I am itching like MAD the past few days.

Oh, goodness, meara, that's happened to me on several occasions the last few years. I hope it's caused by something you can easily get rid of! The ONLY thing that kills it for me is Zyrtec. Never have found out what causes it. You might also try Ben-Gay and such cremes; they help temporarily by giving your nerve endings something else to complain out. Good luck dispelling the itch demon!

Epic, that's the diet! I was mixing and matching things from the planned daily diets, and not counting the calories on the days I got them, and found out after the fact that the first two days only came out to around 900. Oooops. And it is intensive. The shopping trip for the first week's food took an hour and a half and cost $75. (That's like, my food bill for two to three normal weeks.) Doing it with someone else would be so much easier.

Reading more about it (I'm guessing you have the purple book?), I wasn't wild about how much the wording sounded like starvation diets. If I do the diet again, I may skip the first week and just do the Phase II section. (Rounding out my diet with fruits and veggies and backing off on the sweets is what I need more than anything, so...)

The rage has subsided somewhat. Seriously, I was two heartbeats away from walking out the door, never to return. Days like today, I almost wish I was a smoker, because you can't (well, could, but shouldn't) do shots at work. Gah to the power of infinity. And I think everyone realized that I was about to lose it, because I've seen hide nor hair of anyone else since The Meeting Of Most Certain Death.

You might try applying some baking soda, meara, like use a bath bomb or just use a little bit as a scrub. Sometimes that helps with itches with no known cause. Hope it goes away, in any case, and is not cause by the anti-migraine measures. Having to choose between itching and migraines would be terrible.

Vortex, does Advil help? Like massive doses of Advil?? That's all that helps me.

I'm on a double dose of Aleve, which is not as much as my perscription Naprosyn (440mgs). Can I take 3 (my prescription was 550mg) I still feel pain, but not as much as before. And did I mention that MY PERIOD HASN'T EVEN STARTED YET?

I have vicodin left over from my surgery. It'll still work after 3 years, right?

And meara that happened to me last year. Still happening in fact. I don't know if it's a coincidence that i was in Europe at the time. I get these massively itchy portions of my body, sometimes with A hive or two (seriously, just one or two), sometimes with little bumps. And it's my left shoulder. or my right forearm or my left buttock . V. irritating. A benedryl knocks it right out though. Until the next time.

t struggles up from under mounds of virtual paperwork

Hi! Life is far far too busy! Hope all is well!

t pulled under again by ringing telephone

Hey GC - have you heard the new Kristin Hersh album yet? It's awesome!

I was mixing and matching things from the planned daily diets

I considered this, but thought - "Nah, too much thinking." Just trying to figure out substitutions for the things we WILL NOT eat is more than enough extra thinking for me.

Doing it with someone else would be so much easier.

If I do the diet again, I may skip the first week and just do the Phase II section.

You're more than welcome to join Mom and me next Monday! (I don't know that online support would be enough for me, but, well, feel free if you'd like!)

Rounding out my diet with fruits and veggies and backing off on the sweets is what I need more than anything, so...

See, I'm more savory than sweet, plus a Carb Fiend. So, I needed specific recommendations on amounts of bread, or crackers, or whatever, allowed. I think the portion control is a good lesson as well. We are just trained to eat ridiculous huge portions.

And I think everyone realized that I was about to lose it, because I've seen hide nor hair of anyone else since The Meeting Of Most Certain Death.

Perhaps not as cathartic as actual bloodletting, but no doubt a relief nonetheless. (And no extra drycleaning!)

I think the portion control is a good lesson as well. We are just trained to eat ridiculous huge portions.

Portion control and what an actual portion size looks like are the two most useful things I've learned from Weight Watchers. Plus the just go for a walk. No, it's not a hard-core workout, but it's better than sitting around mindset. Which I slack on sometimes, but sometimes is better than not at all.

You're more than welcome to join Mom and me next Monday! (I don't know that online support would be enough for me, but, well, feel free if you'd like!)

Any other week I would, but with all this shit, the answer is a resounding "hell fuck no."

People are climbing up down and all over my ass, and I shouldn't be defending myself this much, since I am an HOURLY EMPLOYEE, for the love of the crying Baby Jesus.

Hey GC - have you heard the new Kristin Hersh album yet? It's awesome!

I have heard snippets and it does sound great! Kristin can pretty much do no wrong.