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People that make over $117k don't pay no money in SS tax, but don't pay any additional money on the dollars they earned above $117k. So if you make $117k, you and your employer (split 50-50) pay $14,508 in SS tax (12.4%). If you make $200k or $300k or $25M or $1B, you and your employer (split...

I don't wash tubing (even though it is recommended that you do) but I read online (CFF maybe) that you can dry the tubing by plugging it into the nebulizer pump and running the pump for a few minutes to blow the water out of the tube.

I like the gatorade powder so that I can mix to the strength I like or bump up the salt a little (I like mine extra strong).

Nothing like partial nudity and a gatorade after a good run.

I do fundamentally worry about the cost of social programs (even the ones that benefit me) and that eventually the country won't be able to fund everyone we have committed to help. Also I look around me and see that it isn't just CF patients that are fighting the 'other half of the battle'. I...

“No one means all he says, and yet very few say all they mean, for words are slippery and thought is vicious,” Henry Adams. Apparently I’m not very good using words to convey my thoughts. So I’ll try again (practice makes perfect, maybe). My previous post was meant in all sincerity but let me...

Just so you don't use a spurious argument, diabetes is no longer a SSA Blue Book listed disorder. http://www.disabilitybenefitscenter.org/blog/diabetes-evaluation-SSA From that weblink, it looks like other chronic conditions are fighting the same battle with restricted SSDI access. Maybe you...

Here is a good Q&A about the protection the ACA offers (insurance can no longer drop you due to expensive treatments): http://www.webmd.com/health-insurance/health-reform-insurance-for-pre-existing-conditions And the more offical version from healthcare.gov...

The law in my state for the past 12 years has included a provision that a health insurance couldn't drop you based on your usage or diagnosis. They could only drop you for non-payment of premium or dishonesty when applying (i.e. not disclosing your drug or health history). I thought the ACA...

I left home for college at 18. I loved college and being on my own. I developed as a person, picked up employable skills and convinced my wife to marry me while away from home (30 miles). I probably didn't sleep well enough and I did have the luck of reasonably good health. My simple advice...

For me, my lungs are fairly sensitive and CF makes them somewhat fragile and inflamed. Therefore I try to avoid breathing anything into them that isn't directly proven to help them fight the disease (not always possible as particulates are everywhere). You could alway schedule a PFT and see...

Hemoptysis sucks partially because it is such a startling phenomenon to have bright red, oxygen rich blood coming out of your mouth (and lungs). About 7 years ago, I had a semi-bad episode while driving to work. I coughed blood for 5 or so minutes and then it stopped. It felt like a ton of...

My older brother didn't have enough symptoms to be tested. After I tested positive, then they tested the rest of the family, and he lost the lottery. He would have been 7 or 8 at the time. I really hope it is something else, but getting a test would at least let you know for sure.

Being on this forum has made me question my assumptions about health care coverage a bit. One of my 'goals' in life is to never be without health insurance in some form. To pay straight out of pocket the $15k of monthly drugs it takes when CF peoples are healthy (not to mention the $$$$$ when...

Have you tried a nasal spray like Flonase? That helps me a little (but my sinus problems don't sound quite so bad).

I saw a CF life insurance once a while back. The rates where awful then but maybe they got better. Here is a link for another CF life insurance. http://forum.cysticfibrosis.com/thre...Life-Insurance I've got it through an employer now. The paperwork says it is convertible if I ever leave the...

Renee great idea, it would be nice if there was a section on the main page for "Positive Things" or "CF Victories." I'm not really 'aged' yet, but I still want to share. In my late teens, my FEV1 was in the mid 80s. Then over the course of a few years I started using the vest (which helped my...

Just because I’m not in 100% agreement on the meting out of government funds does not mean we cannot be allies and friends in many other ways. For my brother, what I was saying is that he was able to build a safe-net that caught him. He is a great example of a ‘no matter what I’ll survive”...

Autumn, I didn’t know that SSDI and Medicare weren’t in sync. I would totally support a movement to change the law so that Medicare and SSD came with the same approval. That makes tons of sense to me. I also agree with the ability to apply for “impairment listing” when your case is severe but...

And because I like telling stories: Around 2008, my self-employed older CF brother lost a good deal of his business revenue due to the recession. I saw him and his family of 7 (yes they have 5 kids) survive on next to no income (like less than 5 digits). It was very hard for them. They burned...