Well, I’ve been on Trikafta for almost three weeks, and things just keep getting better and better. I have so much energy I just don’t know what to do with. No matter what I do, my energy levels during the day are through the roof. I can do everything I want to do at once, without needing any time in between tasks to relax. Chores no longer suck the energy out of me like they once did. I’ve got more than enough energy to get everything done that needs to be done, all at once. As a result, I have a lot more confidence, and am much happier than I’ve ever been before. 

Just today, I disassembled my old bed in preparation for a new bed and mattress I’ve got on the way. I woke up pretty early this morning to do it, so whoever wanted it on Craigslist could come get it as soon as possible. I completely disassembled my bed all on my own with minimal tools. Yes, I had tools, but I lost my wrench halfway through and had to break the rest of the bedframe with my own physical strength. It wasn’t too hard. Most of the nuts and bolts holding the bedframe together were pretty loose. But, I still impressed myself by just how strong I really am. 

After I had the bed disassembled, I moved it, piece by piece, upstairs and into my driveway, and only needed help from my mom to carry the headboard up the stairs. Even after all that time I spent on disassembling my bed, which lasted for over an hour because I spent half an hour looking for my lost wrench, I wasn’t even tired enough to sit down for a few minutes. I decided to go for a long walk to wind down enough so I could sit down for a few minutes. During my walk, I dug around in my pockets to find my phone and earbuds, and guess what I found inside along with my phone and earbuds? The wrench I lost. 

I didn’t realize Cystic Fibrosis negatively impacted me as much as it did, until Trikafta came along and defanged my condition. Do I still have Cystic Fibrosis? Of course I do. Trikafta isn’t a cure. But, it’s damn close to one! In fact, for many patients, likely including myself, it technically is a cure so long as we continue to take it. People are retaking sweat tests after that test diagnosed them with CF, and the sweat test (which is supposed to be fool-proof) cannot tell those people have CF anymore! Holy shit! Just holy shit! We fucking did it! We probably found a way to cure genetic diseases without fucking other shit up! How crazy is that?!

I can digest my own meals for the most part, and have finally figured out just how many enzymes I need to digest food without backing up my bowels. I need two enzymes for larger meals, and zero for regular-sized meals and snacks. Let me repeat that. I went from needing four to five pills per meal to just partially digest my meals, to needing only two pills to fully digest my larger meals! But, I can digest smaller meals and snacks just fine without any digestive enzymes! Even though I still don’t have much of an appetite, I can eat without having to battle my gag reflex to get calories into my stomach, and I’m gaining weight. 

Since I started Trikafta, I’ve gained three pounds. I’m no longer so skinny that almost my entire skeleton is visible. Am I still skinny? Yeah. But, do I resemble someone with anorexia? No. I still have several pounds to gain before I’ll feel comfortable stepping on the scale, but that no longer seems so daunting. Even though I still eat like a bird, Trikafta is making it possible for my body to digest every calorie I take in. I no longer need to force 4,000 calories down my throat to gain weight. It’s great that I don’t need to torture myself daily to reach and maintain a healthy weight. I know most people think it would be great if they could eat all the wanted and not get fat, but that ability has a very shitty catch, and I’m glad I’m pretty much past that. 

Also, breathing is very easy for me to do now. I didn’t know my lungs were so shitty until they weren’t so shitty anymore. I still cough every now and then, but every time I do cough, mucus comes up and out. But, they just feel so empty. I don’t know how to put it into words. Every time I take a breath, my lungs just feel so wide open and unrestricted. I feel like I fill up my entire torso and then some, each time I take in a deep breath. I no longer have to try several times to satisfy a yawn. I no longer wheeze or cough during cardio workouts. I no longer feel like someone’s giving me a tight hug all the time. I can finally truly breathe. Sure, my lung function numbers have been exceptional pretty much all of my life, but unfortunately, numbers don’t always tell the full story. I didn’t realize I never felt like I truly had 100-120% of my lung capacity, until Trikafta came along and showed me what it really feels like to breathe easy. Chances are, my PFTs will reveal that my lung function is way beyond 120% now. But to be honest, I couldn’t give a flying fuck about what my lung function is now. I can breathe. That’s all that matters. 

Also, I can smell. I no longer need to bring soap right up to my nostrils to smell it. Now, scent comes to me. I don’t even know what many of the whiffs I catch outside belong to. I think the sweet, earthy scent I often catch whiffs of on my walks, belong to the pondersoa pine trees that shade the sidewalks. But, other than that, I don’t know what the fuck I’m picking up on. It’s all new to me. All I know is that it’s been overwhelming to me. I didn’t know I missed out on so much, until Trikafta lifted the veil. 

Am I still purging mucus in unpleasant ways? Yes. But, is the mucus purging negatively impacting me? Not really. I’m used to it, and I’m also feeling a little less disgusting everyday. Hopefully, I’ll be side-effect free very soon. But, even the side-effects aren’t bad. They’re proof my body is in cleanup mode, and is working tirelessly to eject 75% of the extra mucus that has comfortably accumulated in my body for eighteen years. 

Unfortunately, there is another negative side to Trikafta. As ecstatic as I am that this medication finally freed me from so much suffering and strife, I’ve been grieving over the eighteen years I spent sick and suffering from CF. I know I still have CF, but it isn’t in my face 24/7. I’m not sleeping sixteen hours a day. I don’t need caffeine to stay alert and awake. I don’t wheeze, cough, or clear my throat so often anymore. I don’t struggle to run or do any sort of hard work. I don’t need as many treatments or pills to stay healthy. I’m finally able to get a taste of what life is like for people without CF, and emotionally, that has been extremely overwhelming to me. I’ve been in tears daily. I cry because I’m overjoyed that I’m so healthy. But, I also cry because everyday, I find another small thing I missed out on while I was still bound by the chains of Cystic Fibrosis. 

The small things are what make this medication count the most. The world is so much more beautiful now that I can experience it completely. I can run without wheezing. I can smell without having to stick my face directly against the source. I can wake up in the morning and stay awake without the need for caffeine or an afternoon nap. I can do everything I want to do, and then some, without feeling exhausted. Weather fronts no longer cripple me. Wind no longer chokes me. Cold no longer restricts me. It’s amazing what I can do now that CF is no longer something that sits on my shoulders, dictating every little thing I can and cannot do. 

Will I still have bad days? Yes. But, is every day a bad day? Nope. Far from it. 

I can’t wait to see what else I can do that I haven’t been healthy enough to do before. 

God truly answered my desperate prayers for a miracle. Sure, scientists and doctors worked for thirty years to create Trikafta. But, we should never forget Who created those doctors and scientists, and science itself, in the first place. Thank science for Trikafta, and thank God for science!