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Organize Your Trip

As you are undoubtedly discovering in your journeys, staying as healthy as possible is the ticket to all trains leaving the station. Healthy, however, means treating your body well, implementing savvy time management skills, and having a good understanding of health insurance options — just some of the gear you will need on this trip called adulthood

Traveling with the right gear

By this time in your life, you know about the importance of exercise, nutrition and your daily treatments. The treatment choices you make every day affect your quality of life as a CF patient, so be sure to pack a consistent treatment plan and then follow through accordingly. While not considered a treatment, per se, good nutrition is essential to good health for anyone diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. Nutrient-rich, calorie-laden meals and snacks are vital for health; and, working with a CF nutritionist to create an appropriate meal plan can help you avoid adult-onset issues, like CF-related diabetes or brittle bones.

Exercise is good for anyone, but it is particularly helpful for people with CF. Exercise and airway clearance help keep lungs healthy; and healthier lungs mean fewer visits to the hospital, leaving you more time to do the things you want to do.

Next stop: Time management

Living with your parents, you probably had all sorts of support for your treatments, nutrition and exercise. Preparing high-calorie, easy-to-travel food takes time. Sterilizing nebulizers takes time. And following the insurance-provider paper trail is a feat that would challenge most accountants. Let's face it. Cystic fibrosis is time intensive. You may not have even known how much help you were receiving until it was gone. If you've left your support network, and find yourself struggling now with how to get it all done in a day, it's time to recalculate your approach.

Expanding your circle of support is essential for many people with CF living away from home and family. Having friends who will visit you in the hospital during tune-ups, exercise with you, and keep you motivated to stay on top of your treatments can make things feel less overwhelming and more manageable. The foundation of time management is setting priorities with your to-do list and sticking to them. you know that your daily treatments may protect your health, then those treatments should be at the top of that list. Other activities — dinner with friends, a movie, a party — all have to take second seat to the things that keep you as healthy as possible.

Navigating your health insurance

Dependable health insurance is key when living with cystic fibrosis. Many people with CF make job decisions based on the strength of the health insurance offered by prospective employers. For good reason. A strong plan can ensure you get the meds and care you need, at a price that will protect your savings account.

When it is time to consider new health care insurance, keep these key items in mind:

• Lifetime caps: Find out what they are for your plan, and then compare the cap to your average annual medical expenses.
• Prescription drug coverage: Which drugs are on the insurance plan's formulary? Are your CF drugs fully covered? If not, how much will you have to pay out of pocket for them?
• CF Center: Are your CF center doctors covered? At what percent?

Should you have to leave a job, or it leaves you, you may be able to continue with your group health insurance coverage for a limited length of time.

Some questions to consider may include:

• Are you entitled to COBRA?
• Are you entitled to continuation of your benefits?
• Are you entitled to disability insurance?
• Are you entitled to FMLA?
• Are you entitled to gain benefits under HIPAA?

As with most of the decisions you have to make regarding your cystic fibrosis, the medical team at your CF care center is a good place to turn for help and advice. They can give you tips on how to best navigate insurance issues, which may vary from state to state.