Headache Update.

Well, there isn't really one. 'Cos I haven't had a headache since staring my new eliminate-every-food-I-love diet.

The big issues for me have been avoiding caffeine, cheese, yogurt/sour cream, nuts, onions, and citrus. During week one, I cut back to one cup of coffee a day, and today is my first morning completely off the pot, so to speak. Plus no more diet crack, no more regular tea. The diet guru doesn't even want you to drink decaf products as they still have a little caffeine in them (apparently). So I've switched to ginger ale (Vernors) and rooibos tea.

No chocolate (other that white) is a little sacrifice, although truth be told, I'm not really a chocolate fiend. I have hidden a little box of Petit Lu white chocolate biscuits for when I have a craving (and to keep my children's hands off them.)

Cheese is killing me. I'm allowed cream cheese, ricotta, and other unripened cheese. But cheddar? Cambozola? Brie? Ix-nay. This IS really killing me. Particularly with a vegetarian in the household, cheese has become a staple protein here.

And no nuts. No peanut butter. No oranges. I've replaced onions with shallots which are acceptable (weirdly), but you need a heck of a lot of the little things to make the equivalent of a diced onion.

Okay. Enough whining. The fact of the matter is that I have been waking up every morning without the tiny headache that sometimes went away after I've had breakfast (read, coffee) and sometimes escalated into a migraine. My energy level seems much more even. I still have a little sinus tightness, but not nearly as bad as before.

So I will stick with this diet for a couple of months and then slowly add back in some of the eliminated foods to see what I can tolerate. And in the meantime, if I get a migraine, I know that I can count on my new wonder drug.

Is it Monday already?

Monday: (Leftover) middle eastern bean soup and grilled cheese sandwiches on herb bread.
Tuesday: Rotini with vegetarian meat sauce, salad, biscuits.
Wednesday: Shrimp stir-fried with broccoli, carrots, bean sprouts, on rice.
Thursday: French toast (using frozen leftover baguette slices), ricotta cheese, maple syrup, veggie sausages, and fruit salad.
Friday: Antipasto pasta salad, homemade pizza.

Headache Update.

Well, there isn't really one. 'Cos I haven't had a headache since staring my new eliminate-every-food-I-love diet.

The big issues for me have been avoiding caffeine, cheese, yogurt/sour cream, nuts, onions, and citrus. During week one, I cut back to one cup of coffee a day, and today is my first morning completely off the pot, so to speak. Plus no more diet crack, no more regular tea. The diet guru doesn't even want you to drink decaf products as they still have a little caffeine in them (apparently). So I've switched to ginger ale (Vernors) and rooibos tea.

No chocolate (other that white) is a little sacrifice, although truth be told, I'm not really a chocolate fiend. I have hidden a little box of Petit Lu white chocolate biscuits for when I have a craving (and to keep my children's hands off them.)

Cheese is killing me. I'm allowed cream cheese, ricotta, and other unripened cheese. But cheddar? Cambozola? Brie? Ix-nay. This IS really killing me. Particularly with a vegetarian in the household, cheese has become a staple protein here.

And no nuts. No peanut butter. No oranges. I've replaced onions with shallots which are acceptable (weirdly), but you need a heck of a lot of the little things to make the equivalent of a diced onion.

Okay. Enough whining. The fact of the matter is that I have been waking up every morning without the tiny headache that sometimes went away after I've had breakfast (read, coffee) and sometimes escalated into a migraine. My energy level seems much more even. I still have a little sinus tightness, but not nearly as bad as before.

So I will stick with this diet for a couple of months and then slowly add back in some of the eliminated foods to see what I can tolerate. And in the meantime, if I get a migraine, I know that I can count on my new wonder drug.

Is it Monday already?

Monday: (Leftover) middle eastern bean soup and grilled cheese sandwiches on herb bread.
Tuesday: Rotini with vegetarian meat sauce, salad, biscuits.
Wednesday: Shrimp stir-fried with broccoli, carrots, bean sprouts, on rice.
Thursday: French toast (using frozen leftover baguette slices), ricotta cheese, maple syrup, veggie sausages, and fruit salad.
Friday: Antipasto pasta salad, homemade pizza.

On the bright side, I've found a good (car) body shop...

I bashed my driver's side mirror while trying to park at the vet yesterday. I don't even want to explain how I did this but suffice it to say that it has to do with the ubiquitous narrow lanes between buildings here in Toronto.

I drive a fully-loaded 2001 Accord. Which I love. I have been hit a couple of times and have had body work done before, both times in the US. In neither event was I at fault. The first time, I was parked at Pier One in a suburban strip mall and a church secretary hit my right front light and surrounding parts. The second time, I was on the third and last day of our drive from Ottawa to Atlanta and I was rear-ended right outside of Charlotte NC as we (I and the driver behind me) approached an accident scene. I saw it. He didn't. Nobody was hurt but my laptop, which was sitting at the rear of my trunk, has never quite shut the same. I thought the car would be a write-off but it was repaired for just under $10,000.

This time, it was just me and a narrow lane. I found a CAA-approved body shop not too far from me so I dropped in for an estimate. The gentleman ("Rocco") who helped me was the original owner who has since passed the business on to his son, but still works there. The original quote to replace my power-and-defrosting mirror was about $450 but by calling around, he found a used one that will save me $120, even taking into account that they will have to paint it. Bless his heart.

It's amazing how much you (try to) use the driver's side mirror. I duct-taped it in place so that it wouldn't dangle in the breeze, but it points to the ground and has two big cracks so it's pretty much useless at the moment.

Part should arrive and be painted today and they'll install it while I wait tomorrow.

On the bright side, I've found a good (car) body shop...

I bashed my driver's side mirror while trying to park at the vet yesterday. I don't even want to explain how I did this but suffice it to say that it has to do with the ubiquitous narrow lanes between buildings here in Toronto.

I drive a fully-loaded 2001 Accord. Which I love. I have been hit a couple of times and have had body work done before, both times in the US. In neither event was I at fault. The first time, I was parked at Pier One in a suburban strip mall and a church secretary hit my right front light and surrounding parts. The second time, I was on the third and last day of our drive from Ottawa to Atlanta and I was rear-ended right outside of Charlotte NC as we (I and the driver behind me) approached an accident scene. I saw it. He didn't. Nobody was hurt but my laptop, which was sitting at the rear of my trunk, has never quite shut the same. I thought the car would be a write-off but it was repaired for just under $10,000.

This time, it was just me and a narrow lane. I found a CAA-approved body shop not too far from me so I dropped in for an estimate. The gentleman ("Rocco") who helped me was the original owner who has since passed the business on to his son, but still works there. The original quote to replace my power-and-defrosting mirror was about $450 but by calling around, he found a used one that will save me $120, even taking into account that they will have to paint it. Bless his heart.

It's amazing how much you (try to) use the driver's side mirror. I duct-taped it in place so that it wouldn't dangle in the breeze, but it points to the ground and has two big cracks so it's pretty much useless at the moment.

Part should arrive and be painted today and they'll install it while I wait tomorrow.

Menu Plan Monday

With my new headache prevention regime, I will have to pay more attention to ingredients and recipes going forward. Here's my plan for this week:

Monday: Poached salmon, roasted asparagus, mashed potatoes
Tuesday: WW Pasta and sauce, steamed green beans
Wednesday: Shrimp stir-fry on rice
Thursday: Parent-teacher interviews over dinner hour - order in/dine out.
Friday: Chickpea curry on rice.

Menu Plan Monday

With my new headache prevention regime, I will have to pay more attention to ingredients and recipes going forward. Here's my plan for this week:

Monday: Poached salmon, roasted asparagus, mashed potatoes
Tuesday: WW Pasta and sauce, steamed green beans
Wednesday: Shrimp stir-fry on rice
Thursday: Parent-teacher interviews over dinner hour - order in/dine out.
Friday: Chickpea curry on rice.

My new anti-headache regimen

Coincidentally with seeing my doctor and getting new headache meds, I picked up a book I'd put on hold at the library: Heal Your Headaches: The 1-2-3 Program, by David Buchholz, M.D.

After reading it pretty much cover to cover, I am convinced that I need to make some significant dietary changes to try to avoid migraine triggers. These include caffeine, chocolate, cheese and alcohol as well as a number of other things (full list here). Now, the four items I mention are things from which I derive an immense amount of pleasure, and while I have read suggestions in the past to give them up, this book really impressed upon me the role that dietary triggers play in migraine. I'm going to do a 2-3 month trial and then slowly add back in some of the foods. Unfortunately, I am probably going to have to give up caffeine for the long term, at least until after menopause when migraines tend to be greatly reduced in women.

MSG is also a trigger, and I will need to add it to my food label list of ingredients that nix foods (high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oils are the other two).

I'm going to wean myself off coffee over the next week. I really only drink it in the morning, but I often down 2-3 mugs. I'll limit myself to one mug this week and stop any other caffeinated beverages, diet crack coke being a biggie for me. I'll probably need to find some tasty herbal tea for those times I crave a warm beverage. Cheese is going to be heartbreaking. Chocolate not so much. Alcohol? Well, vodka and white wine are low on the trigger list so these will be my back-ups. But no more red wine, champagne, or dark distilled spirits.

It may all be worth it....we'll see.

My new anti-headache regimen

Coincidentally with seeing my doctor and getting new headache meds, I picked up a book I'd put on hold at the library: Heal Your Headaches: The 1-2-3 Program, by David Buchholz, M.D.

After reading it pretty much cover to cover, I am convinced that I need to make some significant dietary changes to try to avoid migraine triggers. These include caffeine, chocolate, cheese and alcohol as well as a number of other things (full list here). Now, the four items I mention are things from which I derive an immense amount of pleasure, and while I have read suggestions in the past to give them up, this book really impressed upon me the role that dietary triggers play in migraine. I'm going to do a 2-3 month trial and then slowly add back in some of the foods. Unfortunately, I am probably going to have to give up caffeine for the long term, at least until after menopause when migraines tend to be greatly reduced in women.

MSG is also a trigger, and I will need to add it to my food label list of ingredients that nix foods (high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oils are the other two).

I'm going to wean myself off coffee over the next week. I really only drink it in the morning, but I often down 2-3 mugs. I'll limit myself to one mug this week and stop any other caffeinated beverages, diet crack coke being a biggie for me. I'll probably need to find some tasty herbal tea for those times I crave a warm beverage. Cheese is going to be heartbreaking. Chocolate not so much. Alcohol? Well, vodka and white wine are low on the trigger list so these will be my back-ups. But no more red wine, champagne, or dark distilled spirits.

It may all be worth it....we'll see.

The future is flashing before my eyes

We drove down to visit the University of Waterloo yesterday, a top choice for Alex who hopes to study mathematics in a year and a half when he finishes high school. He'd been asking to start visiting universities and although perhaps it's a little early, the experience was well worthwhile.

We registered online for the regular 1:30 pm tour. We were a group of about 25 parents and students and were walked around the campus for two hours, visiting most faculties, the Student Life Centre, Physical Activities Centre, and a dorm. Our guide was an enthusiastic fourth year student who gave us a little history of the university and lots of good information about programs, admissions, and life at Waterloo. He was funny, sensible, and energetic....an excellent combination for leading around a group of people on what must have been one of the coldest, windiest days of the year.

After our tour ended, we were met by a student from St. Jerome's University which is a Catholic university federated with U Waterloo. They offer Arts and Math programs and students who register there are Waterloo students, have access to all Waterloo facilities and courses, and get a Waterloo degree, while enjoying the smaller community (inclusing residences) offered by St. Jerome's. Our tour guide was a second year Math student and she walked us through the SJU buildings and dorms.

After we were finished, we attended the 5:00 pm mass at STU, grabbed a quick dinner at a local Korean restaurant and were back in Toronto by 8:30 pm.

Alex was clearly taken by his experience and enjoyed seeing the campus. I think it kind of motivated him to work harder to ensure admission, and possibly an entrance scholarship. He spent much of the evening at home half-watching a hockey game and mostly reading the brochures we'd picked up and talking with me about university life.

I suddenly understood what so many moms before me have gone through: for me, yesterday's visit enables me to very clearly picture myself and Z dropping him off at his dorm in a year and a half, feeling kind of weepy, and then returning to a quiet house with only one man-child left at home.

I've joked a lot about how I'm looking forward to having the boys leave home, but it all seems too real now, and somehow not quite at attractive....

Sweet pain relief

I saw my doctor on Friday to get some bloodwork done for a medication I'm on, and decided to chat about my headaches while I was there. I've had them for years, all my adult life really. I'd tried a migraine med years ago (Imitrex) but got weird side effects (sort of a heart attack sensation in my chest) and so my then-doctor prescribed some pain pills and they'd been serving me well.

Then I started getting a weird skin-related side-effect from these little beauties, so annoying that every time I'd get a migraine, I'd weight the pros and cons of pain vs. big lesion on my face. My current doctor suggested that perhaps the fact that these pills were LONG out of date could be causing the side effects, and by the way, had I tried any other migraine meds? The Imitrex I'd tried 6 or 7 years ago was an early generation drug that caused that heart-attack feeling in about 30% of users and there were new, similar-acting but less intense meds that might work. He gave me samples of a couple of different types to try.

I took my first Maxalt RPD (rizatriptan wafer) today. Within 5 minutes, I could feel this relaxed sensation in my upper body and head. Within an hour, my headache was mostly gone and my facial pain was much lessened. By two hours, I was feeling completely back to normal, without the residual muscle pain that I typically have, even after a headache has disappeared. All this with one tiny, melt-in-your-mouth pill.

I have an overwhelming sense of relief. Almost weepiness. I realise that I have felt so controlled by these headaches that happened at least monthly. Now I wonder why I hadn't discussed this with anyone sooner.

The future is flashing before my eyes

We drove down to visit the University of Waterloo yesterday, a top choice for Alex who hopes to study mathematics in a year and a half when he finishes high school. He'd been asking to start visiting universities and although perhaps it's a little early, the experience was well worthwhile.

We registered online for the regular 1:30 pm tour. We were a group of about 25 parents and students and were walked around the campus for two hours, visiting most faculties, the Student Life Centre, Physical Activities Centre, and a dorm. Our guide was an enthusiastic fourth year student who gave us a little history of the university and lots of good information about programs, admissions, and life at Waterloo. He was funny, sensible, and energetic....an excellent combination for leading around a group of people on what must have been one of the coldest, windiest days of the year.

After our tour ended, we were met by a student from St. Jerome's University which is a Catholic university federated with U Waterloo. They offer Arts and Math programs and students who register there are Waterloo students, have access to all Waterloo facilities and courses, and get a Waterloo degree, while enjoying the smaller community (inclusing residences) offered by St. Jerome's. Our tour guide was a second year Math student and she walked us through the SJU buildings and dorms.

After we were finished, we attended the 5:00 pm mass at STU, grabbed a quick dinner at a local Korean restaurant and were back in Toronto by 8:30 pm.

Alex was clearly taken by his experience and enjoyed seeing the campus. I think it kind of motivated him to work harder to ensure admission, and possibly an entrance scholarship. He spent much of the evening at home half-watching a hockey game and mostly reading the brochures we'd picked up and talking with me about university life.

I suddenly understood what so many moms before me have gone through: for me, yesterday's visit enables me to very clearly picture myself and Z dropping him off at his dorm in a year and a half, feeling kind of weepy, and then returning to a quiet house with only one man-child left at home.

I've joked a lot about how I'm looking forward to having the boys leave home, but it all seems too real now, and somehow not quite at attractive....

Sweet pain relief

I saw my doctor on Friday to get some bloodwork done for a medication I'm on, and decided to chat about my headaches while I was there. I've had them for years, all my adult life really. I'd tried a migraine med years ago (Imitrex) but got weird side effects (sort of a heart attack sensation in my chest) and so my then-doctor prescribed some pain pills and they'd been serving me well.

Then I started getting a weird skin-related side-effect from these little beauties, so annoying that every time I'd get a migraine, I'd weight the pros and cons of pain vs. big lesion on my face. My current doctor suggested that perhaps the fact that these pills were LONG out of date could be causing the side effects, and by the way, had I tried any other migraine meds? The Imitrex I'd tried 6 or 7 years ago was an early generation drug that caused that heart-attack feeling in about 30% of users and there were new, similar-acting but less intense meds that might work. He gave me samples of a couple of different types to try.

I took my first Maxalt RPD (rizatriptan wafer) today. Within 5 minutes, I could feel this relaxed sensation in my upper body and head. Within an hour, my headache was mostly gone and my facial pain was much lessened. By two hours, I was feeling completely back to normal, without the residual muscle pain that I typically have, even after a headache has disappeared. All this with one tiny, melt-in-your-mouth pill.

I have an overwhelming sense of relief. Almost weepiness. I realise that I have felt so controlled by these headaches that happened at least monthly. Now I wonder why I hadn't discussed this with anyone sooner.

Menu Plan Monday

We have very full cupboards these days, stuff leftover from the holidays, and items purchased on a whim. So we're gonna try a week (or two) of pantry/freezer cooking with purchases limited to fruit, vegetables, and dairy.

Monday: Shrimp scampi, mashed potatoes (leftovers), vegetables, apple pie.
Tuesday: Lentil soup, herb bread, cheese.
Wednesday: Tuna macaroni casserole, peas, bread.
Thursday: Whole wheat penne with rose sauce, roasted root vegetables.
Friday: Vegetable egg rolls.

Menu Plan Monday

We have very full cupboards these days, stuff leftover from the holidays, and items purchased on a whim. So we're gonna try a week (or two) of pantry/freezer cooking with purchases limited to fruit, vegetables, and dairy.

Monday: Shrimp scampi, mashed potatoes (leftovers), vegetables, apple pie.
Tuesday: Lentil soup, herb bread, cheese.
Wednesday: Tuna macaroni casserole, peas, bread.
Thursday: Whole wheat penne with rose sauce, roasted root vegetables.
Friday: Vegetable egg rolls.

Dinner Party

Twenty years ago, Z was best man at the wedding of his mother's cousin Ghassan (Gus) and his wife Elaine.

For the first time in twenty years, we live in the same city as they do, so we were happy to be able to host them for an anniversary dinner chez nous last night.

Our four (between us) children are all pretty close in age and were happy to eat pizza, watch a movie, and make videos of our dog jumping over various barriers in the basement.

The four adults enjoyed a leisurely meal, including:

• Antipasto - country peppercorn pate, prosciutto, selection of olives, tapenade, cherry tomatoes, homemade french bread, and an Italian sparkling wine (Prosecco)
  
• Pork tenderloin in a sauce of mango chutney, white wine, and cream, creamy mashed potatoes, roasted asparagus, accompanied by an Australian Shiraz-Cabernet Sauvignon (Wolf Bass).
  
• Red leaf lettuce salad with almonds, mandarin oranges, and shaved Parmesan
  
• Cheese plate
• Caramel Dacquoise from Dufflet

Gus and Elaine brought their wedding albums over and we enjoyed looking at our 20 years younger selves.

To twenty more!

Choir Report

The entrance hymn was When Jesus Comes to Be Baptised, which was sung to the tune I normally associate with On Jordan's Bank (Winchester New).

During the Offertory, we sang O Nata Lux de Lumine by Thomas Tallis and we managed to stay in pitch and on tempo, which we had great difficulty with during the warmup. For communion we sang R. Vaughn Williams' O Taste and See, another a capella piece with only a wee introduction on the organ.

The recessional was Baptized in Water, sung to a slightly modified "Fairest Lord Jesus". I had never heard any other words set to this tune, and changes to the rhythm in the last phrase made for some amount of confusion on my part. But it was lovely and liturgically appropriate, so what more can I ask?

Dinner Party

Twenty years ago, Z was best man at the wedding of his mother's cousin Ghassan (Gus) and his wife Elaine.

For the first time in twenty years, we live in the same city as they do, so we were happy to be able to host them for an anniversary dinner chez nous last night.

Our four (between us) children are all pretty close in age and were happy to eat pizza, watch a movie, and make videos of our dog jumping over various barriers in the basement.

The four adults enjoyed a leisurely meal, including:

• Antipasto - country peppercorn pate, prosciutto, selection of olives, tapenade, cherry tomatoes, homemade french bread, and an Italian sparkling wine (Prosecco)
  
• Pork tenderloin in a sauce of mango chutney, white wine, and cream, creamy mashed potatoes, roasted asparagus, accompanied by an Australian Shiraz-Cabernet Sauvignon (Wolf Bass).
  
• Red leaf lettuce salad with almonds, mandarin oranges, and shaved Parmesan
  
• Cheese plate
• Caramel Dacquoise from Dufflet

Gus and Elaine brought their wedding albums over and we enjoyed looking at our 20 years younger selves.

To twenty more!

Choir Report

The entrance hymn was When Jesus Comes to Be Baptised, which was sung to the tune I normally associate with On Jordan's Bank (Winchester New).

During the Offertory, we sang O Nata Lux de Lumine by Thomas Tallis and we managed to stay in pitch and on tempo, which we had great difficulty with during the warmup. For communion we sang R. Vaughn Williams' O Taste and See, another a capella piece with only a wee introduction on the organ.

The recessional was Baptized in Water, sung to a slightly modified "Fairest Lord Jesus". I had never heard any other words set to this tune, and changes to the rhythm in the last phrase made for some amount of confusion on my part. But it was lovely and liturgically appropriate, so what more can I ask?