to open them and pour their contents into applesauce for him to eat. Right now, Brayden takes 13 pills a day. Due to the nature of CF, Brayden will always have a harder time putting on and keeping on weight. Therefore, extra measures will have to be taken to boost his caloric and fat intake. For now, we add fat or oil to his pureed foods, and try to add higher fat foods such as cheese, avocados, yogurt, etc. at every meal and snack. Brayden also takes a daily vitamin specially formulated for CFers.
Every morning and evening Brayden gets his treatment. For now this consists of inhaling albuterol through a mask, followed by 30 minutes of chest physical therapy that Mom or Dad perform with a percussor on his chest and back. Brayden will soon be fitted for a vest that will perform this chest physical therapy (CPT) for him. Brayden enjoys watching Baby Einstein, Baby Genius, or Praise Baby DVD's to help him sit still during his treatments.If Brayden starts to get sick, we increase his treatments to 3 or 4 times a day.
