Sarah Louise, in the pink

Allergies...are ya kidding me?

2011-08-06T14:39:00.004-05:00

So, I do not have medical evidence (aka, the skin tests*), but I know my body well enough to know that I am now allergic to the following foods:

peanuts
tree nuts (almonds, at least)
soy

The top two make me sneeze or eyes itch. Soy makes me disoriented. And soy is in EVERYTHING.

I know it's wrong, but I subsist on tv dinners. Well, if you want no soy, you have to get everything with CHEESE. Which I'm not allergic to, but I try to stay away from dairy in the week before my period. Also, dairy is not the best if you're trying to avoid sinus infections. So. Week 1 of my period: monster cramps AND a sinus infection. Yeah.

So I'm compiling good allergy links, as I look into the fall and cooler weather to cook, recipes, dining out tips, etc. Here is some of what I've uncovered:

Allergy Eats. The site is new and a little buggy, but it does give ratings from folks that have eaten there on what the response was to allergy related requests, etc.

Allergic Living. Website to the magazine with the same name. Will look into a subscription. The website has recipes, blogs, food allergy info, asthma info, all sorts of good info.

Best Allergy Sites. A sort of catchall for a lot of sites on gluten-free and and hypo-allergenic living.

Mom's Food Allergy Diner. A blog written by a mom with allergy free recipes. I think my rate of home cooking will go way up once the weather cools down.

Tips for eating out. I especially liked this one from WebMD.

I'll keep you updated. I have not been blogging regularly anywhere, life has been CRAZY, but it is helpful to have a place to park this kind of information.

What makes me so mad (and sad) is that foods that I used to love are now off limits.

__________________________________
getting those after my sister's wedding in 6 days!
(unless I have to use an antihistamine after
Friday.)

Learning the hard way...about detox

2011-03-06T09:29:00.003-05:00

So, I wasn't planning to do a detox. I just happen to own a box of detox tea and read "use two tea bags for more of a punch." (That wasn't the exact wording.) I took the bait. It was a weak moment. I'm trying to lose weight for my sister's wedding (and my own well-being) and it seemed like an okay idea.

That was then, this is now.

Ever experience a detox "die-off"? Me neither, until now.

What is a "die-off"? Well, apparently, your liver is overwhelmed by all the bad dead cells that the detox has killed. Some folks say it's a good thing, others say, well, you want to avoid it. After this, I'm in the second camp. Slow is better, I'm thinking. I do not ever want to feel this way because of something self-inflicted.

Wednesday I didn't notice that I felt crappy until I did my first story time. My mouth was dry and I felt like death warmed over. Not that I was going to vomit (I rarely do) but just that I really wanted to lie down for a really lie down. Okay, I left something out. My bowels were an indication.

So after my first story time, I negotiated the rest of the day off, if I did the second story time.

I drove home and crawled into bed. I slept for 3 hours and had lunch at 4 pm.

"Detox die off" became something I regularly Googled for the next couple of days. Yesterday was when I found some help. After my back started hurting Friday (a symptom of die-off is joint pain, and if you Google die off and back pain, you get a bunch of hits) I found some tips that helped.

Drink lots of water. I have not gone the distilled route because I'm not into distilled water.

Take lots of vitamin C. Okay, I'm up with that, but not to the point of diarrhea, which some sites recommend. Um, I feel bad, I don't want to feel worse.

Take baths with Epsom salt. I can do that.

Eat lots of vegetables and no red meat. Okay.

Add to that stuff that you do for a back ache: Thermacare wraps, Tylenol (I am allergic to NSAIDS, which means ibuprofen, aspirin, etc.), sleeping with a pillow between your knees (I'm a side sleeper.)

And lots of sleep.

Today, my back feels a little better (good enough to sit through Les Miserables, after lunch, after driving through city neighborhoods to pick up Lilly, after cleaning SNOW off my car.)

What am I grateful for? Right now?

That I do not live in any of the places that are flooding. As I've been sitting here, writing this, watching CBS Sunday Morning, the TV has beeped and run the emergency ticker tape at the bottom of the screen: FLOOD WARNING.

I'm also grateful that I have a little bit less of the chalk mouth, and that tomorrow I get to see my chiropractor, who will be a little less judgmental of a detox than my regular general practitioner.

Chalk this one up to: lesson learned.

Miss Susie called the Doctor...the doctor called the nurse...

2010-07-08T10:17:00.003-05:00

This children's verse actually is a great outlet for my frustration with the medical profession in this country:

Miss Susie had a baby, she named him Tiny Tim.
She put him in the bathtub to see if he could swim.
He drank up all the water, he ate all the soap, he tried to eat the bathtub but it wouldn't go down his throat.
Miss Susie called the doctor, the doctor called the nurse, the nurse called the lady with the alligator purse.
In walked the doctor, in walked the nurse, in walked the lady with the alligator purse.
Mumps! said the doctor, Measles! said the nurse, Nothing! said the lady with the alligator purse.
Out walked the doctor, Out walked the nurse, Out walked the lady with the alligator purse.

Last week I called my dermatologist, as I had a boil under my arm that was getting inflamed. I started myself on an antibiotic that had been previously prescribed for this type of thing. After a good conversation with the nurse, I asked some more questions, and the nurse said, we'll call back tomorrow with the answers. Well, she called back to say they were going to prescribe an antibiotic. Which one, I asked? She gave the name. Oh, no, that one makes me anxious. The nurse notes that and says, it says here you are allergic to penecillan and aspirin. Oh, and sulfa drugs, I said. Oh, we'll put that on our chart.

The next day I get a recording from Walgreens saying there is some insurance problem with my prescription. So I call Walgreens and talked to the pharmacy tech, who said, your doctor just called in an antibiotic and you had just refilled that recently so it's not going through. Which antibiotic? The same one I was already on!!! Which I had mentioned in my first call to the nurse.

Plus, lovely TMI detail, all these antibiotics give me breakthrough bleeding because I'm also on the Pill. So I really want to get off the antibiotics since I've been on them 10 days now. And so I left a message with the nurse's station answering machine. I think I'll have to make an appointment. Sometimes they can inject the boil with steroids. They might not be able to since I'm still recovering from the Shingles...

I got a book out of the library last night, Stop Being your Symptoms: a 6 week mind-body program to ease your chronic symptoms. I'll let you know how it goes. I will try ANYTHING at this point.

Over and out, I need to chill with my book.

"I do not think that word means what you think it means..."

2010-07-07T09:39:00.003-05:00

(from Princess Bride)

Shingles is a pain in my side. Fortunately for me, it's more a mental anguish that my body doesn't have energy than a literal pain in my side or on my head. My co-workers have not been as lucky. My one co-worker has it on her scalp and she can't brush her hair and she says that by 3pm it feels like someone has been pulling her hair all day.

And all the literature says, "Immuno-suppressed." Well, I may be fighting boils left and right, and I know my co-worker and I are both under a lot of stress as things change at work, but I have heard enough stories from people that weren't dying from cancer and shingles was just a symptom, a flag that said, oh guess what, you are REALLY sick.

And it's not just old people. It seems that Shingles is as pervasive as Mono, just not as well understood. I've heard of 14 year olds getting it, college students getting it...

Oh, and here's something. When you get it, start taking B vitamins and Vitamin C at therapeutic levels *right away* and aggressively. Your doctor won't tell you because "it's not proven that those work" (from my friend who is married to a doctor and deals with too many doctors). Avocado is a good food to eat a lot of. Also beta carotene.

This is not a scientific blog, but a place for me to be frustrated with the status quo of how doctors and patients operate in this first world country. It's all about germs and not about your body's mechanisms to fight it.

at least I can say, it really is my hormones...

2009-12-16T11:41:00.002-05:00

from Hormonology:

Week 2
Day 8 to Day 13
Today's hormone-cast: Stress is at an all-cycle high this week as rocketing estrogen amps up your anxiety level. As a result, you may feel plagued by headaches, tense shoulders and a sore back. Luckily, a little self-massage can work wonders to loosen up tight muscles and give you a mood boost. In fact, research shows that giving yourself a rubdown is just as relaxing as asking someone else to do it for you!

Today started out completely craptastically but by now, the Universe has figured out that it needed to compensate in the other direction. YAY!

You can almost, not quite, see all the crap that happened this morning roll back into a ball, as if the film were rolling backwards.

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T09:27:00.003-05:00

This cracks me up...

Today's hormone-cast

Thanksgiving falls on a perfect day in your cycle: Progesterone is boosting your cravings for comfort food. And there's no doubt that the typical turkey-day meal is the epitome of food made for comfort. This sedating hormone is also giving you unparalleled patience with any annoying relatives and family friends, even after the wine is served! Enjoy!

So far, I was able to get my cousin's fiance to not bug me while I ate my breakfast...so it's good news that I might be able to have patience with my other cousin's fiance...

It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High. Psalm 92:1 (from Aintskeerd, on Twitter.)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!! (and happy Thursday if you are an international guest.)

Sarah Louise and the Allergic Reaction

2009-11-11T09:43:00.002-05:00

This was in my in-box this morning:

Hormonology: Week 1 First day of period to Day 7

Today's hormone-cast: Have cramps? Don't reach for the Tylenol. Stock up on ibuprofen instead. Studies show it quashes the pain of menstrual cramps far more effectively. Want to give your ibuprofen a boost? Down it with chamomile tea. Scientists discovered it contains a compound that acts like a mild muscle relaxant, which makes menstrual cramps less intense.

So, really, what my hormone-cast is telling me I should go into shock--since I'm allergic to both ibuprofen AND chamomile.

Which is wonderful, since this week I already ate tilapia, which I'm allergic to. I finally took a Benadryl at midnight, after googling for quite a while, figuring out that I didn't have ER ready symptoms. (My throat was a little constricted, like I hadn't swallowed a pill correctly.) And Monday, I slept the ENTIRE afternoon. Yes, I will be getting an epi-pen when I go see my allergist in two weeks. And my therapist was like, um, why did you keep eating it when you knew you were allergic? I know. But I was cloudy from having spent the morning with one year old twins, waiting in line to see the Mr. Rogers Land of Makebelieve. So yes, I need to learn to say, "I'm not hungry" if I'm determined to be polite to the hostess.

Meanwhile, I am SICK of having this cold. We're on week 1 plus days now. AND, I lost my tablespoon.

Go do something really happy and healthy. I have to go sing to babies in five minutes.

2008-12-08T11:14:00.005-05:00

Twitter puts windows where there were walls.

Darn! That's not what I meant to paste! Let's try again. (That paste was from @pistachio, a tweep I adore.)

Week 3
Day 14 (or ovulation) to Day 22
Today's hormone-cast: Even if you get your recommended seven to eight hours of sleep, it'll be hard to muster a lot of energy today. No, your co-workers aren't sneaking sleeping pills into your Yoplait. The slow-down is simply a side effect of rising progesterone, which is a hormone that has a sedating, sleepy effect on you.

Thanks Gabrielle!

______

Last night I was ready to think about bed by 9:30, and in bed by 10. And it took me at least an hour before I left the house for my walk this morning, and I dawdled. And somehow it is now almost half past eleven. It's good to know my hormones are doing what they're supposed to be doing. Now if I could convince myself to fight nature and get some work done...

Pushing past PMS

2008-12-04T08:47:00.003-05:00

Week 2

Day 8 to Day 13
Today's hormone-cast: You may be thinking of ways to get ahead at work, come up with a new source of income or get voted into some kind of elected office. That's your testosterone pushing you to gain a little more power. As it rises, it increases feelings of ambition and competitiveness!

from Hormonology.

***************

Ha ha, that must be why yesterday I came up with some idea to make a DVD for library users about how to take care of DVDs, books, etc. Yesterday almost kicked my butt, so it's a good thing I had extra hormones going on!

Dreams n'at

2008-11-10T09:32:00.003-05:00

Today's plunging estrogen isn't all bad. Anecdotal evidence shows that when this hormone descends, it helps boost your creative thinking! So if you have a problem you need to solve, it'll be easier to find an imaginative solution. If you have a gift to give, you'll find it easier to make one by hand. And if you have a blog entry to write, you'll find it easier to wow readers with your colorful tales! (from Hormonology.)

I had two bizarre dreams last night. They both had to do with having my period, in excess, and being in bathrooms. The one was a public bathroom that had the definite ew factor plus the fact that I had to trip over some sort of stairs to get to it. The second one was that at work I was really on (which is funny, since I've been really "off" the past coupla weeks and yesterday at home was "Little Miss Homemaker.") But then I had to go into the bathroom right off our department, and the lock was broken. So while I'm dealing with blood, blood, blood, I had at least three people try to get in. There were reviews of children's books on the walls of the bathroom, talking about how to tell if a particular picture book was good by amount of times the adult could stand to read it. (Which I think is a good way, since the adult is the one who will be doing the reading, most of the time.) In the first dream, I was meeting my aunt for lunch. She's been dead for almost ten years. This is the second dream I've had with her in it. I wonder if part of it is that I'm now more in contact with her daughter, one of my favorite cousins (Kiki), or if...I don't know. Dreams are such strange things.

In other news, I've started another blog. I haven't written anything on it yet, but it's going to be more political, which doesn't really fit with the tone of Pink Sneakers N'at. The first post will be a bit from an email I wrote to a friend today.

Your Hormone Hormonology for Today...

2008-06-27T14:05:00.002-05:00

Week 1

First day of period to Day 7
Today's hormone-cast: Keep your eye on the clock this morning: you may be running late around 8 am. The reason? Japanese scientists found that your hormones make your internal clock run more slowly at certain points in the day, making you feel like you have more time than you really do! from http://www.myhormonology.com/

Interesting...I have been running late this week. Not by a lot, but I have had to reschedule morning chiro appts 2x. So I'm going tonight after work. And last night I got a bit of a surge around 8pm so on the way home had Bell Grande Nachos at Taco Bell. Scarfed them down. Came home, went STRAIGHT to bed. So great, I'm dealing with the infection that won't go away AND UMS symptoms (ugly mood swings, the thing that happens after PMS).

And my font wants to change every single paragraph. Wonderful.

In other news (font remained the same...)

But I'm changing it back...I'm getting rid of the sofa that has been my companion since I moved to my 3rd floor walk-up. I think it probably could use a good steam clean and basically, I'm too cheap to do that AND I have the twin frame and mattress waiting in the basement. Soooo...I'm hoping to entice men from church with beer.

Can I take a nap now???

The only illness where you don't get a covered dish.

2008-04-20T13:00:00.003-05:00

Am watching (while purging my magazines, because it's too painful to sit and really watch) Shadow Voices, a video put out by Mennonites about Mental Health. From the video:

it's okay to have AIDS, diabetes, cancer: yet the stigma for Mental Health exists.

Man, speaking of his brother: He'd rather tell me he's on crack than he's got schizophrenia.

************

When I was depressed, no one thought I might want a covered dish, or someone to come wash my dishes. (God bless Sally, who feeds me when I show up at her house and sometimes gives me food to take home.)

But when I think of the people that get months of meals when they give birth--a happy event that generally gets a lot of support. And when I send out an email saying that I am depressed, I get asked if I'm okay, awkwardly. I got more support when I broke up with Max than any time I have asked for help from depression.

If you know someone with depression:

offer them a meal, either in a restaurant or at your home, or take home.
If you have time, call them. See if they need help around the house.
YOU DO NOT NEED A DEGREE (even a GED) to be a friend to someone who is hurting mentally.
If you don't know what to do, talk to someone who might: your pastor, your mom, a friend who knows about mental health.
above all, REACH out. Send an email, a card, flowers. Prayer is great, but let that person KNOW that you are praying for them.

In which SL gets the armband...

2008-02-19T11:34:00.003-05:00

Dear reader, the ridiculous-meter on taking a pregnancy test while one is menstruating was not lost on me, but it's part of the study,* so there you go.

I also got a "life assessment" which is basically how were your moods lately, etc. I had to fill in a questionnaire concerning how much activity (as in physical, lifting, walking, home repairs, etc.) I'd done in the past week. Fortunately, since Katy and I did a LOT of walking on Saturday, I could answer that I'd walked for 2-4 hours last week.

The armband has a sensor that measures caloric output, my movements, etc. I wear it for the next 7 days except in the shower or swimming. Yes, to bed. For this, I will get paid $20 at the end of the week. Sally said, ooh, I want one. Do you want to be bipolar? No, I think we established that I'd like to be boring.

(*This is all part of an exercise study to see if folks that have bipolar feel better if they are exercising regularly. I know that to be true, so if you need me to be a part of the hard numbers and you'll pay me, I'm in!)

*************

I have quotes adorning my desk. This morning whilst getting up, I thought, I need to start writing again. REALLY writing, working on my novella. This would go along with the quote, "There is no agony like bearing an untold story inside of you." (Maya Angelou) My dear father has been trying to send me Valentine's flowers for almost a week (did I mention he broke his arm?) which goes along with the quote, "Send me flowers while I'm alive. They won't do me a damn bit of good after I'm dead." (Joan Crawford.) Taped next to it, a new addition, cut surely from an issue of REAL SIMPLE magazine, are the wise words of William Morris: "If you want a golden rule that will fit everything, this is it: Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful."

To which I will point out I recently re-found the piece of Jerusalem stone my father sent me once that merely has two footprints and says "...it was then that I carried you."

Be healthy!

Eggplant Parmesan (no I'm not cooking, I'm going through files)

2008-01-13T16:02:00.000-05:00

and it seemed silly to have an entire "My Documents" folder dedicated to "Recipes." I made this last summer.

Eggplant Parmesan (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Eggplant-Parmesan-II/Detail.aspx and Kitch survival guide)

2 medium eggplants, peeled.

2 cups seasoned bread crumbs

2 cups grated mozz cheesse

spaghetti sauce

1 cup grated parm cheese

2 eggs

1 tsp. Salt

½ tsp. Pepper

Salt the eggplant first, let sit for 20 min, rinse in cold water, THEN dip in egg.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. Dip eggplant slices in egg, then in bread crumbs. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes on each side.

3. In a 9x13 inch baking dish spread spaghetti sauce to cover the bottom. Place a layer of eggplant slices in the sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Repeat with remaining ingredients, ending with the cheeses. Sprinkle basil on top.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until golden brown.

sleep...

2008-01-11T09:15:00.001-05:00

Um, isn't the point of sleep that you wake up refreshed? Instead of exhausted?

Many dreams (I dreamt that the Emmys were unscripted and bizarre and more bizarre stuff...) and awaken to slam, slam.

Off to shower, off to work. Ugh.

still sick, sick of being sick

2007-12-30T11:39:00.000-05:00

Major victory: for the first time in, a long time, I washed my face before bed. AND I exfoliated. And I put on night cream.

But you know what, I still woke up coughing and creating too much mucous. And pink Kleenex litter the floor of my apartment.

Ugh.

Lifestyle tips from Sarah Louise...tip #28

2007-12-12T09:15:00.001-05:00

Not allowing yourself to grieve: not a good idea.

Telling yourself you are stupid to be so thin skinned that a single email can start the tears again: give yourself some grace.

But I do need to get out of this "me, me, me." Oh help.

Lifestyle tips from Sarah Louise...tip #36

2007-12-09T11:04:00.000-05:00

After a big change, working every single day for six days and then not having a morning committment on the sixth, NOT the best idea. It may result in wicked insomnia and not having breakfast and meds until almost noon. Aaaaaack.

Watching the political shows on TV not the best idea either. (But I did see a minute of John Cusack at the end of George Stephenopoulous' show.)

Have just put Jerry Maguire in the VCR. Writing this while the previews play.

Did you know Mayor is one of those titles that stays with you after you aren't the active guy/gal? (As in Mayor Rudy Giuiliani.)

Internet, friend of Introverts everywhere

2007-10-21T07:36:00.000-05:00

I'm tired. I'm cough-y. I'm grumpy. But blogging affords me a way to connect with my friends, create a little sumpin'.

2007-10-10T20:35:00.000-05:00

They're called Angel Babies. Babies that don't make it to their first birthday. And I've been talking with my parents this week as I puzzle out the fact that I have no memory of the memorial services for my sister Joy, who was born when I was 5, and my brother, Peter, who was born when I was 7. Both were premies who died within weeks of their births.

It's called disassociation, when an adult has no memory of a childhood memory that was painful.

Apparently when I was told that Peter had died, I said, "Rats!" Apparently at Joy's memorial service, which was attended by my Granny, my Aunt Margaret, and my maternal grandparents (Grandma and Grandpa), I was glad to see all the people that loved me. And Aunt Pat (my mom's sister) was with me the night that Joy died, and Aunt Margaret (my mom's aunt) stayed with us that Christmas. Uncle Mark (my dad's cousin, a minister in the Reformed Church) performed the memorial service. Boy it was cold, my mom said. I drew my dad a flower during the memorial service for Peter. My dad might still have it somewhere.

Today a man came into the library. I don't know if he was the father or uncle, but he came to me on behalf of two teenagers, one thirteen, one eighteen, who were at home, couldn't go to school because of the death of their fifteen year old sibling. While I found books in the young adult department, he went back upstairs for a book I'd found on mourning a sibling death. It was one of the books he left behind, and reading the text, wooden and clinical, I could see why.

But since this week I have been trying to unpuzzle my lost memories, my lost sister and brother, I took a look. I found the website of an organization, Compassionate Friends, and their Pittsburgh chapter. I sent an informational email, since the most recent information on the Pittsburgh chapter website was about their August meeting.

I watched "Back to you," my new Wednesday night TV show, and got caught into "Til Death," when the phone rang. The caller ID was my parent's house. My parents NEVER call me, well, rarely. It was my mother, wanting to talk to me in case I wanted to talk more--I talked with my dad at least a half hour on Monday, taking three pages of notes. My mom told me that they got to hold Joy as she died--which had never been done before. It was clear she was dying, so the doctors unhooked her from her hookups, and my parents got to hold her as she died. My mother said it was beautiful, and that they thought that was the best hospital, for doing that.

I told my mom I felt silly, for something that happened so long ago. But my mom said, it's not silly. And she said, there's this organization, Compassionate Friends, for grieving parents, I wonder if they deal with siblings. You're a librarian, I bet you can figure it out.

So I have my parent's permission to pursue this grief. My body hurts, my head hurts, and I feel dull.

My mom said, everyone was so sad for Joy and Peter, and everyone was so happy when Sis came along. My words, when I saw her, asleep in a dresser drawer, "She's the most beautiful baby I've ever seen, can we keep her?" My dad heard those words, as he walked in, from work. Until that moment I had not liked babies, and now it occurs to me there might be a reason why.

Bro is in town (at my parents) for a wedding this weekend. How blessed I am to have two healthy siblings that I love to pieces. How blessed I am to have parents that love me to pieces. How blessed I am that I have two Angel Baby siblings. As I sit here, my hip is throbbing, from sitting in a funny position while on the phone with my mom, and my eyes are trying to decide if they want to tear up or not.

waiting for October to go...

2007-10-10T14:48:00.001-05:00

Depressives know that the "banner" (if you could call them that) months are October and February. October b/c the light is changing, it's sandwiched between back to school (September) and let's prepare for Thanksgiving then Christmas (November/December). February has Valentine's Day and the knowledge that winter is still not over. Nuff said.

I'm doing pretty well for an October as things go, and have had my best summer in five years. That said, if I do not have work in front of me that I can do, I get morose and obsessive about email, blogging and do not want to do anything.

I think I'll go shelve some videos and DVDs. (Not at all in my job description, but it will get me off my duff and requires little thought. Right now I have little thought.)

This too shall pass. Update on the weather: it's cold out there. Well, cooler, at least.

Time to pull out handy Gerard Manley Hopkin's poem--see my other blog--the one about Spring and Fall and Margaret grieving...

ARR!!

2007-09-19T07:58:00.000-05:00

So, um, visit my other blog for the official "Talk like a pirate" bootie.

When you re-read a classic you do not see in the book more than you did before. You see more in you than there was before. --Clifton Fadiman

2007-08-26T15:36:00.000-05:00

Back from the vackay, more to come.

But this quote made me think about what I've been doing a lot: re-reading. Today I found two whole chapters I swear were not there the first time I read About a boy. And I swear I do not remember Cannie being so funny in Good in bed. Or that the column was called that BEFORE Bruce started writing about C. And there were pieces I forget from Blue Like Jazz. And while I prefer Deborah Tannen when it comes to the war of the sexes, Mars and Venus on a date is very helpful. Although is it rereading if you haven't finished the book? I keep rereading the first five chapters.

Waiting...

2007-08-23T15:27:00.000-05:00

Week 4 (from Four Weeks Mag, where else?)

Day 23 to the end of your cycle
Today's hormone-cast: You may lose your temper today and say what you really feel as plunging estrogen brings down the level of your feel-good brain chemical serotonin. Some good news? Speaking your mind, especially during arguments with your mate, is healthy! That's the latest word from researchers from Eaker Epidemiology Enterprises in Gaithersburg, Maryland, who found that women who keep silent during marital arguments are four times more likely to die prematurely as well as suffer depression and irritable bowel syndrome.

FYI, I did not lose my temper. But I almost flipped the bird at some water skiier who came too close to the dock where we were swimming and couldn't stop staring. Without my glasses I couldn't tell what her expression was. My sister said the woman must have thought we were Canadian and she was impressed by our cold water prowess.

I had to explain what "flip the bird" was to my mother.

Thinking about money....

2007-08-13T06:19:00.000-05:00

So I'm not linking because I'm not quoting, but today's hormone horoscope was revealing.

I woke up worrying about my electric bill which is twice the usual size (did I miss a month, or am I using more A/C this summer than last?) and my phone bill, which I need to call Verizon and get on a different calling plan. Also, an insurance company owes me $200 from forever ago and I can't get them to pay up.

So, apparently dropping estrogen makes me think about stuff like that. Huh. I'm officially in Week 3, which for some women starts a pre-PMS.

This is the last month I have to chart for the study I'm in. So I'm going to start working on a chart that works for me.

Today is NOT a day off--I have the chiro at 8:45, therapist at 11, and then work. I'm tearing down the Story Store (bookstore for the Storytelling Festival.) And then tonight I'm helping out with Vacation Bible School at the OD. So I better find something fun, or I'll burst.

First we go drop off the kids. Then we take a walk.

Gab gab gab...talk talk talk

2007-08-09T06:33:00.000-05:00

Week 2 (Hormonology, courtesy of Four Weeks Mag)

Day 8 to Day 13
Today's hormone-cast: You're super-talkative today thanks to high chat-loving estrogen and testosterone. And what a perfect day for gabbing away! These high hormones are improving your memory, so you're recalling lots of five syllable words you thought you'd never use again. Plus, you're more eloquent this week than any other week of your cycle, making your verbal stumbles few and far between!

Um, that's why Monday was so wonderful, chatting up the Lazy River with Kristi.

Fascinating stuff that I feel compelled to share...

2007-08-08T05:25:00.000-05:00

From "tricky foods" (from Four Weeks Magazine, where else?)

"Smaller containers of orange juice give you more vitamin C! That's because ready-to-drink OJ rapidly loses its vitamin C as soon as it’s opened, according to an American Dietetic Association study."

Well, I don't like orange juice--I prefer oranges themselves and have gotten out of the habit of eating them. But I figure most folks have OJ for breakfast and that this would be an interesting bit of info.

Another tidbit: in the 2nd week (8-13 days) a woman's sense of smell is heightened for three things: "roses, male sweat and male urine. You can thank today's high estrogen for your nasal ability. In early cave days, during this fertile high-estrogen phase of your cycle your nose was important for sniffing out a man's health through his excretions. And the roses? Obviously, even cave girls couldn't resist a pretty long-stemmed bouquet..." (also FWM)

Roses--wow, it's been a long time since I've had a real one (I sometimes buy the miniature roses at Whole Foods.)

I had bizarr-o dreams last night probably due to the fact that I forgot my bedtime meds.

Over and out...

In the red...

2007-07-28T15:04:00.000-05:00

Finally! I'm hoping the pedicure/massage chair experience will help cramps go bye bye. Last month I didn't get what I consider "Day Two" until Day Four...but just for insurance, I'm wearing one of those adhesive heating pads and I took two tylenols when I started work. My brain is very very tired. 25 minutes til I get to go to Targét! Yes, I need fancy things like toilet paper and dental floss...

Oh, and right when I need them, the folks at Four Weeks Mag are on vackay until Aug 6!!

Um, this doesn't really work until Sunday...

2007-07-20T13:51:00.000-05:00

Sometimes you have to look reality in the face and deny it. Like when you have a day like today: Hot Dog Day from 11-1, Harry Potter party from 2-3 (thankfully I'm not running it, I just did some running for Laura, the YA librarian) and then at 9, the Harry Potter Ball at Borders. At 5, I'll go over to NH Sally's and hang out. And by hang out, I mean eat dinner and take a nap.

Week 3 (from Four Weeks Magazine)
Day 14 (or ovulation) to Day 22
Today's hormone-cast: Break out that biography you've been meaning to read, the indie film you've wanted to watch or your knitting needles. Sedating progesterone has you enjoying these and other mellow, solitary activities this weekend.

Sleepy blogger takes a nap...

2007-07-16T15:58:00.000-05:00

Today's Hormone-Cast:

Week 3: Day 14 (or ovulation) to Day 22

Today's hormone-cast: Go ahead and take a nap—you know you want to. That's rising progesterone's fault. It's a sedating hormone that's slowing you down, wearing you out and making it hard to stay awake through Leno. Some good nap news? Siestas can help you live longer! Really! Harvard researchers recently found that people who take nap for at least 30 minutes three times a week slash their risk of dying from a heart attack by an impressive 37%!

This hormone thing is trickier than I thought...

2007-07-06T05:39:00.000-05:00

Day 8 to Day 13

Today's hormone-cast: You may get frustrated with someone who hasn’t gotten back to you yet. You can't help being a tad impatient. High estrogen and testosterone are making you want a response instantly!

This was me the past coupla days. Now I'm copasetic. (Well, b/c I got a semi-response.)

As you were...

The paradox called me...

2007-06-21T09:41:00.000-05:00

So today I had a "life assessment." Basically, I got to sit in the only air conditioned office at the clinic and answer questions like, "how has your sleep been?" and "have you taken any street drugs?"

So here's the paradox. My life has improved considerably in the past month:

Two out of three lost friends have been regained
I'm sort of seeing a normal very nice guy
I'm going on vacation in less than four days
etc.

But the low grade (very low grade, I assured her) depression is due to the fact that I'm processing the fact that my life has improved.

And to her, I was just a number. She didn't want to know that this is the most stressful time of the year for Children's Librarians. Or that a cute guy paid for my grilled cheese sandwich on Sunday. Or that I'm off to Montana in a few days.

And I get to go back and see her (or someone like her) again in three months! Yippee! Does that mean the study is continuing?

Off to wash hair, do dishes (they smell RANK) and possibly throw a load of wash before I go to work.

I got miniature roses at Whole Foods. They are (of course) pink. They are staring at me on the desk opposite my computer. I love them. If my camera was communicating with my computer, I might take a picture. I'll get back to you on that one...

Third week--pre-PMS

2007-06-19T13:34:00.000-05:00

WEEK 3: Cautious & Caring (from FourWeeks Mag.)

This week lasts from Day 14 (or ovulation) to Day 22 of your monthly cycle. Your estrogen and testosterone start off by dropping, but by Day 18, they rise again. Progesterone, a sedating hormone that also boosts the urge to nurture, rises steadily throughout the week. This week's hormonal combination is increasing your desire to be safe, improve your health, cook (or order in), eat comfort foods, shop for items that make your home more comfortable, budget, stick to what's traditional and do quiet-low key activities either alone or with a special friend.

***************

Um yeah. I'm all worried about packing but also about my diet (not losing weight, but what to eat so that the PMS and UMS* symptoms are less, as I'll be in PMS during the Montana trip and UMS during July 4th week, when my parents come to Pgh.)

So now is the time to re-evaluate my supplements, etc.

And I'd so much rather be at home curled up with a book or a movie, eating bon bons than be at work...

*UMS stands for Ugly Mood Swings and is my personal euphemism for The Red Tent.

No, no no!

2007-05-31T07:33:00.000-05:00

Okay, I realize yesterday I was in a futz (is that a word) but I'm no longer and oof!

I am HAPPY that I am 35. I love being 35. I'm just at a relationship cul de sac.

So...in keeping with yesterday's theme--if I'm the one you hate because I don't get fat and I don't care, I'm also the one you hate because I look 28 at 35. And I wouldn't want to be younger--I learn things the hard way (is there any other way?) and so I would much rather push forward than step back.

But thanks for sharing.

Officially in the Red Tent now.

Unattractive thirty five year old woman rants...

2007-05-30T06:47:00.000-05:00

You may be looking for a way to boost your attractiveness today as plunging estrogen and testosterone decrease the confidence you have in your appearance. For an easy—and surprising—way to boost your beauty, wear a grapefruit-scented perfume or moisturizer. It'll instantly make others perceive you as 10 years younger than you are, according to a study from the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation. (Hormonology, from Four Weeks Magazine)

I'm one of those women you love to hate. I don't seem to gain weight and I don't really care. I don't agonize over fat legs or fleshy arms (although, yes, now that I checked, the arms do have a wiggle...)

So when I feel unattractive, it's more like, I can't find A THING to wear. Which at the moment isn't the issue because most of my clothes are dirty, I'm lucky to find a clean t-shirt, AND THAT'S WHAT I WEAR. (Sorry for shouting...)

When I feel unattractive, I doubt my abilities: as a friend, as a librarian, as...

I do need a haircut. Josie, one of the other kids' librarians, now goes to the beauty school, where haircuts are really cheap, but part of my haircut is catching up with my stylist. She's NOT cheap. But she knows what I'm trying to do with my hair--if I went to someone new, I'd have to explain...

I remember in a short story about a teacher who was getting married. One of her students asked her what it would be like, and twenty (or more) years later, this is what echoes: I'll never spend five dollars on lipstick again.

NH Sally and I have a running argument. If it was funny, it would be a running gag. But it's her twist on "here's why you don't want to get married/have a boyfriend/get close." Which I don't buy. She has a house, three lovely kids, a wonderful husband. A two car garage. While I understand that that might feel too much a lot of the time, would she REALLY trade it for what I have? She's not an unhappy woman, (I've met them), she just thinks she is. (Don't I have it all figured out for her? It's so neat as opposed to messy to look at someone else's life and do an inventory...)

I want the whole package. And I understand that when you have the whole package: the relationships, the things that tie you down, you also have times when you want to kill the other person or persons. But that subsides. And I would rather, any day of any week have relationships where I feel comfortable to express my irritation (most recently, the parents) than not ever get close enough to get the rest: the hugs, the history...the whole package. So when I want to scream because my mother is saying that thing she always says (hmm, or that NH Sally is playing the same tune) I remind myself that I love the relationship, even if the person in it right now is driving me UP A WALL.

Easy to say from the comfort of my garret. But I'm sorry, being 35 1/2 (my half birthday was two days ago) and being single and going to YOUNGER women's weddings and showers is really bumming me out. (well, only one shower, but I have the possibility of two soon: one baby and one wedding.) And while I realize the point of a wedding shower is to invite folks that might not be invited to the wedding, that is just CRUEL. Send me an invite to the ceremony. I'll buy you a gift for that. I don't need a place setting at the reception, I'll just watch you say your vows. That costs you nothing but postage and however much an invitation goes for these days. I am tired of e-vites. MAIL. A real envelope.

I DO NOT WANT TO SPEND AN AFTERNOON/EVENING AMONG WOMEN AT A SHOWER. And take time off work--there is noone I know right now that isn't married that is worth that. Showers are designed for married women. Lucky for me that most showers are Saturday afternoons. Oh, I'm sorry, I couldn't take off work. Which is the truth wrapped in a half-lie. I have the most flexible schedule of anyone l know. It's true, I CAN'T go to a certain event this weekend b/c I would have had to have traded hours with someone, but let's look at my track record: I took this past Saturday afternoon off so that I could go to a WEDDING. Not a party about a wedding, and I didn't even go to the reception because it was more important to see my parents than to eat food with friends. I don't know if there was dancing. I can feel my mood escalating...

See? I haven't even looked in the mirror yet this morning, and I feel plenty unattractive in my state of life. I'm going for a walk.

This explains EVERYTHING!

2007-05-21T13:41:00.000-05:00

(Well, not EVERYTHING, but it does explain some things...)

Today's hormone-cast: If friends and loved ones wish you were happier during your premenstrual days, there's good news: they can help perk up your mood! How? By doing things that increase the mood-lifting brain chemicals serotonin and endorphins, such as giving you a neck massage, bringing you a bouquet of your favorite flowers or surprising you with a sweet treat. So how can they all know it's time for your pampering? With PMSBuddy.com, a new free online service that makes it easy for anyone to keep track of your cycle! It even emails PMS reminders. Now they have no excuses!

Yeah, um, that's okay. I don't think I need the world to know when I'm getting PMS or UMS (Ugly Mood Swings). I remember one boyfriend who knew my cycle better than me and always cooked me lasagna (as I had shared that I often had cravings for Italian food.) When he told me what he was up to, I was pretty wierded out. I mean, I guess that's more like a husband level thing, not "we've been dating less than one year."

What part of "Gets Better" don't you understand?

2007-05-21T09:06:00.001-05:00

I'm on what? My sixth cold of the year? Someone shoot me now...

Yes, I'm calling my doctor today.

And buying more Zicam.

Hormone-cast: check out my new link on the left!

2007-05-03T06:55:00.000-05:00

So yesterday I discovered a new website that speaks to the EXACT place I am right now: The Red Tent. The website is hormonology, and it sponsors an online magazine called Four Weeks.

So, based on whatever week you're in, you get a "hormone-cast" which I feel better about that thinking of it as a horoscope.

This is mine for today: Give in to your rising estrogen urges to be silly today—for instance, dance in the kitchen, sing your favorite song at the top of your lungs or prepare a romantic picnic in your living room!

That must be why I am finding every commercial hysterical. Oh, and Matt is in Dubai. (I was so wrong, I thought Beijing from the clue.) The website still has him in Bhutan, but tune in later.

Just so this time I get a t-shirt...

Day Two: Solutions

2007-04-30T22:23:00.000-05:00

So today was Day Two, the dreaded day of the worst cramps. So yesterday I allowed myself a movie (In the Land of Women, yes, I cried) and today I scheduled a massage. Yes, a full body massage, and it was wonderful.

But it's doing nothing for my broken heart.

On a church placard board, "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted." Well, I feel like everyone is miles and miles away. I ache, my eyes need sleep, and my body resists sleep.

This too shall pass--it better!!!

Sarah Louise tries the 10 Essentials...

2007-04-07T09:33:00.000-05:00

So Easter is almost over--I don't think I've had a more stressful Lenten season since--well, last year.

I take TriVita Sub-lingual B-12. It help n'stuff. I can't say exactly "it cured my eczema" or "I don't get depressed anymore" but I know that it helps. I was having all kinds of stomach stuff going on right around the time I started taking it and it helped.

I tend to stress. A LOT. And even though I know taking a walk in the morning is a great idea, I don't. I go straight to the computer. It's an addiction.

So, since the TriVita folks got my email addy a few months ago, I've started getting their newsletter on Saturdays. Usually I'm cataloguing and I don't have time to read (or I steal time to read, more likely, lately.) But today I'm on the reference desk without a definite project so I'm surfing, reading email, and yes, blogging.

So I surfed through the newsletter and found the TriVita 10 Essentials. (the title is a link, but here they are too):

breathe deeply
drink water
sleep peacefully
eat nutriously
enjoy activity
give and recieve love
be forgiving
practice gratitude
develop acceptance
develop a relationship with God

I was late today. I have no idea how I got my alarm clock to only work on Wednesdays and so I thought it would go off today--it DIDN'T.

A girl just came in with the most sparkly red shoes ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyways, I've been pretty much a grouch the past week. Ever since my parents left, I've been playing catch up and I've been hormonal and needing more anti-depressants and....

I WANT TO ENJOY MY LIFE!

I WANT TO GET PAST THE GLOOM!

I WANT TO NOT GET COLDS EVERY MONTH!

So...breathe deep--I have a real problem with breathing.

Drink water, I can do that.

Sleep--I've got that one down. It's 4-10 that I have problems with, you know, on a CONSISTENT basis.

Anyways...maybe I'll go try to find a project to work on.

Sometimes you just have to STOP!

2007-04-04T09:02:00.000-05:00

So I'm taking a half day tomorrow. Because I felt that tickle in my throat and today is a marathon day--I had my chiropractic re-eval at 7:30 (I coasted in at 7:45). I got to work at 8:50, which is a record, for me. (I'm chronically late.)

Still dealing with Aunt Flo...

Am contemplating yet another blog (stop the madness!) that would be just on "women's health" (what a euphemism!) called "The Red Tent" (more on the concept, not Ann Diamant's book.)

But for now, I'm trying to drink lots of water, take my cold-eeze (zinc), and sneeze into my sleeve.

Oh, and prepare for Easter dinner. No clue how many are coming...

Am going to look into "online journaling." Oprah has a site, and there are a few Christian sites. This article and my therapist are goading me to look into it. I'll let ya know.

You are what you drink...

2007-03-30T11:53:00.000-05:00

So I'm still working on what this blog will look like on a day to day basis (and yes, I hope to update it daily.)

Whilst I'm working on that, here's an article by Jane Brody (of the NYT, yo!) about drinking habits. A quote I like: "...you may never outgrow your need for milk." Essentials found in milk include: "magnesium, potassium, zinc, iron, vitamin A, riboflavin, folate and protein."

Good choices today: yogurt with lunch, about 3 oz.

Zinc! It helps the cold symptoms!!

2007-03-30T08:06:00.000-05:00

So I stayed home yesterday and then went to work in the evening for two hours. And now I'm getting ze shower ready so I can go to work today. Naps and zinc. They are good things.

Laughter is the best medicine

2007-03-29T10:11:00.000-05:00

Laughing today:

The Ellen Show, esp the part with Diane Keaton and Ellen D's new undewear line--white briefs with words like "thongs are wrong."

Mr. Roger's Neighborhood--for some reason him playing a game with vegetables struck me as very funny.

Harry is back--and I don't mean that Potter boy

2007-03-29T08:43:00.000-05:00

Hello! Welcome to my new blog. If you're a Pink Sneakers N'at reader, you may know who Harry is. He's my cold. I am sick and tired of him visiting me...every month, it seems. So this blog is an experiment for me...an exploration in getting better...day by day!

Things I'll talk about (maybe):

How 70% of your immunity is in your digestive system (I got this off a Dannon commercial)
How your apartment or house could be contributing to your health (says the girl who hasn't moved for twelve years)*
How your emotional health affects your physical health
How...you can keep writing in bullets forever...

*okay, I lived in Virginia for three years, but almost all my crappe stayed in this here garret. (It truly was cheaper than a storage locker--my rent is outrageously low and I knew I'd be back in da Burgh eventually.)