Day 19: Sarah feels unwell

Every day Sarah needs to do the physiotherapy and breathing exercises that the physiotherapist has taught her. Her mother and father used to help her with them, but recently Sarah has started to learn how to do her exercises by herself.

Sarah also has to exercise regularly to keep fit. This means that her heart and lungs will be working well and her body will be able to cope better if she gets an infection. Exercise is also good for keeping Sarah’s bones healthy. She enjoys skipping and riding her bike, and last week her mother and father bought the family a trampoline. It’s fun for everyone but especially helpful for Sarah.

Because of the thick, sticky mucus in her lungs, Sarah often coughs a lot. This helps her body get rid of some of the mucus. Recently Sarah’s cough has been much worse and she has been feeling tired and unwell. Her mum and dad are worried that she might have a chest infection so they phone the clinical nurse specialist and ask her to make a home visit. The nurse thinks that Sarah does have an infection, so she asks Sarah’s mother and father to take Sarah to the hospital.