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Food (and Life) while Immune Suppressed.

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Below are a few places and things I have been lucky enough to visit and review for Now What Can I Eat:

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Ever salivated even just listening to people talking about the gooey chewy goodness in the middle of desserts?! Me too... but the reality of post transplant, and immune suppressed eating, is they are a no no ❌ as gooey normally means undercooked, undercooked means raw eggs 🥚 and raw eggs means a risk not worth taking 🙅🏻‍♀️ (🔊 psss... if they’re good brownies they can be just as good when they’re cooked through)

Mental health|Physical health⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ While I think many people would assume that with declining physical health often comes declining mental health too and while I understand this completely for me the reality was actually the opposite.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ While I was at my worst health physically often I didn’t have time to question, cross examine on look at the situation at anything other than a factual stance. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Now I am generally more well my mental health is often much more volatile, and not so black and white, as I question:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ • will I become ill again⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ • am I doing enough with my second chance • what could I or could I not be doing to make myself happier and healthier ...are just a few questions which can often drag me down a rabbit hole 🕳 of struggle and the reality is I’m not sure I’ve nailed a strategy to get out yet... anyone else?

There’s no denying that food waste is a big issue and something we should all be paying more attention to - food that doesn’t look quite right, is a little damaged or simple isn’t the flavour of the month or popular right now is going to waste across the country. You might think that restaurants could be some of the worst offenders but @the_tristan_welch and his team at @parkers_tavern in Cambridge are doing what they can to change that and highlight the issue with a monthly supper club - Rubbish Cooks. Created with donated ingredients which would otherwise have gone to waste the three course menu highlights the delicious things that can be done with ‘imperfect’ food in the hope of shifting attitudes and with the added bonus that £5 from every meal goes to a local homeless shelter. The meal itself was really nice, to be honest you would never know this was waste or rejected food...and maybe that’s the whole point. Each course looked and tasted like restaurant food and didn’t resemble what I might have classed as waste food in any way. Tristan and his team were out in the dining room throughout the meal highlighting the background and methods behind each course and really demonstrating the fact that they brought into the reason behind the idea. Having never been to Parker’s Tavern before I would definitely recommend a visit if you live in or you’re ever near Cambridge (I hear the hotels pretty great too since the refurb). Ticket releases are announced on social media and I would suggest if you fancy trying Rubbish Dinners you book your tickets fast when they’re released before they get snapped up...the November events already sold out but watch out in January for new dates and the opportunity to support 🍴

Courgettie... I think this was meant to be a fad and I imaging most people used their spiraliser only half a dozen times before it was banished to the back of a cupboard or lost in a house move 🔎...BUT this firey little number is perfect if you can sense a little bit of a sniffle 👃🏼 coming on and feel like you should be looking after yourself a little better 💞!! Crab 🦀 , chilli 🌶 and pea courgette ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ (Serves 2)⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Ingredients⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ - 1/2 onion⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ - 1 clove of garlic⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ - 1 large courgette (I used a yellow one here but green does exactly the same)⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ - 1 tin crab meat⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ - 1 fresh red chilli⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ - 1 small cup peas⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ - 1 lemon ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Method⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ - Chop onions into a fine dice and soften, with a generous glug of oil,⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ in a large frying pan⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ - While this happens slice your courgette. If you have a spiraliser use this otherwise simply slice longways into as thinner slices as you can and then slice to form spaghetti type pieces ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ - Now chop and add the chilli, seeds and all, to the onion mix⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ - Add the courgettie and your peas and a splash of water to help create steam into the pan. Place the lid on for 3/5 minutes until your courgette has lost its bite⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ - Remove the lid, add the crab⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ - Squeeze half a lemon into the pan ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ - Stir and add a final splash of oil and season to taste⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ - Eat straight away with a squeeze of lemon or the grated zest on top and more chillis if you wish 🥣

📗Define: Bilevel positive airway pressure (BPAP)📗⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ (📸old)⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ BPAP is a type of non-invasive ventilation. Used as breathing support and administered through a face mask or nasal mask. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Air, usually with added oxygen, is given through the mask under positive pressure; generally the amount of pressure is alternated depending on whether someone is breathing in or out.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ BPAP can also help to reduce the amount of work required to breathe. This will help to support the breathing muscles, improve the amount of oxygen in the lungs and help to remove waste gas (carbon dioxide) from the lungs. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 👩🏻 pre transplant I was on a BPAP machine both in hospital and at home. I tried to wear it as much as possible to give my lungs as much support as I could in order to aid recovery while I waited for my call. Frustratingly I always struggled with the machine and it would leave me very bloated and uncomfortable meaning I wasn’t able to wear it as much as would otherwise maybe have been preferable...and then thankfully my call came 📱

Happy Halloween everyone! Today I was taken out of my comfort zone... I did a presentation on my post transplant life to over 80 doctors, including some of my own. My voice wobbled a little and I probably talked too fast but the main thing is I talked for 30 minutes and I am glad I did it. I am glad patients are given these opportunities to shape the discussions going on which might impact our life’s. Anyway, to get right back into my comfort zone obviously I baked and, while they might not be perfect, it seemed rude not to embrace some spooky vibes (even Sid played along, just) So 👻, 🎃, 🕷 or 👀 - which would you pick?!?

Cheese 🧀 is one of the things I definitely miss eating post transplant so the fact that I can still have cooked cheese, of most varieties (still not blue or veined) is definitely something I’m grateful for & take advantage of!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Cheese is a risk due to the presence of bacteria but evidence suggests thorough cooking should kill any bacteria & therefore eaten hot should be safe to eat... bring on the baked Camembert! 🧀♥️🧀♥️🧀

I read something the other day about Taurus’ not giving up easily and I can definitely say this is a trait I see in myself.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Sadly though sometimes despite all your efforts there comes a point when you have to draw a line under something and move on. For the sake of your health and your wellbeing.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ For me that happened today. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I was forced to resign from my job due to the continued inability of the wider organisation to fix ongoing pay issues, and there knock on effects. It’s an issue I have been dealing with for over two and a half years now since I had my transplant and with no end in sight I have accepted my financial losses and decided to step away.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ It’s not a decision that was easy to make. I explored every option and tried to find a solution but somewhere along the way my employer stopped caring, they were treating me as an employee but not a human and after a while that takes its toll.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I am saddened that it has come to this. Not just because of the financial and practical implications but because I joined this organisation hoping they would support me through what was, hopefully, the toughest few years of my life but in the end found the exact opposite.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ But there it is. Onto the next chapter I guess...

Define: Venflon/cannula. These are used in hospitals to deliver medication, fluids or blood products to patients quicker than they would be absorbed if they were taken orally.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ It is a small flexible plastic tube that is inserted through the skin into one of your veins, often in your arm or hand. How easy it is can depend on a number of factors including how hydrated you are, how big your veins are, how visible they are or if you have had multiple Venflons before for example. Sadly they only last a few days, sometimes less if they are used lots, which means often patients who need frequent or ongoing treatment, such as those with CF, need longer term measures put in place for their treatments such as PICC lines or ports...

Please note any views expressed on NowWhatCanIEat pages and social handles are my own. I am not a trained dietician and request not to be considered as such. Should any medical query’s arise from anything discussed in my post please seek the appropriate clinical advice.

In addition, while all recipes are cooked following the guidance I have been given on what it is safe to eat when immune suppressed they have not been checked by a dietician. If the advice you have been given differs from anything here please follow the advice of your team.

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