I'b god a code

So what do I do?

In the past, whenever I had a cold, I treated myself to a large, steaming mug of tea with a teaspoon of lemon juice and two teaspoons of sugar.  Without the sugar, I can't quite do the lemon juice.

I'd begin the day with pancakes (or crepes) so that I could swallow down many tablespoons of lovely maple syrup.  Oooooh, that felt good.

Later, I'd make a batch of rice pudding.  With white rice, no less.  I'd cook the white rice and milk until the rice was just about to disintegrate, add a couple tablespoons of brown sugar, sprinkle with cinnamon, and nutmeg.  I'd throw in a handful of raisins.  Atop each serving I'dd add more raisins, more brown sugar.  Pecans.  Cream. Carbs, carbs, carbs, and cream.

Without carbs I'm drinking plain black tea.  I've had an Airborne (didn't check the carbs on that) and will eat my usual cottage cheese and fruit breakfast.

What else is good to eat when a lo-carb eater has a cold?

Headache!

Got a headache on Friday.  It's news because it's my first headache since mid-July, and here it is mid-September.

This is a good reminder that there is no 'cure' for migraines.  There are only strategies for coping with them.

I believe I got the headache for two reasons:  I had my period.  This is the first cycle I've experienced on only 50 mg of Nortriptyline, so it's not surprising I had a little headache pain.  Also, I just wasn't hungry from late Thursday to early Saturday, so naturally I got a headache for eating so light.

What kind of headache was it?  I'd say it was about a 2 or 3 on the pain scale.  It was so slight that I ignored all the early signs, "treating" it with caffiene and snacks.  By nightfall I needed to Excedrin Migraine and in the middle of the night I took two more (with a Mylanta tablet).

Lesson learned.

Barometric Pressure

I don't know the exact relationship, but when the clouds roll in and it begins to rain, I've typically gotten a migraine.

For a while we had one of those hang-on-the-wall weather information plaques that told me whether the barometer was rising or falling, but I never quite determined which weather bothered me.  Was is the lowered pressure?  Was it the change to the pressure?  Was it something else entirely?  I don't know.

Well, the clouds have rolled in and my magical lo-carb diet continues to protect me. 

I should be clear about something, though.

I'm still taking 50 mg of Nortriptyline each night.  And a handful of vitamins and supplements.  The diet isn't my only weapon here.  I intend to experiment a bit by adding in a few carbs (I want some fruit juice!) to see if I notice a change in the headaches.  I also need to spend some time working to see if I can successfully pack a lo-carb lunch.

But I've cut my Nortriptyline in half.  And I've got the energy of a normal person.  I like it.

Energy--Passion--Vigor--Gusto--Zest

I've made three changes recently.  I've stopped eating sugar.  I've stopped eating gluten.  I've cut my dose of Nortriptyline in half.

And been rewarded with a gratifying dose of energy.

Ever since starting on Topamax in 2009, I've experienced lethargy in one form or another.  On Topamax, nicknamed Dopamax, I was just plain tired.  If I sat in a chair, I'd fall asleep.  The fatigue was so bad that I slowly dropped my dosage down to 25 mg, the lowest possible dose. 

After deciding Topamax wasn't for me, I switched to Nortriptyline.  I wasn't tired, but I became listless.  I spent days on end in my recliner.  If I felt any stray energy, I channelled it into my work.

But yesterday I felt the way I used to feel.  I felt like making the bed.  I felt like reorganizing the shelves in my closet.  I felt like dusting them.  I felt like putting away clean laundry.  I felt like running to the store for more storage bins.  I felt like organizing the hall closet.  I felt the same way again today!!  I took apart our bed and washed the dust ruffle.  I vacuumed under the bed and even behind it.  When my husband gets home, we'll flip the mattress.  I ran an errand.  I organized all my knitting yarn.  I started a load of laundry.

Was it the sugar?  Was it the gluten?  Was it the drugs?

I don't know.  But I do know this:  I like it.

Six Pounds

I got on the scale this morning, something I try not to do each day, and discovered I've lost six pounds.  This is amazing.

When I devoted my life to fitness and low-fat, high-fiber eating, I lost nine pounds in six months, or a pound and a quarter each month.  And I was exhausted.

I've now lost three pounds per month and I feel pretty good.

Oh, and I cut my nightly dose of nortriptyline in half.