Thursday, November 30, 2006
gone for the weekend
heading somewhere warmer and sunnier for a weekend away.be back on monday!
Labels: vacation
link | posted by Emily at 1:00 PM
Monday, November 27, 2006
those who cannot write, meme.
I voluntarily tagged myself from The Pink Chihuahua Princess' blog.
A - Available/Single? no. married. :)
B - Best Friend? my husband
C- Cake or Pie? pie - peanut butter, please.
D - Drink Of Choice? water, but for a treat every now and then i LOVE dr. pepper.
E - Essential Item You Use Everyday? Laptop
F - Favorite Color? blue
G - Gummy Bears Or Worms? i guess if i had to choose, it'd be gummy bears. but i'm not particularly fond of either.
H - Hometown? right now it's salt lake city, utah.
I - Indulgence? ice cream. financial indulgence is shoes.
J - January Or February? February, i love valentine's day.
K - Kids & Their Names? none yet.
L - Life Is Incomplete Without? family.
M - Marriage Date? october 8, 2004.
N- Number Of Siblings? 4 - 1 older sister, 2 younger sisters, and one younger brother.
O - Oranges Or Apples? Apples
P - Phobias/Fears? ferris wheels. i have this recurring dream of crashing to the ground while riding one.
Q - Favorite Quote? "do or do not, there is no try"
R - Reason to Smile- ice cream, talking to my sisters, christmas is coming up soon!
S - Season? spring.
T - Tag Three or Four People? tag yourself if you want to play along - tell me you did the meme in comments so i can come visit!
U - Unknown Fact About Me? i have an insane amount of shoes - my family loves to tease me about it.
V - Vegetable you don’t like? mini-corn.
W - Worst Habit? biting my nails
X - X-rays You’ve Had? ankles, fingers, wrists, elbows, teeth.....i think that's it.
Y - Your Favorite Food? well ice cream (obsessive much?) and i also love reese's peanut butter cups, as well as the rosemary bread at macaroni grill.
Z - Zodiac Sign? Cancer the crab. :)
Labels: meme
link | posted by Emily at 10:16 PM
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
it's a bust
the physical therapy was a bust. i went in, and she poked me and prodded me and 'massaged' the trigger points (this sounds like it would feel good, don't be deceived). it was painful, but obviously i'm still pretty gung ho while she's working. then she's done, and asks how my headache is. 'worse', i tell her.this was not the right answer, sadly.
she says most people feel better after this. hmm. so sad.
sooo she says there's nothing she can do for me in physical therapy.
and once again my doubts of there being a muscular basis for these headaches increase. i think the whole idea is bupkis. not only does it not make sense with most all of my symptoms, but on a deeper level, it just doesn't sit right with me. and now this? what's up guys?
also while she was reading my charts she noticed that my docs were referring to my headaches as 'trigeminal neuralgia'. WHAT THE HECK!?!?!?!? you'd think they'd mention this if they thought it was a possibility, much less a diagnosis! i'm steamed.
but there's always some good news, right? she gave me some ideas for getting some cardio exercise. this makes me happy, i know a lot of people find relief for migraines through a regular exercise program. so for a couple of weeks, i'm going to try using a recumbent bicycle, and see how that goes. so far, it's just the same as walking (in that it makes my headache worse, and it stays worse for 2 or 3 hours).
Labels: exercise, headaches, pain clinic, physical therapy
link | posted by Emily at 10:38 AM
Monday, November 20, 2006
the pain clinic appt. today
i met with my doc this morning - the end result of the appointment is that i'm switching back to prozac (from cymbalta). i've been on the cymbalta for 2 or 3 months now, and any benefits i've found (slightly more energy) are overruled by the baffling cost. soooo back to prozac i go.additionally, i'm starting physical therapy TOMORROW. this doc seems convinced that there is a significant muscular component to my headaches, and so - physical therapy it is.
he also said that he doesn't believe there is going to be a magic pill or treatment that just fixes this. he thinks we're going to have to whittle away at it. which doesn't sound too bad, except for the fact that in the past 2 years of a headache every day, we've only found one thing i can take everyday that helps at all. and so -- we keep looking and working, but it is depressing to hear him say that. i am always hoping for the end of this, of course, and sometimes get discouraged.
Labels: headaches pain clinic, physical therapy
link | posted by Emily at 5:48 PM
Sunday, November 19, 2006
success!
well i found a great recipe. and of course i need to tell all my bloggy friends about it. this is from a book called 'miserly meals'. after the many recent kitchen disasters and nonsense, it was good to have something turn out WELL. and this was good, my friends, as well as cheap.
a few notes: i did not use iceburg lettuce, i used spinach. iceburg lettuce doesn't really have any nutrients, and i can't stand to use it wherever something else will work. i got this from my muum. also, i didn't use mandarin oranges, but i did add some mushrooms and cashews. i also cooked the chicken with a little crushed red pepper. let me know if you tried it!
Chinese Chicken Salad
serves 4
prep time: 20 minutes
¼ c. oil
1 pkg. Chicken flavored ramen noodles
2 T. vinegar
1 T. soy sauce
1 head iceburg lettuce
½ bunch green onions
1 boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and cubed
In a small saucepan, combine with the oil, flavor packet from the ramen noodles, vinegar, and soy sauce. Mix well and heat until warm. Remove from the heat.
Shred the lettuce into thin strips. Place in a large salad bowl. Thinly slice the green onions, and add them to the salad bowl. Break up the uncooked ramen noodles into the salad bowl. Add the chicken. Toss well. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss again. Serve immediately.
Options: also add cashews and/or mandarin oranges.
link | posted by Emily at 6:32 PM
Thursday, November 16, 2006
i visited the gynecologist (that doesn't look right.) gyno? anyways, i visited her today, and we came up with a few options for my cramps from you-know-where. #1 is an IUD. #2 is the minipill. ... we ruled out the depo for sure.have been reading up a lot online about the IUD, as i previously had only a basic knowledge of it. also read a lot of women's experiences with it. the main downfall right now for the IUD is the cost. it'll cost 400-500 dollars. now maybe to some of you that's not much $$, but to me? that's a lot. :) however, it's interesting to note that for the 5 yr. period of time the IUD would be effective, buying the minipill for the same period of time would cost between 1200 and 1800 dollars. so really, it's quite economical. ....it's just that it's all at once, and not 20 or 30 dollars a month. do you think they have an IUD payment plan?
no just kidding.
but seriously. my insurance (you all know it stinks) of course will not pay for the IUD or the doctors visit when they insert it. it's specifically listed as an exclusion.
so that's pretty much what i'm up to today. thinkin' about my options. :)
if any of you have any experience (good or bad) with the IUD, leave me a comment, or if you're feeling shy, email me. i'd greatly appreciate it. thanks folks!
link | posted by Emily at 2:33 PM
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
let me tell you
why i love tuesdays.because there is this little burger joint near the university that has $1 burgers on tuesdays. and i LOVE their burgers. their fries are also amazing.
i got to visit my sister today - we had fun and went to the craft store. ah, good times. but what i REALLY needed to do, is to go to the pharmacy and pick up my refill!! ack!!!! so now i have to go tomorrow but i don't have any pills. :( this is my anti-seizure pill, and without it, my headache is going at full bore when i wake up. i don't even know if i'll feel well enough to drive over and get it, or if i'll have to enlist the help of my husband. all because i forgot today! what is with me lately???
and now, for a meme.
A is for age: 25
B is for beer of choice: root
C is for career right now: none. stay at home....wife? here's the deal, i have headaches like it's my job. :) get it?
D is for your dog's name: also none!
E is for essential item you use everyday: laptop, cell phone, toothbrush. :)
F is for favorite tv show at the moment: none! lol. sorry this meme is gonna be boring, huh?
G is for favorite game: ah, this one i've got. KOL - kingdom of loathing.
H is for Hometown: Columbus, Ohio
I is for instruments you play: the piano; i also can/could play the clarinet, bassoon, and mallet percussion instruments.
J is for favorite juice: pomegranate juice.
K is for whose butt you'd like to kick: people who misspell they're/their/and there. whew, i don't know why, but that drives me bonkers!
L is for last place you ate: B&D burgers, see above.
M is for marriage: 2 years and goin' strong. :)
N is for your name: Emily
O is for overnight hospital stay: 1 for trying to 'break the migraine cycle'.....summer of 2005.
P is for people you were with today: my husband, my sister and her posse.
Q is for quote: "H as in cow". -- little E from mothering on the edge.
R is for biggest regret: so many regrets, so little space on the blog. ;) we'll just say the ages between 18 and 21, shall we?
S is for sport: love to watch gymnastics and hockey
T is for time you woke up today: 9 am
U is for current underwear: Like I'm going to put that on the Internet. Be serious.
V is for vegetable you love: nearly all green veggies. i love lettuce and brussels sprouts, and green beans, etc...
W is for worst habit: biting my nails.
X is for x-rays you have had: well my teeth, but also ankles, hands, wrists, elbows, etc. most of my body i guess.
Y is for yummy food you ate today: burger and FRIES. for dinner.
Z is for zodiac: cancer. although i don't think of myself fitting that mold, per se.
link | posted by Emily at 9:02 PM
Sunday, November 12, 2006
wow am i stupid
i just realized (at dinner tonight) that i've recently been taking 2x my prescribed dose for tegretol, my anti-seizure med.how stupid am i? pretty stupid.
the thing is.....i HAD been taking the 100 mg pills, and then when i switched back to the 200 mg pills, i somehow FORGOT to change back to the right # of pills per day.
if that makes sense to you.
maybe that's why i gained weight? here's hoping.
link | posted by Emily at 7:23 PM
Monday, November 06, 2006
survey says.....
wellllllllllllll i just got back from the neuro - seems to always be a combined trip to the pharmacy. there were 3 things i needed to talk to him about.1. depo. my primary care physician wants to put me on depo-provera. we can't seem to get these cramps under control! my neuro says some ppl.'s headaches get worse with birth control of any kind, and some people's improve. he said go ahead and try it, we'll keep an eye on things.
2. weight gain. i've gained about 10 pounds in the past 2 months, and i blame cymbalta. other than the weight gain i love it. but.....it's not cool. this is enough weight that my clothes don't really fit, and what if i just keep gaining and gaining.....like i said, not good. neuro deferred this question to my psychologist (psychiatrist? i don't know).
3. finding a preventative. we're going with the migraine expert's advice on this one, and adding a baby aspirin and verapamil. i've tried verapamil before (but not at the same time as tegretol) and it didn't work - obviously. but the migraine expert didn't feel i had a long enough trial, so we're tryin' it again!
for those who are interested; later this week i see the headshrinker, and in a couple weeks i see the pain clinic again. my hopes, as always, are high for the preventative trial. my fingers are crossed. :)
the pink chihuahua princess was kind enough to notice that my digital piano should have been delivered by now. it has been! pictures are forthcoming! :)
link | posted by Emily at 4:35 PM
Sunday, November 05, 2006
a quick sunday post
tomorrow i'm going to go see my neurologist again. it's been a while. i'm looking forward to it, and will of course update you all here. :)also, my husband introduced me to a really fun and ADDICTING game - this from his friend....
check it out and let me know what you think of it!
also, i'm kind of bummed tonight; earlier i went online to check out where my voting site was, and as it turns out, i'm not registered! i know i registered, but it must have been at my previous address. sooooo i don't think i can vote during this set of elections! i'm a doofus! online, it said you have to register 15 or more days before the election. if anyone has any ideas or really knows the ins and outs of registering, let me know. i think i'm out of luck, though. will have to register now for next year's elections.
well, more tommorow after i've talked to the neuro. :)
link | posted by Emily at 8:20 PM
Friday, November 03, 2006
you're not going to believe this, but.....
I missed my own blogging anniversary. seriously.i was reading shannon's post today, and thinking - huh. it seems like it's been about a year since i started mine, too. i wonder when it was......
come to find out, it was october 20, 2005 that i started my blog! phft. i missed it!
so retrospectively, i'll just pat myself on the back a little bit.
happy anniversary to me!!
thanks friends for all you do and for the fun we've had!
Labels: blogs
link | posted by Emily at 10:48 AM
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
What's for Dinner Wednesday?
What IS for dinner tonight? I don't know. Here are a few options. You get to choose! it's like the choose your own adventure books.a) baked potatoes
b) rice and beans
c) grilled cheese and tomato soup
d) leftovers
e) none of the above (must supply own idea)
so what do you think?
in other news, we bought a digital piano on tuesday! i'm pretty excited. i can play it with headphones on and the volume turned waaaaaaaay down, and the extra noise isn't enough to make my head hurt worse. it's going to be fabulous. i just am looking forward to it so much!
this is what it looks like, except it's not black, it's a cherry wood. i'll have to take some more pictures (of course) when it gets here. they will deliver it TOMORROW. not that i'm excited or anything.link | posted by Emily at 12:30 PM
