The Best Laid Plans...Updated

 It will be a little while before I can get back to writing here. Thanks for your patience. Things have been, in a word, Shitful. 

I hope to see you soon.

Updated

I realized later that this was a crummy and selfish post, and I'm sorry. I'm overwhelmed and not myself. It's not my intention to be dramatic or cryptic, and I can see how this can read as both.

In brief:  Dr. B gave me a steroid blast in an effort to ease the pain I am in daily. It didn't work. What it did do--and I was fully aware of this possibility--was to give me a sleepless night, and that was all it took to break me down. I'm in a bad place right now, and I need some time. It's hard to face that this is my Life, and that no amount of fighting is going to make it different for me.

Again, I apologize for the original post. You deserve better. And I know better.

What's The Deal With My Mouth? A List Of Foods I Don't Eat Anymore

 

Rick and I were chatting after watching a commercial about Thanksgiving food. That led to a few comments about foods that I don't like anymore. I shut that conversation down With The Quickness, as my students used to say. 

You know, I'm the first one to admit that I've gotten ... Difficult with food. But I'm also the first one to admit that I heartily wish It Weren't So. I used to be a genial, easy-to-please eater who had no opposition to any food. I gladly ate anything put in front of me without complaint well into adulthood. 

It's only been in the last several years that I've suddenly become unable? unwilling? to eat some foods that I used to like, and the list seems to be growing. Have my taste buds changed? Am I finally becoming more discerning or unwilling to settle for stuff I merely think is ok? I know a couple of things don't sit well in my stomach, and that makes them Not Worth It anymore. Here is a (partial!) list of

Foods I Don't Eat Anymore

1. Bacon

2. Ham

3. Eggs

4. Pizza

5. Pumpkin Pie

6. Pickles

7. Green Peppers

8. Caramel  

9. White Chocolate

No need to go back over the whole Pizza thing--please.

I've found that smoky foods are too overwhelming for me. If barbecue sauces are smoky, I'm out. I do not like that taste at all. Recently, I tried ham again, and it was not too bad, but that was enough to hold me for probably another year or two. It makes me sad because I make a terrific glazed ham that everyone loves, and I used to love it too. Bacon is probably the most overrated thing in the world, there I said it.

I used to ask for, and get, huge jars of dill pickles for Christmas. I piled them on burgers and all kinds of cold cut sandwiches in addition to eating them plain as a snack. Now? I don't think there's a single jar in my house, here or at the lake. When did this happen? No idea.

When I was a little girl, I got incredible chocolates in my Easter basket. My uncle owned and operated a candy store, and he made all the chocolate molds, big filled Easter eggs, and fondant mints. His chocolate was delicious and all bunnies, crosses, chicks, and ducks were solid, not hollow. I often got white chocolate and loved it. Now? Ugh. How can they even call it chocolate? (By the way, each of us used to get a 12" solid chocolate bunny plus other molds, and yes, we always ate the ears first.)

Rick teases me about pumpkin pie this time of year every year. I make two each Thanksgiving and eat zero pieces. I have tried very hard to like it. I love pumpkin bread and pumpkin cookies and pumpkin roll. I find pumpkin pie boring and sad. "Oh, Nance, " you say. "Make a pumpkin cheesecake!" I forgot to add cheesecake to the list of foods I no longer like. 

What are some foods that you've suddenly lost your taste for? Do you share any of mine?

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Better Living Through Little Bottles And Jars: A List Of Stuff I Take That's Not Medicine

Listen, I'll be honest. This is a real Hail Mary of a post because I woke up with a headache (not unusual now with EB/ME) and it developed into a migraine. I had to go to a doctor's appointment that was not encouraging, and the weather is SO GREY and SO WINDY and SO COLD and I'm ... well, let's just not Go There.

One of the discussions I had with Superhero Neurologist Dr. B was about medications. I am not a fan of loading up on a bunch of them, especially if I'm treating symptoms only. If I can manage them another way, that's what I'd rather do. One thing I am willing to take is vitamins or supplements that my doctors recommend if my labs show that I need them or if there is research that shows they will have a positive effect. Here is a list of

Non-Meds That I Take Regularly 

1. Multi-vitamin formulated for women

2. Vitamin D3

3. Vitamin B12

4. Magnesium

5. Iberogast

Because I am on Topamax (generic name topiramate), my body's ability to absorb many vitamins is compromised, especially Vitamin D. I had a severe Vitamin D deficiency several years ago that made me desperately ill and set me on a search to multiple doctors to find out what was wrong with me. It took me a year to recover my health. As a result, I must supplement D3 for the rest of my life. The same thing goes for B12; my levels for that vitamin were also low, and it helps with peripheral neuropathy. I take Magnesium to help with migraines and balance. The Iberogast was not prescribed, but it's an herbal supplement (drops) that help to calm my stomach and gut. Digestive problems are another symptom of ME that I deal with. I find this supplement very helpful for that, and it's just stuff like chamomile, lemon balm, and peppermint. 

Some people call vitamins and supplements the ingredients for expensive pee. I'm following doctor's orders, so I feel vindicated. How do you feel about vitamins and supplements? Do you take very many?  

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