Well, every year I give up something for Lent.
But, I must admit I'm a bit selfish about it.
I always pick something that I think will be beneficial for me in battling my migraines and fibromyalgia, while also being extremely challenging.
Two years ago, I gave up chocolate, thinking this could be a migraine trigger. I don't think it is for me, but it did make for a good 40 (46) days of dietary discipline.
Last year, I gave up wheat for Lent. Whoa. That one was truly tricky. Grains, grains, are everywhere! My stomach hurts all the time, so I thought I'd do a wheat-elimination diet, even though I've tested negative for celiac's disease. I lost a few pounds, my jeans fit better, and I felt more energetic overall. But, well, wheat certainly isn't a migraine trigger for me, (although from a fibromyalgia point of view, I probably should stay away from them.)
Ah, so what to give up this year? Well, I've been a member of this migraine board for a couple of months now-- mainly lurking, but occasionally creating a sharepost or two. I've learned a great deal more about migraine disease, (like the fact that migraine is a disease,) and I learned more about rebound headaches.
I already knew I was causing myself rebound headaches by my overuse of over-the-counter (OTC) medications. But, since I don't take Vicodin, Ultram or any other prescription painkillers anymore, well, what other options do I have when my head starts threatening to detonate? I still have to care for my kindergartener, and I can't very well take out my pain-filled temper on him, (although, regretably, I have snapped at him more than once for making "too much noise," as I get extremely phono-sensitive.)
I generally ALWAYS wake up with a headache. I have ever since October of 1987. Weird how I can pinpoint the date like that. But, that's when the headaches started. And, they never left. Caffeine/Excedrin helped with the morning headache, along with a cocktail of Tylenol/Ibuprofen/Sudafed or Motrin/Aleve, etc., whatever was around.
But, around 2 PM, my headache always came back, which is most unfortunate, because I pick my son up from school at 2:15. So, I was just getting irritable at the time when he wanted my love and attention after a long day at school. Ugggh. So, I'd take two more Excedrin, any migraine medication I had on hand, (lately I've had Maxalt,) (prior to Maxalt, it was the same OTC cocktail as in the mornings,) and I headed off to school to pick him up. The sun would seem so incredibly bright, and I'm not usually photo-sensitive. But, somehow, just for those 2 PM headaches, the sun really bothered me.
The afternoons seemed incredibly long. My son gets an extra large homework load since he is in a special Dual-Language Immersion program and must do all homework in two languages. He's tired from school, (he also has Pediatric (Juvenile) Fibromyalgia), and often resists doing the homework, wanting me to do it. I remind him that I've already passed kindergarten, and he is not playing with his friends until the homework is done. It doesn't help that the neighborhood kids are knocking on the door every 15 minutes asking: "Is Alex done with his homework yet?" (They all get less homework then he does, so are done sooner.)
Diana,
I personally think you are a saint to give up coffee and have child in kindergarden. I could not have done it. I have two teenagers and am having trouble doing it. I'm down to two cups in the morning and think I've done a grand job.
I can't comment on the religious aspects of the days off with Lent, but just for giving things up, I find it easier just to do without then to have it occasionally.
If this helps your migraines or the fibromyalgia, go for it. Otherwise, I feel like I have so few vices left, I need one or two. I'm hanging on to coffee for as long as I can.
Good luck,
Cindy
I find that part of my enjoyment of "coffee" is simply having a warm mug in my hands in the morning. I have Raynaud's Syndrome as a secondary thingie to fibromyalgia, (ah, syndrome, that was the word I was looking for,) and my fingertips (and every other part of me) are always chilly.
So, I have been drinking "Trader Joe's European Drinking Chocolate" in the morning. Yes, there is a slight bit of caffeine in chocolate, but nothing like the amount in coffee. And, I gave up coffee for Lent, not caffeine. So, I have been enjoying my morning cup of coffee, topping it off with a generous wollop of Trader Joe's whipped cream, (I like to use their whipped cream because it does not contain trans-fats or partially hydrogenated oils.) With both fibromyalgia and migraines, I try to stay as far away from yucky, bad ingredients as possible. Trader Joe's and Whole Foods are about the only places that carry a good selection of foods without the cheap, really-bad-for-you preservatives, (many of which I think can be migraine triggers.) Whole Foods is expensive. Trader Joe's is wonderfully inexpensive, so it's off to Joe's I go for my healthy stuff...
So far, it's been a lot easier to give up coffee than I thought it would be. I even had to go to a coffee house yesterday to use their Internet connection. I was doing a freelance article for a newspaper and my Internet connection at home went down. Ugggh. I had to get the article transmitted in time to meet a deadline. So, I went in and ordered a freshly-made "Italian sparkling soda," (quite delicious, actually,) rather than coffee, and enjoying sipping this while my email transmitted. - Diana