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Thursday, August 12, 2004
no sugar added
We've known for quite some time that when T has a lot of sugar it pretty much puts him to sleep. Actually, to be more specific, it turns him into Frankenstein's monster for about forty-five minutes, and then he sleeps like the dead for at least three hours. Last year he went to the doctor about this, and the collective response of the doctors, lab people, and assorted medical persons can be summed up as follows:
Although we did have one physician's assistant do what is called, in medical terms, a total anal pluck, and determine that LT was depressed. Depression and hiatal hernias ... everyone's got 'em, right? They're the diagnoses of the 21st century. Anyway. The glucose screen determined nothing except that a near-comatose 230-lb husband is really difficult for his wife to get in and out of the car. Apparently even when a cup of syrup renders him unconscious, his blood sugar levels are still totally within the normal range. what. ever. So we've been kind of watching sugar for T, except when he was having a hard time sleeping and then we'd occasionally dose him up so that he'd drop off. The rest of the household continued as usual, with full-strength real-sugar syrup on our pancakes, and candy bars when we felt like it, and brownies and ice cream for dessert a few times a month. (sheesh, no wonder I stopped losing weight). Until today. Today we become one of those annoying no-sugar-added families, because we're pretty sure we've pinpointed sugar as a major aggravator of LT's Tourette's symptoms. And C and I certainly don't need it either. After all, my mom stopped eating sugar in 1986 because it gave her unbelievable mood swings, and she has stuck with it all these years and survived. So we can too, right?
Man, we must be totally crazy. --------
Monday, December 08, 2003
sugar makes me sick (literally)
This is so cool. Every time I've eaten sweets this past week I've gotten really sick to my stomach. This will be fantastic motivation for me not to eat them anymore! Right?
OK, so much for that; can you see me trying to find something good in this? It sucks. Right before Christmas too. Oh well. My mom stopped eating any sugar at all in 1987 and is still at it -- not to lose weight, although that happened; it's because sugar gives her un-be-LIEV-able mood swings -- so I can survive without it, I guess. Until my body pulls itself together and realizes that A LITTLE PECAN PIE NOW AND THEN ISN'T GOING TO HURT ME. Come on, body, get the message. Please?
In other news, I had a new low weigh-in today, at 168 pounds. I tried on a semi-formal dress I'd forgotten I owned; I got it when I was my friend's matron of honor in 1996. If I do say so myself, I look totally fabulous in it. I'm going to wear it to the Nutcracker with C this weekend. We don't know anyone there, so what does it matter if we're overdressed? It'll be a fun evening just for the two of us.
Update on last night's entry: the tank was not finished on time. Nope. It took them until 9:30 (T's friend called and that added to their time). I just have to realize that my husband and son are the Jedi Masters of Lego, as they claim, and stop doubting their abilities; that's all.
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Monday, October 27, 2003
"anxiety" attack
The kids and I got a major case of the stir-crazies today and took off for the Valley. We had a good time -- went to Toys R Us (soon we will have collected every small Star Wars Lego kit that exists, and Toys R Us will cease to have a golden Grail shining above it in the eyes of my Lego-and-Star-Wars-obsessed son), Wal-Mart... you know, general stuff taken for granted by people who live in or near towns with a population greater than 2000. We also went to the park. The smallish city where we shop is not the brightest jewel in California's crown, that's for certain, but it has some very nice features. One is the trees -- someone had the very bright idea to plant LOTS of trees in the residential areas, years ago, and along many streets there are now these huge old trees that meet above the road. Lovely. Another good thing about it is its parks. There are a zillion, it seems like, and they have this walking/bicycle trail that loops around one end of the city. Very nice for letting the kids burn off some energy. Anyway. While we were at the park, I had just given the kids their five-minute warning when I had an enormous "anxiety attack". I put it in quotes because every time I describe these to people, they say, Oh, yes, that's an anxiety attack, except they never ever happen when I'm anxious. Daughter's not where I thought she was and I can't find her anywhere around our house and I'm running around outside calling her name trying not to panic? No anxiety attack. Son pulls a spring scale down on top of his head and splits his scalp, causing blood to run freely down his head, face, neck, and shoulders as if he were in a horror movie? Nope, doesn't happen then either. These only happen when I'm reclining on the couch, or sitting on a park bench watching my children play happily -- although I did have one once while washing the car. Hmm, perhaps that's more stress-inducing than it would seem. ;-). Anyway. I had a lot of mild ones during pregnancy, but the last one I had before today was a doozy -- that was the one when I was washing the car -- I got so weak I could hardly move, had to have LT call my mother to come help me, my heart raced at 150bpm for about twenty minutes, that sort of thing. It was really scary. This one wasn't quite that bad, which is a good thing since there was nobody who knew me personally within 45 miles and my only recourse would have been a very expensive (stupid freaking insurance!) trip to the hospital if it hadn't gone away.
Added later:
OK, I just found this at webmd:
Symptoms of a panic attack, which often last about 10 minutes, include:
- Difficulty breathing
- Pounding heart or chest pain
- Intense feeling of terror
- Sensation of choking or smothering
- Dizziness or feeling faint
- Trembling or shaking
- Sweating
- Nausea or stomachache
- Tingling or numbness in the fingers and toes
- Chills or hot flashes
- A fear that you are losing control or are about to die.
The physical symptoms -- shortness of breath, pounding heart, dizziness, faintness, trembling, sweating, nausea, chills, hot flashes -- those are right on. But there's never been any kind of "sensation of terror" or "fear that I am losing control or am about to die." Whatever.
Anyway, I don't know exactly where I was going with that. That was the only bad thing that happened on the whole trip though -- it was one of those golden days when both children were better-behaved than they sometimes are when we're going from store to store, and we had a lot of fun without spending too much money, and I ate too much but got enough exercise to at least partly make up for it. I did make the mistake a week or so ago of making a CD with kids' songs on it, and I am already wholeheartedly tired of all the songs on it. The two hours in the car with it today didn't help. Which is kind of a shame, because I do enjoy those songs ordinarily. Maybe that CD will get "lost" for a while.
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Tuesday, September 23, 2003
sinus hell
In some ways today is really pretty lame. For a week and a half I have felt all sinusy and gross, and I am hoping that today is kind of a last-hurrah for that, as it's worse than it's been to date (this happened with morning sickness -- setting an unfortunate precedent, I fear, because since that time, I always expect any ailment to go away the day after it gets really bad, and I'm often disappointed). I have felt like doing absolutely nothing all day. We got through school, without enthusiasm on any side, to tell the truth. Then, I sat. And sat. And filled out a stupid survey. And sat some more, looking around at the wreckage of my living room like I had no control over it at all. Finally, I struggled upright, ate some leftovers from last night (yummy -- chicken cacciatore, I haven't made that in ages), and tidied up just a bit, while on the phone with T, who pretty much told me it was OK if I didn't do a whole lot. At least I hope that's what he said... I'm in kind of a fog. Don't you hate it when you bend over and your head just feels like it's going to explode all of a sudden? ouch.
But all is not lost. The kids are having a nice, fun day -- they just got done having a water fight in the front yard, where it is still way over ninety degrees. (hello, God, it's autumn now, just thought I'd remind you). They're being good and cooperative. And I feel like Silas Marner, looking at my lovely stack of twelve-packs of diet Cherry Coke. And the house isn't so bad, although I really do need to do something about the kitchen floor. Not now, though. Anyway, things could be a whole lot worse than they are.
With that, I'm going to go put up my feet and read something, I think. mmm. yes.
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