For most of us, getting a cold is no big deal. Sure it sucks, but we all deal with it - the runny nose, congestion, cough, and sneezing. The symptoms come, our bodies fight it off, and before we know it we're feeling 100% again. For Kaelyn and other CF suffers, colds can turn into something more serious - lung infections. Because CF suffers have a faulty gene that allows too much salt into cells and not enough water, a build-up of sticky mucus ends up being the result. This sticky mucus builds up in the body's passageways, and at times when a cold or virus attacks, the body can't always fight it it off on it's own. Repeated lung infections and inflammation of the lungs create irreversible damage and threaten the health of CF suffers.
Kaelyn's health is usually outstanding and more than we could ask for - however, she has already had her share of sicknesses this cold season and recently had a virus that she just couldn't fight off on her own. Runny nose, bad cough with mucus, hoarse voice, reoccurring fever... which meant that for the first time in 3 years, it was time for antibiotics. Penicillin antibiotics were prescribed and for the first week they seemed to be working well. However this past Saturday, I started noticing small red bumps on Kaelyn's stomach and back. As the day progressed, they increased in size and number so a call to the doctor was needed.
It turns out Kaelyn has a severe allergy to penicillin antibiotics. She's doing fine though and all of the spots from the rash should clear up in about a week. Her doctor said no antibiotics of any type for a while because Kaelyn could develop allergic reactions to other types while her body is recovering, and we definitely don't want that to happen.
Here's a picture of Kaelyn from yesterday:
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