I can only really answer two of your questions, but I am sure someone else
will be able to answer the others. As far as being in the hospital.....yes,
it is normal for people with CF to have fairly frequent hospital stays. Since
each case of CF varies to greatly, the amount of hospital stays will vary.
My son's Dr's told to us expect a minimum of one hospital stay a year. We
were fortunate enough for him that he made it a year and a half between his
last hospital stay and his recent one. It seems to me from what I see people
write in these CF groups that the older you get and the more your lungs
deteriorate with each infection, the hospital stays seems to become much more
frequent. I am always reading about people going into the hospital on a fairly
regular basis, and coming home on IV antibiotics. Other than that, I know my
son's Dr has said that people with CF go in about once or twice a year for what
they call a "tune-up" hospital stay. I am not quite sure what all this
involves. My son is only 2 and has not had a tune-up yet.

As far as the vest, we have the second number (on the right when you look at
the machine) set to a 15, and the first number (on the left when you look at
the machine) starts on 14 at the beginning of the 30 minute session and goes
up one number each tem minutes to end on 16. The numbers that you use as an
adult may be different, but this is how the respitory therapist has advised
us to do it. They have also recommended that we do the nebulizer at the same
time the vest is on. It is most productive this way. They said if we run
out of neb medication before the time runs out, to add saline in the neb cup
until the time runs out. My son does 2 30 minute sessions a day when he is
healthy, and up to 4 sessions when he is not.

I hope this is a little bit helpful for you. Sorry I don't have the adult
perspective for you.

As far as the lung transplant. If it were me or my son, I would do it. If
things go well, it should prolong your life.
_NPR : My So-Called Lungs_
(http://www.npr.org/programs/atc/features/2002/aug/socalledlungs/index.html)

try this link. I don't know if it will work, but it is a audio diary of a
girl with CF who gets a lung transplant. I think it is like 22 minutes long
or something.

I wish you the best of luck. Feel free to ask more questions anytime!
Heather



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