THIS is why I don't let anyone photograph me. I'm not only fat, I look OLD.

Can I whinge a little?

My doctor upped my meds, which makes me feel great with having my motivation and focus back. However, it comes with a huge side-helping of HEADACHE and MIGRAINE. I go to bed with a headache, I wake up with a headache. Pain killers do nothing. This is why I went off it last time. The lower dose I was taking doesn't give me headaches, but it leaves me susceptible to major depression. I've been stuck in one for close to the past six months. I only finally asked to up the meds, because I was desperate. Now, I don't know. I'll wait it out a little while longer to see if I adapt, but I didn't last time. Arghhh.

Back to your regularly scheduled program.

sj, sorry about all the dietary woes. Would having some kind of online food tracker help? I use [link] to track my food and exercise. If anything, it will help keep you more aware of what you're eating. You have to be honest, though, for it to really be of benefit.

Oh Sail, constant headaches are an awful price to pay. Have you tried any of the alternative fixes for the headaches. My niece got rid of her headaches with essential oils. Others have had luck with acupuncture. I do hope you can find a solution soon.

It requires a lot of planning on my part, which I suck at, especially if I want to be out for the day doing errands. And most of my go to snacks are too carb filled.

Planning does suck. I put together a weeks worth of snacks in baggies at a time. Nuts, HB egg, carrots or celery sticks, cheese sticks, and other non sugary stuff. When there is a whole pile of options there it is easier, and easy enough to take with you when you are out and about. Meal planning was more like variations on a theme. 3 standard breakfast options that fit the dietitian's orders, 3 lunches, 3 dinners, then change up the ingredients some. It is worth a bit of effort.

I had my 2nd eye surgery this morning and it went wonderfully. I think I got a higher dose of "you won't give a damn" juice, because I practically napped through it. My anesthesiologist came into pre-op to find out what the delay was, because the nurse couldn't find a vein for the IV. I told her we were on a vein hunt. She then proceeded to start singing Han Solo quotes to the Indiana Jones theme while she tracked down a vein. Laughing in pre-op is a good thing.

Awesome health care workers make a huge difference. Good to hear you have that behind you now.

I fell to the lure of pricey reading glasses, but the temple pieces telescope into themselves, and the bridge folds in half, and it all fits into a case the size of a Tic Tac box. I couldn't help it.

But I also plan to get some dollar store reading glasses and experiment with pince-nez for reading in bed.

Pince nez sound like fun, Connie!

I think what I might try with the meds is taking one pill in the morning and one in the evening; maybe spacing them out that way will have a more smooth release of the drug and prevent the headaches. I dunno. Could be allergies, instead; it's that time of year. Just, headaches, do not want.

Sail, I'll mention what's worked for me with headaches, though I know meds are hugely variable. I'm on a fairly low dose of Nortriptyline, which is an AD but is also prescribed for headaches. That got rid of ninety percent of my daily pain. The other thing that works for me is a chiropractic adjustment. It's not the same situation, since you're dealing with a side effect, but on the off chance it might help...

The nurse was worried about my O2 levels and asked if I woke up with headaches, which can be caused by lack of oxygen while sleeping. My CPAP seems to deal with that nicely.

This is the same thing that happened when I went from 150mg of Lamictal to 200mg way back when, which is what is happening now. (Lamictal is used to stabilize bipolar disorder.) It's one of the reasons I went off it after months of headaches; I just couldn't stand it any longer. But I didn't work with that shrink to find another route, so I'll talk it over with this one if it goes on more than another week or so. I've only been on the increased dose since last Wednesday; I can tolerate it a little longer. I'll keep the Nortriptyline in mind, Strix. I'm also on a low dose of Seroquel as a sleep aid, maybe a switch would work for both? I'm willing to experiment if it means I can get rid of the headaches.