Dr. Warwick, of Minneapolis's Cystic Fibrosis center said that Cystic Fibrosis patients are "great experimenters." When they start feeling better, they lapse in taking their medications. When they feel worse, they pick it up again - always . . .

Dr. Warwick, of Minneapolis's Cystic Fibrosis center said that Cystic Fibrosis patients are "great experimenters." When they start feeling better, they lapse in taking their medications. When they feel worse, they pick it up again - always trying to determine how much is just enough. Where is the line between doing what you need to stay as healthy as possible - yet not experience a huge impact to your quality of life.

How many nebulizer treatments a day? How many pills? How often to go into the hospital?

Unlike children with CF who have little say in their treatment options, adults make the decision every time they fill their prescriptions. Is this worth the money? Worth the time? Worth the risk?

There is also a difference between those patients who were diagnosed early with CF and have always known the strict regimen and those patients diagnosed later - who spent their formative years battling an unknown illness with very little restriction on their activity.

Those patients in the second group frequently have an innate distrust of strict, regimented care - especially when it requires a hospital stay. Those patients (frequently told they have a more mild form of the illness) associate hospitals with kids going in and getting sicker, not better. Things have changed - particularly in Minneapolis where the success rate is outstanding - but the misconception remains. Hospitals=bad. Freedom=good.