Downtown for coffee after Si's blood draw

 SILAS  IN NOVEMBER  2010>>   IN THE  MIDDLE OF  JANUARY  2011  SILAS WENT ON OXYGEN FULL TIME  UNTIL  JULY 2013  WHEN HE FELT SECURE ENOUGH TO BREATHE WITHOUT  THE CANULA  IN HIS NOSE A  COUPLE OF WEEKS AFTER HIS TRANSPLANT.

ZEN SALAMANDER LIKES TO START HIS DAY OFF WITH SENCHA

SENCHA- is a  Japanese tea specifically made without  grinding the tea leaves. The word Sencha means "simmered tea" Sencha is the most popular tea in Japan. The most delicious Sencha is from the first flush of the year, the shincha....."new tea' ( early April to late May)
The ideal color is a greenish gold color. The water should not be very hot for steeping or it will taste astringent. Some varieties expand when steeped and resemble leafy greens in smell, appearance and taste.. Japanese tea has a vegetal, almost grassy flavor (some taste seaweed like)
Gyokuru is a high grade class of Sencha. It is shade grown and has  an increased L-theanine
content. What is L-theanine? It  is an amino acid that produces tranquilizing effects  in the brain and is found in the leaves of Sencha.

Transplant Clinic post surgery appointment

                                                          STAPLES OUT!

Pearl Oysters are harvested for the pearl within the mantle

 Regeneration~~~~~~~~~~~~

                                          CELEBRATING WITH SILAS AT LA BRIOCHE!

                                              ZEN SALAMANDER AT MA CHA

NEW MOON DISCHARGE~~~~~~~~FEV1 ~~~~~73%

       SILAS WILL BE RECOVERING FOR 2 MONTHS. HE IS WALKING AROUND THE
    NEIGHBORHOOD  A COUPLE TIMES A DAY AND GETTING USED TO HIS NEW
    POST-TRANSPLANTATION ROUTINE. HE WILL GET A BLOOD DRAW ONCE A
   WEEK, AND GO TO PHYSICAL REHAB 2x A WEEK.  HE STILL HAS ALL THE STAPLES
    IN  AND HIS "CLAMSHELL" SCAR IS HEALING NICELY. TRUTHFULLY  DAN AND I
    ARE EXHAUSTED  AFTER THESE PAST 3 WEEKS SINCE SILAS RECEIVED
    'THE CALL"~~~~~~we will continue to support and help him in any way we can  during his
    recovery  and beyond.  He has pretty bad edema in his feet  from the surgery and all the
   anti-rejection drugs  WE  ARE THRILLED TO SEE SILAS SO ENERGETIC,
ENTHUSIASTIC AND RESOLVED TO  DO WHAT HE NEEDS TO DO  TO LIVE HIS
  POST TRANSPLANTATION LIFE AS FULLY AS HE LIVED THE FIRST 28 YEARS!!


                                                             SILAS BE IS
                 DOWN THE STAIRS AND OUT INTO THE WORLD AGAIN TANK FREE!

FREEDOM FOR ALL

"Whatever gets you to the Light salright salright " ~~~~~John Lennon

WOW! 2 WEEKS SINCE "SI"S LIFE ALTERING CALL"

 SiLas Be Team Update<<>> room 22

MENU>SiLas has been eating homemade omega-3 egg salad sandwiches and blanched carrots > recipe: mix together veganaise, small amount of olive oil , turmeric, 1/2 clove crushed garlic, dash of tamarii and cider vinegar ADD mashed eggs.....serve open faced  on GF brown rice bread.....HE LOVES IT....he needs good quality protein to heal!

Last night Dan and I brought  Si a 16 inch cheese pizza from Greenbush : pesto instead of tomato sauce w/ fresh  basil to CELEBRATE his first walk outside! mmmmmmm good, as usual.

Tonight his Dad brought him dinner from Himal Chule,  a healing soup of steamed ground bison 

w/ Roti.. Jamuna made it for him and added a big dose of love . Thanks Jamuna!  She is traveling to Nepal to visit with her family for a  month and we will miss her.

 SiLas 's sugar levels are starting to stabilize with a combo of taking insulin and eating at regular intervals.   He will continue to monitor his sugar levels on discharge. Si will also need to go for a  blood draw once a week and physical rehab 2x weekly. It is going to take at least 2 more months for him to heal up from the surgery and he won't be driving for awhile.

We have had lots of "education training " about what signs of rejection or illness to watch for and when to call our TX coordinator Kelly.  He will be on 3 anti-rejection drugs for the rest of his life.

It is so wonderful that summer is in full bloom for SiLas to enjoy as he takes himself and his new lungs out into Nature's glory for healing sessions with the elements. Note to self: Get a comfortable lawn chair for Si so  he can recline and put his feet up.

Dan and I went to Deer Park tonight for a Medicine Buddha Puja . It was great to be in the Temple, listening to prayers  in Tibetan. The powerful sounds of the conch, cymbal, drum, and bells were so soothing and comforting. I felt deep gratitude that SiLas Be has got his miracle and that his Journey will be continued. Om Mani Padme Hum ~~~~~May all Sentient Beings Be Free From Suffering~~~~~

 

I Love to Breathe cause I Love Trees SiLas Be "Of The Forest "

SiLas 2.0

July 1 >> SiLas Be Team update>>>

Room 22

Si has been eating goat yogurt w/goat kefir, organic bananas, and homemade chicken shitake mushroom soup with jasmine rice for the past couple of days. We just found out that the prednisone is causing him to retain sodium ( thus the puffy feet) so after all these years of extra salt and tamari he is on a low salt diet. He was on 20 mg of prednisone 2x daily and now he is on 15 2x daily.The goal is to wean him down to 5 mg a day.
SiLas is also on a low sugar, low fiber, low fat diet. So he will be making some major lifestyle changes so he is not at risk for high blood pressure/heart disease. Also one of the anti-rejection drugs puts him at risk for skin cancer so he will have to be careful in the sun 10-3. I am taking all this in and trying not to get overwhelmed since none of us have had much sleep for 2 weeks.
He had a bronchoscopy today ( which is routine w/ TX to make sure there is no sign of organ rejection.They go down his throat to take a small sample of tissue from inside his lung and examine it ) When we brought the soup in today SiLas had just walked up some stairs for the first time and was sitting in his recliner with his canula off ( he has slept the past couple of nights without it too> THIS IS GREAT NEWS! weaning more and more off of the 02)
He got really sleepy after eating because he had been sedated for the test so we left so he could rest. Rest is Best.

Flowers brought in by Caitlin from the farmers market

The Flowers were brought in by Caitlin from the farmers market.
He can't have flowers in the room but he can see them from his chair thru the window.

65 Roses

When SiLas was a child the C.F. clinic would call cystic fibrosis 65 roses so he could learn how to pronounce it. 28 years later  SiLas is well on his way to recovery from major surgery. In his words "making  his way up  transplant  mountain."