I was born on 15 September 1976 in Torshavn, capital of The Faroe Islands, which is a country within the Danish regine. I was born a big baby, weighing 4 kilos, bigger than any of my brothers had been, I have three older brothers. I was placed in a incubator after being born, because I had swolled too much amniotic. My mother often says that I have been sick since I entered the world, and that my three brothers were healthy as can be, nothing wrong with them. I started my first antibiotics at 3 weeks old. The antibiotica was mixed with my milk in my bottle, which gave a pinkish colour. I used to throw up a lot, all over myself and over my mother. I remember later being about 6-7 years old, calling that colour puke-colour, probably becasue it reminded me of the bottle... My mother tells me that I had otitis, pneumonia, and I don't remember what else, while I still was a toddler. I always had a snotty nose, and my best friend at the time, didn't want to play with me, becasue she tought that it was disgusting, she later has told me. My mother has told me that she tought it was amazing the amount of snot that could come out of me. I remember sitting in our kitchen window looking out watching the other kids play, and crying, because I couldn't go out, becasue I was sick. I remember being in school and one of the boys telling me that I had left something in the classroom sink; I had spitten up my mucus but it hadn't been rinsed out. I remember feeling embarrassed. I remember my parents telling me that the first thing they could hear when I came through the door, was a cough. When I was about 10 years old, I got a sinuse infection. One of my eyes grew up to the size of a tennis ball (all the mucus stuck inside), I couldn't stand any noise or light. Our family doctor told me to take antibiotics, and call him if I didn't improve... My eye just got worse, and my parents were angry at the doctor, who didn't seem to take it seriously, and took me to a specialist who had my hospitalized imidiately. I stayed in the hosptial for about 2-3 weeks (seemed longer to me at the time) and had a sinus surgery performed on me. There was no questioning why I got this and there was no mention of CF. Not at that time.
When I was a teenager, I was pretty much like everyone else. I didn't notice that I was "different". I did all the things that the others did. However, I do remember going hiking with my class one day, up to our highest mountain, and me walking way below than the rest of the group, and my teacher yearning me on. I didn't have the energy to walk up that heigh. Also my mother tells me that when she took me shopping, the first thing I did when we entered a store was throw myself down on the nearest chair But otherwise I had a normal teenage life. I always has mucus, but that was a part of me. I don't remember one day not having any (up until now). I guess I thought that this was normal for everyone. Except that I coughed more than others, and people commented on that I always coughed.
When I was in my 20's I moved to Denmark to study, and my health kind of changed. I got a real bad sinus infection, after I had a tooth pulled out, it was so bad that al my head hurt, all the bones in my head, and I could just cry becasue of pain (which probably made it worse). There are a lot more trees in Denmark than in The Faroe Islands, and I developed allergies. I went to my doctor and was diagnosed with asthma and pollen allergies. I began to wonder where all my mucus came from, I think my doctor said it was becasue of the asthma, and I was satisfied with that explanation. I was sick a lot, but I was used to that. And had tons of mucus, without feeling "sick". I remember one day buying books at my new University in Copenhagen, and when I had to give the sales person her money, I couldn't get a word out, because the mucus was on my vocal chords and I began to cough, "you sure got a cold there" she said, and I was like hmm mm, but no I wasn't "sick". People have so often made that assumption... also I remember my driving instructor saying "tobacco cough", when I didn't even smoke! I had recurring sinus pains, and once asked a doctor if it wasn't cronological, he said no, for that it has to be all the time...? I had it all the time!!! I was rather overweight when I was in my 20s, and I'm sure that it also played a part in me feeling bad. I remember once in the school library, bending down to take a book, and feeling awful, out of breath, dizzy and my body was liked it weighed 200 kilos. Also I got dizzy a lot, I remember getting dizzy while walking out in the sun with a friend of mine. I got the first pain in my lungs, which I later came to know very well, the night before I had an exam at University, the doctor came to see me and told me to stay home, so I had to take a sick exam later on. That was the first sign I had on what was to come later.
