Hearty and Healthy Chicken, Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:
Onion
Potatoes
Green, Red and Yellow Bell Pepper
Peeled Garlic Cloves
Celery
Tomotoes
Carrots
Jalepeno (optional)
Lime or (Lime juice)
Chicken Breast
Frozen mixed vegetable
Pasta (any shape you prefer)
Olive Oil
Basil (fresh or dry)
Salt and Pepper
Cumin (optional)
Chili powder (optional)
Turmeric Powder (optional)
Garlic and ginger paste (optional)

Preparation:
(Amount of ingrediants used will depend on how much soup you want to make and what you have available. Feel free to include any additional vegetables of your choice and the amount you prefer. You won't mess it up, trust me!)
Part I:
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees for 5 minutes. Line a large baking pan with aluminum foil for easy clean up. Coarsely chop the onion, potatoes, green, red and yellow bell pepper, celery, tomatoes, carrots, garlic and jalepeno. Spread out all the vegetables onto the baking pan. Sprinkle them generously with olive oil so each vegetable is well coated. Sprinkle some salt, pepper and basil for taste. Place the tray of vegetables in the 450 degree oven for atleast 20 minutes or until all the vegetables have been roasted and have become soft. (If your oven is slow, then you might have to bump up the heat to BROIL as I have to and it will roast the veges faster but be careful not to burn the veges). Once the roasting is complete, remove the tray from the oven and let the veges cool for a few a few minutes so all the juices settle in. Then place all the roasted veges including the oil into a blender. Add a cup of water and blend until a homogenous mixture is obtained. Leave this mixture in the blender for use in Part II.
Part II:
Finely chop more onions, celery, red, green, and yellow bell peppers. Take some olive oil in a large pot and heat it for a minute. Place the finely chopped veges, uncooked pasta (hand full) and frozen mixed vegetable into the pot and cook for atleast 15 minutes or until the veges are soft and are just begining to brown (do not brown the veges). Pour the blended mixture from Part I into the pot. Add at least 2 more cups of water and boil for 30 minutes (this water will help cook the pasta). The soup should be of thick, hearty consistency. Add more salt, pepper and lime to taste. While the mixture is simmering, prepare the chicken in Part III to add to the pot of soup at the end.
Part III:
Take some chicken breast and season it with some salt, pepper, 1 tsp cumin, chili powder, 1 tsp turmeric and 1 tsp garlic and ginger paste. (Seasoning with just salt and pepper is fine) Mix well and marinate for five minutes. Take a non-stick pan and add some oil. Heat the oil and cook the chicken breast in the pan until the chicken is cooked through (it should take about (5 minutes on each side). Once the chicken is cooked, let it sit for a few minutes. Then shred the chicken into bite size pieces. Put the chicken in the pot of soup. Mix well and enjoy a nice lunch, dinner or a snack with a sandwich. Or freeze the big pot of soup in small plastic containers for up to two weeks. Simply reheat the soup with a little water and enjoy any time of the week when you just don't feel like cooking. Happy cooking :)

Keep Personal Records

Hospitals are scary places as we know but they can be terrifying if you are given the wrong medication or treatment. Last year , I experienced this horror when I had gone in for a routine CF exacerbation and ended up in the ICU for four days. I was given a medication that I am allergic to and my body responded very badly. I had rashes, my bloodpressure dropped and I just became very ill overnight. The experience was horrific and I was sedated for almost three days because of severe pain. One of worst things about the ICU experience was that I had a urine catheter placed which is very uncomfortable and hard to pee with if you are not used to it. Since then, not only do I check every medication that is brought into my room but I also keep a personal record of all the medications I have been given previously and all the medications that I am allergic to.I bring this record with me when I go to the hospital so all the doctors know my drug allergies so they don't precribe any medications that will create problems within my body. This way, if the hospital records fail to inform the physicians about my allergies, which happens more often than it should, I know for sure that my doctors have the information. Also if you have had surgeries in the past, keep a record with dates, so proper care can be taken of you. Medical errors can be upsetting and dangerous, so do your part and keep a personal record of your medical needs. It's easy to do and can save your life. I hope I will not have to go through this experience again and hopefully, no one else will either if they follow my advise about keeping records. Stay healthy :)

Scar Tissue and PICC line

Most CF patients have to be hospitalized two to three times a year minimum for IV antibiotics. These IV antibiotics are usually given through PICC lines. PICC lines are long, flexible tubes that are inserted into one of the big veins in your arms and reach just above your heart. PICC lines are easy to use for medications, fluids and blood draws, which make them very convenient for use in CF care. However, over the years patients who have had too many PICCs placed in their arms develop serious scar tissue in their arms. This scar tissue is fibrous connective tissue that is thicker than surrounding tissue and also has limited blood supply. This means that over time, patients who have had too many PICCs and have developed too much scar tissue in their arms have difficulty inserting more PICCs because big veins are not easily accessible. I recently was faced with this problem as I was admitted to the hospital and had much difficulty getting the PICC inserted for I have had an average of three PICCs a year for the past twelve years. So you can imagine how much scar tissue I have had over the years in both my left and the right arm. So what can we do about the scar tissue?
Well, there are various options available for patients who will need IV antibiotics for the rest of their lives. One option is placing a Central Venous Porta Catheter in the neck permanently for IV access, but I have not explored this option yet and will keep you updated when I have more information. Another option that I found for getting rid of scar tissue is deep-tissue massage. Deep-tissue massage is a technique that focuses on the deep muscles and relieves the tension in the muscles. It has been thought to get rid of scar tissue over time if done on a routine basis. Deep-tissue massage can be learned and performed on one’s own body but there also spas available that specialize in deep-tissue massage. Explore your options and decide for yourself if deep-tissue massage is right for you. It is easy, relatively cheap and non-invasive, so this is what I am experimenting with right now. Good Luck.

Sky is the limit...

Being able to drive your own self to do things and achieve goals is the way to live life. The way I have become a successful college graduate and successful at keeping myself healthy is by being self-motivated and having solid goals. I have a very good idea as to what I want to do in my life, what I want to become, what marks I want to leave behind, what kind of influences I want to be part of. Basically, having a solid goals gives you drive and helps you concentrate your mind, body and soul to achieve that goal. And when you do achieve the goals you set, you feel great and proud of yourself. Being proud of everything in my life keeps me going and keeps me motivated to tackle bigger challenges in life. I never let CF get in the way of my goals. When CF does interrup my life such as hospital stays and occasional sick days, I just pick myself up and fight to get what I want in life. This means that I do all my treatments, eat atleast three meals and exercise so I don't become sick easily. I know that I have to constantly think about my health because I have CF but having strong goals gives me a good reason to have good health every day. Have a goal and fight to o achieve your goa. Don't let anyone tell you that because of CF you won't be able to do something. The sky is the limit !!!!

Cleaning Nebulizer Supplies

It's very important to keep your flutter, Pari Nebs (cup) and all other inhaler devices clean and germ-free to prevent infections. To clean your supplies, first wash them with warm water with with some dishwashing liquid. Clean all the soap out and soak them in boiled water for 10 minutes to eliminate any bacteria (do not boil the supplies, just use hot water). The water can be boiled on a stove or a microwave for usage. Remove the supplies onto a a paper towel and let them dry. Doing this daily will keep your supplies clean of bacteria and germ free. If you do not have time to do this simple cleaning routine, at least you should rinse your supplies out with water daily under hot water or sterile water. Try it and be free of bad germs!!!