Migraines

The unfortunate thing I have to deal with on a daily basis is migraines.  I've gotten these since I was 13 years old.   They are painful, vision disrupting, nauseating, hearing sensitive, pounding, throbbing, knife stabbing headaches that are located in my eyebrow line, behind my eyes, in my temples, and on the back of my head near my neck. Usually, I am only suffering in one place at a time, there have been instances where all the zones have been attacked- Those are the days spent in the ER.  Since I am used to having these just about daily, I can take on normal life.  Last week was a different story.  I had a migraine that started from the eye doctor, apparently the doc tweaked my astigmatism correction in my contacts a little too much.  I wore my contacts for 3 days until I realized they could be the problem.  Then I had to call the eye doctor and go back with my contacts in so that they could see the fit and all that.  By time this was all said and done- the migraine kicked in with a vengeance and then my neck and shoulders were tense as well which started what my husband calls the "feedback loop."  The migraines make me tense, the tension in my shoulders and neck make the migraine worse.  This is when I can't take it any longer, the pain is unbearable, and nothing will give me relief.  So- off I went to the neurologist for pain relief injections.  I didn't ask what he gave me, I was in too much pain to pay attention to anything, and my husband was trying to keep my daughters calm.  I got 3 injections, the doc told me to go home and sleep.  I feel asleep in the car and my lips went numb! Lol!  It worked great, the tension was gone, the throbbing stopped, I slept.
I'm appealing my insurance decision to deny me the chance to try Botox for migraine prevention.  My neuro said that it has worked in some form for each of his patients that have tried it.  It is possible to be migraine free for 3 months, take the intensity of the migraines down, take the amount of migraines down, or both.  I want to do this so bad.  I can't imagine what it would be like to not have headaches.  So- here's to hoping!!

Broccoli & Garbanzo pasta

This recipe is one of our favorite "Meatless Monday" dishes.
Ingredients:
2-3 large broccoli heads- cut the broccoli into small pieces.
1/4 C olive oil
1/2 whole head of garlic slivered
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (this is not a spicy dish)
1/2 box of whole wheat pasta like elbows, mini ziti, or penne
1 can of garbanzo beans (chic peas)
1/4 C sun-dried tomatoes
2 TBsp Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:
1. Bring a pot of slightly salted water to boil. Cook pasta according to directions on the box.
2. While the pasta cooks, heat olive oil over medium heat. Cook the garlic and red pepper flakes about 1 minute.
3. Add the broccoli into garlic and oil and cook stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.
4. Add the garbanzo beans and sun dries tomatoes. Cook until heated about 3 minutes.
5. Remove from heat, add pasta and toss. Top with Parmesan cheese and serve!


The nutritional information is provided by my favorite iPhone App: My fitness Pal.  Feel free to become my friend, my user name is: atuss26

The Adventure begins

My name is Amanda, I'm married and have been for 7 years.  I have two beautiful daughters, Julia-3 1/2 years old and Lily- 3 months.  I also have two awesome pugs, Eeyore- 5 years old and Mia- 6 years old.  Mia was rescued and is completely blind.  Last our family is complete with my fat gray tabby cat named Jasmine.  Jasmine is 13 years old and since we moved to the country I've found that she is an excellent mouser.  I'm beginning my adventure as a stay at home mom.  I love to cook, bake, do crafts, be a mom and a wife.  My blog will consist of recipes, kid stuff, life in general, and hopefully soon to come will be my adventure into becoming a surrogate.  We moved to a beautiful little house in the country about 4 years ago.  Though my husband is used to being in the country and the things that come with it, I am new at this.  New things to me include the horrible allergies I experience in the spring and fall, the God awful smell in the spring from the surrounding farms, the mice that like to try to make their home in my home after the crops have been plowed in the fall, the spiders, well, who am I kidding, the bugs in general are crazy out here, the septic system, propane, and wild animals.  I also had a run in with poisonous caterpillars last summer when I was playing with them and showing Julia what fun they are.  I never knew caterpillars could be poisonous.  I do love the quiet out here and my neighbors are great.  My life right now also consists of cloth diapering Lily.  It is a new thing for me but I am quite loving it.  So, I hope that this may interest people and I hope to keep up on it.