Almost one year of Kalydeco

Decided it was time for a summary post about my new health on Kalydeco.

I have been on Kalydeco for 11 months through the Named Patient Program, a program where Vertex supply Kalydeco to those who are very unwell. Kalydeco is the first medication that treats the underlying cause of Cystic Fibrosis in patients with the G551D mutation.

Before Kalydeco my lung function was 41% and very unstable. I was in hospital every 3-4 months. I was on medications that treated the CF symptoms; these were becoming less effective as I grew older.

For the last 11 months my FEV1 has been stable at approx 70%. This is amazingly stable compared to before; for 20 years my lung function has varied up to 20% from month to
month, now I am stable for the first time in my life. This is my highest in 3 years.

I have stayed out of hospital for 11 months, which is a 20 year record (I am currently on IVs for mostly prophylactic reasons, I will post about this soon). Before Kalydeco I had over 60 hospital admissions, equalling 3 years of my life.

Every aspect of my health has improved with Kalydeco, I have gained 6kg, I can run up stairs, I can sleep without coughing and I’m attending uni more often. My sweat test results have improved from 102 to 40. This is much lower than the point (60) associated with the CF diagnosis.

Previously I did not plan further ahead than 5 years. At the age of 28, with a life expectancy of 37, I knew transplant was edging closer. Thanks to Kalydeco I now don’t have to plan around hospital and CF, instead I can plan to have a family, a career and to grow old with my lungs.

I hope that Kalydeco can become available to everyone around the world who may benefit as soon as possible. Kalydeco is not approved in Australia yet; we are trying to speed up the reimbursement process and would appreciate your support on facebook and twitter.

Images from Dec 2011 and May 2013. Inflammation and scarring appear white, this has improved significantly on my second xray.