Jan's Simple Basil & Cucumber Garden Salad

Ingrediants:

Cucumber, tomato, fresh basil, rice wine vinegar, olive oil, and salt.

Preparations:

Slice the cucumber into quarter slices

Cut the tomatoes into small pieces

Chop some fresh basil leaves

Add some rice wine vinegar and olive oil and salt to taste. Mix in a large bowl and enjoy this fresh summer salad!!!

Recipe by: Amanda Thullen

PortaCath and CF

Dear Readers,

Bacterial infections in the lungs are inevitable for CFers as we all know. To get rid of them, our docs prescribe us oral antibiotics (pills) first to see if that will work, but in most cases we need to turn to strong IV antibiotics to fix the problem. And for the IV antibiotics we need an IV access or a PICC line or a PortaCath like I have. I used to get PICC lines (central lines that are usually placed in the arm for long and strong antibiotic treatments) every 6 months when I had an infection, but after ten years of multiple PICC lines in both arms, I developed a lot of scar tissue in my arms. It became very difficult to access the veins and it was very painful. Two years ago, I decided to get a permanent fix. I had a PortaCath placed in my upper chest. This is a small catheter that goes underneath the skin and feeds directly into one of the major veins. It is placed surgically, very short procedure and you won't feel a thing. There is some stretching sensation for a week afterwards and minor pain but it is usually tolerable. After a couple of weeks, it heals completely and all you see is a small bump as you can see in the picture below. Your nurse or yourself can access the port any time you need to give IV antibiotics or draw blood using a special needle called a Huber needle. If you need an IV antibiotic course, then they may leave the needle in you and put a dressing on it. It does not hurt at all. You need to change the needle and dressing weekly to prevent infection if the port is accessed. Accessing the port is usually a painless process and incredibly easy for the patient. Ever since I have had the port, for over two years now, I have had no problems. I flush it with saline and heparin each month and it has given me pain free IV antibiotic treatments that are just so easy to fit into my busy lifestyle. Oh yes, and if you are a swimmer or enjoy the pool, you can swim with your PortaCath as long as it is not accessed. It's great. PortaCath's are one those little things that make having CF just a little easier to deal with it. Talk to your doctor about PortaCath and see how it can change your life. If you already have a PortaCath, please leave me a comment about what you think about PortaCath's and CF.

Potato Roti/Paratha

Ingredients: Potatoes, Cilantro leaves, Serrano peppers (optional), turmeric powder, salt, mustard seeds, kari patta (optional) All Purpose flour, water,lime, sugar and vegetable oil.

Preparation:

Dough for Roti: Take one cup of all purpose flour, add a pinch of salt to it and two tbsp of veg. oil. Mix well. Then add water slowly until the dough comes together and is pliable enough to roll out with a rolling pin. Leave the dough aside as you prepare the filling.

Potato filling: Boil 2-3 potatoes until they are fully cooked through. Drain and peel the potatoes. Smash the potatoes to mash potato consistency. In a separate small pan, take 5-7 tbs of veg table oil. Add 1 tbsp of mustard seeds and 2-4 leaves of kari patta. Heat the oil until mustard seeds start to burst, then carefully add 2 tsp of turmeric powder to the oil and cook for a couple of secs. Take it off the heat and immediately add it to the potato mixture. Add finely chopped serano peppers and finely chopped silantro, salt to taste, half a lime and 1/2tsp of sugar. Mix well until the potatoes are well coated.

Making Potato Roti: Take a small piece of dough that you made earlier and roll it out to about 1/8 of an inch thick (use flour to keep the dough from sticking). Place 1 tbsp of potato filling in the middle of the rolled out dough. Now, bring all the sides of the circle into the middle making a pouch and press it down, so the filling is cradled inside the dough. Gently roll out the dough once again into a small circle (now it's called potato roti). Now take a large skilled and place the roti and cook the dough on medium heat on both sides. You may add a small amount of oil to each side to add flavor and a glistening surface. Enjoy this potato roti at breakfast or as a snack with Chai tea. It's delicious!!! Enjoy.

Back From My Long Hibernation

Dear Readers

I am sorry I have been MIA for a year now. Let's just say, life is quiet busy juggling CF with a Master's Program. Yes, you heard me right, I am currently enrolled in a Master's Entry Program in Nursing. It is two year program for people who already hold a B.S. or B.A. in other areas. I am finishing up my first year and I am incredibly proud of myself. As a CFer, nurses have played a huge role in my life and one the most important person in my life is my nurse practitioner. She is just great. She has always been there for me when I was sick and she has encouraged me to stay well at home. So I could not have picked a better career than nursing to give back to the hospitals the kind of care that they gave to me.

As I mentioned, it has not been easy juggling a MS program with CF. I did get sick one time last quarter during my finals. But I was well enough to complete my finals on oral antibiotics and then I spent a week in the hospital getting IVs and treatments and then completed 2 weeks at home while attending summer school. I have had to be quite disciplined with my treatments to stay well. As usual, my weight is not good. Right now, I am trying an antihistamine, Periactin, to boost my appetite. And I am also doing night feeds with an NG tube. I will post a NG tube posting soon detailing my regimen. I gained 5 lbs, which is great. But I still need to put on 10 more lbs to attain my goal. I am sure many of you CFers out there are fighting the same weight loss battle, I would love to hear from you. So please leave a comment.

Overall, life is good. Lungs are functioning enough to let me live a decent life. I am enjoying the summer and hopefully, you all are enjoying the summer as well. It's good be back and writing. Let's share some ideas about gaining weight. Please feel free to write your ideas in the comment section. Until next time. Keep on breathing...