Prescription Drugs & Vitamins

Good news, the Bausch & Lomb Ocuvite w/Lutein that I am taking does NOT contain casein / dairy. The calcium carbonate in it, is from lime. Thank you to Bausch & Lomb for making it so easy to get that information.

I've also learned that my various eye drops, including Restasis, Refresh PM Refresh Celluvisic and Refresh Optive do NOT contain dairy / casein. A phone call to Allergan confirmed that. Thank you too, to Allergan, for being so responsive to allergy concerns.

I wish I could give the same thanks to Walgreen's. I called my pharmacy this morning to ask if any of the other prescriptions I have might contain casein and you'd think I had asked her for her right arm. The hemming and hawing, the obvious lack of concern for my health, was actually a bit alarming -after all, why does the pharmacist ask if you have any allergies every time you fill a prescription if they really don't care?

I started the conversation by saying that I had just learned I was allergic to casein and needed to find out if any of the prescriptions I currently have contain it. The response I received was nearly "What do you want me to do about it?" Well, um, for starters, help me figure out if my prescriptions contain casein.

I told her I didn't mind doing the research and had already called some of the companies myself but in the case of generics, I didn't know where to start. Finally she offered to get the me the ingredient lists that come with prescriptions (unfortunately, I never kept them) but even that was clearly a major ordeal for her. She said I could come pick them up and I asked if tomorrow would be all right and it was clear from her response that it wasn't. She wasn't listening particularly well either because I told her more than once during the phone call that I had already checked with the company that produces Restasis and she continued to list that as one of the ones she would need to research on her time off. I'm not really sure why Walgreen's would expect a pharmacist to research medical information for a customer on his/her time off to begin with, that seems like it would be part of their job if it concerns prescriptions filled at that company.

Anyway, the pharmacist begrudgingly agreed to gather the information I needed and have it ready for me by tomorrow. I'll cross my fingers as I haven't had a lot of luck with Walgreen's pharmacy in the past; I only continue to go there because it is convenient and my insurance pays more towards prescriptions there than some of the other stores in the area.

Like a treasure hunt...

I am ferreting out various sources of casein in my diet. This morning, I looked at the ingredient list for my vitamin C tablets, they contain dairy; goodbye.

I called Baush & Lomb to see if the Ocuvite supplement I've been taking contains casein or nuts and they said they would get back to me. She didn't think so but as casein isn't something she's commonly asked about, she wanted to be sure.

I still need to check with various other medications/supplements I have tucked away. The company that makes the B vitamin supplement I've been taking wasn't open when I called just prior to 8am PST. I'm particularly concerned with the various eye drops I've been using but I haven't found a good source of information yet. I will probably have to make phone calls for those too.

I know that anything that contains the word 'casein' is problematic for me but I came across some others while label-reading in the grocery store. Now, anything word I'm not familiar with or that looks like it might contain casein (any calcium or dairy-sounding words) have become suspect.

A few words from today's trip to the store:

calcium propionate - appears to be casein free, it's a preservative

dyglycerides - could be problematic as they are food additives that can be either animal or vegetable-derived. I'm not clear as to whether they have anything to do with casein but if in doubt, do without. I'll keep looking for animal- and specifically dairy-free products.

calcium disodium EDTA - whatever this is, it appears not to be animal-based. I'm not terribly excited about consuming something that causes reproductive and developmental effects but it doesn't appear to be a problem wherein casein is the issue.

disodium inosinate - basically a salt; not a concern for me but if you have issues with MSG, it's something to keep an eye out for.

The Road to Wellness

It's been a bit of time since I've written and I've gone through much. At least one of my physicians seems convinced I have Sjogren's. After a stumble in confidence and an additional visit to the rheumatologist, I feel confident that I do not have Sjogren's. It IS possible that I have Sjogren's but at this point, there is no reason to believe that I do.

While it is possible that I have Sjogren's, my blood test results have all been negative for indicators and I have no dental or saliva problems. No cavities, no gum disease, my last dental visit was, as usual, a fabulous experience (yes, it's true, I'm one of those weird people that actually love going to the dentist). I feel blessed, I'm persistant, I'm ornery and I have the intelligence and resources to continue my search, even though many of the medical professionals I've encountered are less-than-enthusiastic in my pursuit to find a cause for my dry eye that resists traditional treatment, including glaucoma-inducing Lotemax, hourly preservative-free tears, Restasis, warm compresses and more.

One of my best resources has been my dad. A retired physician, he's been willing to weed through various websites and other information to help me determine what's worth pursuing and what's not. Dad has been a huge support for me when I wanted to give up and when I just didn't know where else to look.

Last Tuesday, I returned to the rheumatologist. She said I *might* have Sjogren's but I definitely *might not* and there was no reason to presume, at this point, that I do have it. The following day, I went to an allergist. My primary was placating me when she wrote the referral and no one else seemed to think it was necessary either. The allergist, himself, told me that under normal circumstances he wouldn't test me but given what I've gone through (I brought all of my medical records), he was willing to do the scratch test for me.

The results were in some ways surprising and others, not so much. I'm very allergic to just about every pollen out there -- that was not surprising. I've always had hayfever, particularly grass, although I was a little surprised that I was allergic to pretty much ALL pollens, year round. I knew I was allergic to cats and dogs but not the degree to cats -- through the roof. And then we tested major food allergies. THAT was the surprise.

I think I wrote that the naturopath I visited over the summer declared me sensitive to wheat and a number of other things. Well, the allergy test showed that I was NOT allergic to wheat but I AM allergic (and strongly) to casein, a milk protein, and almonds. We didn't test all tree nuts so he said to be safe, I should eliminate tree nuts, in general, to see if it makes a difference or not. Milk. Butter. The naturopath's test said those were free and clear and here I was, experiencing a pretty big reaction from the scratch test FROM MILK.

This time around, removing a food product doesn't seem so bad. I don't have the anger I did when I thought I had to remove gluten. It's not because gluten is more important than milk; it's because the possibility of a food allergy, as a solution, is SO MUCH more appealing than an auto immune disorder. Sometimes you have to go a lot further before you realize how lucky you really are. I still *might* have Sjogren's but for now, I'm going dairy & tree-nut free. Some of the physicians I've spoken too feel confident there would be other symptoms besides dry eyes (and inflammation) if dairy / nuts were the problem; I'd be remiss if I didn't try though.

I realize that I may not have any symptom relief for at least 8 weeks and it is possible that eliminating dairy and tree nuts may not make a difference but it's worth a try and the prospect of a diet change making such a big difference in my health, makes me feel pretty good. Plus, it turns out, there's a lot of good dark chocolate out there that contains neither dairy, nor nuts!

Paprika-Rubbed Garlic Chicken

I made this about a month ago (just found the pic on my iPhone). It turned out really well.

This recipe from Martha Stewart gave me the idea.

I used my basic roast chicken recipe, which I'll have to post later, but incorporated Martha's paprika rub with extra garlic (add to taste, we love garlic so I added a fair amount) and added the cut garlic bulbs to the dish.

In the cavity, I placed 1/2 a lemon and 2 garlic heads. I thinly sliced some fresh garlic and shoved the slices between the skin and the breast for added flavor then I secured the legs by snipping a hole in the skin and putting the end of the leg into the hole; I did this for both legs. I find it preferable to using twine since there's no waste and I don't have to dig around for the twine. Once that was done, I rubbed the skin with butter and followed with Martha's paprika + extra garlic mixture. Martha's recipe calls for two roast chickens but I only wanted one and used the entire rub mixture for two on the one chicken since I'd already made it and wasn't interested in saving it.

I forgot to baste until the chicken was well into the allotted cooking time but when I did baste, I used my usual baste of a bit of butter, a splash of wine, chopped garlic and the lemon juice from the remaining half of the lemon that went into the chicken.

The recipe turned out great. A nice alternative to my regular roast chicken recipe and I'll likely start incorporating parts of this recipe into my usual. The whole family loved the roasted garlic as an addition to the chicken and it made fabulous leftovers too.

I'll post my regular roast chicken recipe later & provide links in this post.

Happy New Year!

Another New Year's Eve has passed and again, I've made no resolutions.

I'm not terribly fond of resolutions. I've never made one that I've kept (not that I remember anyway) and it seems so pointless to resolve to do something that I won't remember a few months from now.

But... If I were to make resolutions, here are some that I'd make:

1. Find a solution for my dry eye. I'm working on this as I'm seeing a specialist on a regular basis, cruising the Internet for something that might work and trying to remain hopeful, especially since I found a calendar entry for my first "dry eye" doctor appointment -- in 1998.

2. Drink more water. See #1 plus, it's just a healthy thing to do. To aid in this process, I've downloaded Water Your Body Lite, an iPhone app, to help me track my consumption. It's not a perfect app; it doesn't take into account exercise or any number of other things that can impact a body's need for water but by increasing or decreasing your weight, you can change the amount of water the program will help you track. This is the water calculator I used to figure out my water needs. I have no idea how accurate it is and I have no idea whether it is sound medically so if you use it, do so at your own risk. Remember, it's a good idea to talk to your doctor before making any major changes to your diet and that includes drinking water. Believe it or not, consuming too much water can kill you.

3. Eat more protein. No, I don't want to eat more protein to lose weight or anything silly like that. I really don't eat enough protein for my weight and how much I exercise (specifically, weightlifting). The problem, for me, is that I don't really care for a lot of foods that are high in protein. I've only recently started to eat chicken. I do like fish but only fresh, not farmed, fish; it's got to be in season and sustainable. Red meat is out -- except for my meatloaf recipe -- and I like bacon. I do eat edamame and some other things that that contain protein but not enough so that's number 3. I've even wondered if the lack of protein in my diet could be contributing to my eye issues.

4. Exercise more. Based on #3, you might think I exercise a lot but I don't. On a good week, I hit the weights three times a week but there are plenty of weeks I just don't bother or I don't give it my all when I do. A week of good won't delete three weeks of bad. I should be adding stretching and cardio to the mix too.

5. Relax. I'm terrible at this one. Seems there's always something to stress about. I should take up yoga and it would help with #4 & #5. Writing more might help too. When I was young, I used writing as an outlet. When did I stop?

6. Learn French. This one I may actually do. I start French classes on Tuesday of this week. Cross your fingers that I'll stick with it.

7.

8.

9.

10.

I'm sure there's more but that's all I have time for, folks!

Leather

Who knew that one of the world's premier motorcycle jacket companies is located in Portland, Oregon?

Langlitz, for handmade leather products.

Holiday activity for the kidlets

At the end of last year's holiday season, I looked guiltily at all of the cards we accumulated: Throwing them into the recycling bin only does so much for the environment...

So, I started ripping the front cover off of the more decorative cards and stashed them in a large envelope. I'm not sure exactly what I had in mind but I found a use for them.

One afternoon while I was killing time in Target (I had an appt nearby and had an hour to while away), I was cruising the scrapbooking aisle and it hit me -- a great project for my four year old who loves glue, stickers and all things artsy.

I had construction paper at home and envelopes. I grabbed a decorative punch set of a snowflake and a tree, glue sticks, some holiday stickers and glitter glue. You can also go to a place like Paper Source and buy plain cards and envelopes if you don't have them on hand and don't want to use construction paper for the cards.

After school, I cleared the kitchen table and laid out all of the goods. My job was cutting the cards to fit into the envelopes. At the top of each card, I wrote "Happy Holidays from the ---- family: Husband, My name, Daughter's name. My daughter's job was to decorate and decorate she did. I had to remind her a few times not to use all of the goodies on just one card but overall, I let her just go with it. I did ask her to sign her name to each card before decorating just because it's nice to have the artist's signature on a piece (=

After I stuffed the cards into envelopes, I wrote, "made with love by Daughter" at the bottom, under the mail to address.

The cards don't work for everyone but they make great holiday cards for teachers, babysitters and friends that see your child often (and don't need/care about a card with a picture or require more formal cards for whatever reason) and it's a great activity to fill an afternoon or 3. We had a great time making the cards and my daughter was immensely proud of her work.

I'm still ordering regular cards for the bulk of my list since it would take 10 years for my daughter to make enough cards for my list and a child-made card isn't appropriate for everyone but in a couple of days, I plan to bring out the supplies again and we'll make more. The first batch is in the mail!