Rural living; was Re: New to the group

January 2, 2004

Hey there... stick to your resolve. There's lots to be said about

rural living -- even if you have to drive a couple hours to go to a

CF clinic.

I believe a CF clinic isn't absolutely necessary in some cases,

rather it's an individual decision based upon the child's health and

the quality of care from your regular pediatricians.

Once we stopped attending a CF clinic, my son stopped getting rebound

illnesses. Previously, whenever he'd go for a scheduled CF checkup,

he'd get sick within 48 hours from some bug picked up at " clinic. "

My kids were raised in rural Oklahoma. We lived on a dairy farm so

they got fresh milk, home-raised beef, veggies and fruit. They got to

run around in the open pastures, my son would ride his 4-wheeler, and

that's a great way to jiggle lose the thick mucus. He was in love

with playing baseball, basketball, street hockey and in high school,

he played tennis. He wasn't interested in swimming or horses, but the

jostling you get from riding horses is a great way to do CPT.

The air quality was better in our little neck of the woods -- though,

I think Payne County, Oklahoma is allergy capitol of the world. With

the open plains, everything from the Texas gulf coast blows north,

and everything from Canada blows south.

My kids definitely had seasonal allergies, but I aside from allergies

they were healthier than their peers. They got the typical colds in

preschool as their young immune systerms were building, but very rare

for them to get colds once they started elementary school, and even

now they have fewer colds and illnesses than their peers.

So don't give up on rural living. My kids are grateful for growing up

in the country. It gave them an opportunity to know both sides of the

fence: country life and city life. They both live in cities now.

is in Chicago and is in Oklahoma City, and they manage

just fine. But I thank God for putting me in a situation where this

Florida girl married and Oklahoma dairy farmer so that I could learn

about the agri side of life and raise my children in the country.

Kim

Mom of (24 with cf) and (21 without)

> Thanks for the responses. It is great to know that other people

face the same issues. I agree the air near our house on the ranch is

clean and refreshing. Our kids get to explore everyday and what a

life. Write back soon

Recommended Posts