Absence makes the heart grow

Yikes! Sorry for the absence. I have been feeling rather unmotivated with very little to say. Know what I mean? Sometimes you just gotta give yourself some space to vedge and space out a little. But, I do thank you for the inquiries....gives me the warm and fuzzies!

I am happy to report that Indiana was migraine free. I was very careful to take a break from any activities and take my meds when any tension started in my head, neck or shoulders (naproxen and muscle relaxer at night). I had one mild headache, but one little bottled vanilla frapaccino took it away. It is really amazing how when you don't drink coffee everyday, it can help with your headaches! Amaz-ga-ning! I have taken my precautious medicating home with me and so far I am doing pretty good. I also took an additional 4 days off work when we got back so I could wind down. It was niiiiiicceee!

Indianapolis is much different than California....and in a good way. Downtown was beautiful. Lots of old building (old for the U.S.), brick houses, churches with copper steeples, water fountains downtown....it was very lovely. Some of the statues were not what I would call politically correct (one statue was of a guy in nifty booties who conquered the Indian's...code for kicked them off their land and then killed em!) which were somewhat disturbing at times. I was not sure why they were paying tribute to some of the people, but I don't pretend to know Indiana history. Anywho, there were lots of trees. I loved it! Tree lined highways reminded me of home in Northern California. The people were very friendly and Chris' family could not have been any more welcoming. I felt like part of the family right away! So, I would say the trip was a success and it was really wonderful to see Chris around his family. I was not convinced I could love his grandma anymore than I did before, but I stand corrected. The woman is all love and she lets you feel it with each embrace.

So, now I have been back to work for almost 2 weeks and the stress is the same as when I left for vacation. I am still looking for stress relievers. A friend of mine wants me to go on a Candida Diet because I am tired all of the time. I started looking into to it and it seems I need to get my adrenal glands checked out first. They say if you are really tired after working out (which I am...I never feel energized anymore), then you should get them checked out. So, I am currently procrastinating calling for an appointment.

I do hope everyone has been well....and free of pain!

Caffeine breakup

Well, I did it. I quit caffeine. I promised myself I would do it with my next migraine since I would be doped up and thus unable to feel a coffee headache. I have been wanting to do this for a few reasons: 1) my neuro wanted me to; 2) I have been really tired lately and I hate relying on something to get me going and 3) I dislike being dependant on anything.

So, now I drink green tea and herbal tea. Yes, green tea has a little caffeine but not like my beloved java. And I do love coffee. I love the process of making it, the taste of it, the energy behind my eyes from it and I love the smell of it. But, it is for all these reasons why I must let it go. Lucky for me I found a new fruffy green tea that is so yummy I actually look forward to it. It gives me no jolt and no effects of coffee whatsoever, but it tastes good and basically I am drinking flavored water. This is a good thing because I need to drink more water.

I am basically no fun anymore and this is in part because of migraines. No alcohol. No caffeine. I can't stay out late. I have to get 7-8 hours of sleep. No fun. If I do not monitor these things, I am susceptible to a migraine. For example, I had a 17 hour day on Friday. I was up at 4:30am and did not get home until 9:30pm. I was exhausted by 2pm but I had to keep going because I had flown 2 hours for an all day meeting. The next day I had a headache and my neck was very sore. These are signs of a migraine to come. So, I veged all day and took my meds at night like a good patient. My boyfriend/partner thankfully had to work all day; otherwise he would have had to spend the day solo. I was no fun.

Coffee at least gave me the excuse of meeting up at a local coffee house. I was the one last thing I was holding on to as a means for socializing. Ok, so maybe I am being a tad dramatic here because mostly I drank coffee only in the morning and by myself anyways. But, I could have met up with people for coffee! Alas, coffee and I have broken up. We are friends but not nearly as close as we used to be.