ATTENTION: Dykstra & Atchison Women

I got a call from the Dr. yesterday saying that my blood test came back positive for being a carrier of Cystic Fibrosis. (This doesn't mean I have the disease, just a carrier of it.)

Our next step is to have Matt's blood drawn (Tues. the 4th) to see if he is a carrier also. The test may take 1-2 weeks to get results, so please pray for us in the meantime. If he is a carrier, then and only then; the baby will have a 1 in 4 chance of having CF.

We meet with the Geneticist at the University of Florida on 9/11 for an informative counseling type session. I should know a lot more then.

To my female family members, being a carrier is inherited thru genetics. Which means some one in either of my families is a carrier as well. This is a relatively new test and available thru your OBGYN like all the others. Even if you opt out of all other tests (as we do) it may be worth testing for this one in particular. It won't really change anything, but it will insure you deliver at the right hospital (level 3) so that the appropriate care is there if your baby needs it.
Below is a bit of info I pulled on line for you to give you better understanding.

What Is CF?
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a disease that causes the body to make thick, sticky mucus. This causes problems in two major areas: the lungs and the digestive system.
Healthy lungs produce mucus, which protects the airways and makes it easier to breathe. But for a person with CF, the mucus is thick and sticky and can clog up the lungs. This creates a place where bacteria can easily grow - and bacteria cause infections.
And it's not only the lungs that are affected in a person who has cystic fibrosis. Mucus-producing cells line the digestive tract, including the stomach, intestines, liver, and pancreas. The pancreas produces enzymes that help digest food and hormones that help absorb sugar. When thick mucus in the pancreas clogs up the narrow passageways, it can make it difficult for people to digest food and get all the vitamins and nutrients they need.
Cystic fibrosis affects more than 30,000 children and young adults in the United States. It can be mild or severe, depending on the person. To make normal mucus, the body needs a special protein. This protein is defective in cystic fibrosis, producing the thick, sticky mucus that causes problems for people with CF.

What Causes CF?
CF is an inherited disease, which means that it's passed down from parent to child. Someone who has CF was born with it.
People with CF got the disease because their moms and dads each had a gene for CF. You need two CF genes (one from mom and one from dad) to have cystic fibrosis. Most people don't know that they carry the gene for CF until they have a child who has the disease because carriers of the CF gene do not have the disease themselves