So, I have big news- kind of incredible news, actually. A year and a half ago, my tramadol (ultram) wasn't really touching my pain, but I couldn't just up the dose. It's a controlled med and highly addictive. I found this out by losing a few pills (my hands would never work, so I'd drop them and then I couldn't get down on the floor to find them) and then having to wait two days for a refill. I found out that I could only skip two doses before full-on withdrawal started. So, as I've gotten my pain down from eating better and didn't always need the pills, I would have to take part of one anyway occasionally to stave off withdrawal. I really didn't like being on these pills, but I am grateful to have had them when I needed them.
However, since my pain has gone down significantly, I decided to taper off of them a quarter pill per week and see if I could get off them all together. And I did! I've been off them for a week now. In fact, today I didn't even need an Aleve until noon (and it was raining today- weather changes usually kill me). That is amazing to me!
Now, a couple of important points: 1. I still had withdrawal for about four days, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the time I suddenly ran out. I did have to cancel class on Monday, however. 2. I concede that not taking a prescription may not always be possible. I may need to get back on them or something else at some point in my life, but for now, I'm just on Aleve, and that is a wonderful feeling!
Ok, to the recipes:
Burgers with Blue Cheese Mayo and Sherry Vidalia Onions
My friend, Bridgitte, sent me this one the other day from myrecipes.com. I modified it by just not using a bun. Also, remember what I've said about store-bought mayo.
YIELD: 4 servings (serving size: 1 burger)
HANDS-ON: 45 MINUTES
TOTAL: 45 MINUTES
Ingredients
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled blue cheese
1/4 cup canola mayonnaise
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, divided
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
1 pound lean ground sirloin
1 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 (1/4-inch-thick) slices Vidalia or other sweet onion
Cooking spray
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
2 cups loosely packed arugula
Preparation
1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
2. Combine 1/2 cup blue cheese, mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon thyme, and hot pepper sauce in a small bowl; stir well.
3. Divide beef into 4 equal portions, shaping each portion into a 1/2-inch-thick patty. Sprinkle beef evenly with 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and salt.
4. Brush oil evenly over both sides of onion slices; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Place the patties and onions on grill rack coated with cooking spray; cover and grill for 3 minutes on each side. Set patties aside; keep warm. Place onion slices in a zip-top plastic bag; seal. Let stand 5 minutes; toss with remaining 1 teaspoon thyme and vinegar.
5. Spread evenly with mayonnaise mixture. Arrange 1/2 cup arugula, top with 1 patty, and 1 onion slice.
Tony Rosenfeld, Cooking Light
JUNE 2011
Hamburger Dip
This needs a better title, because it sounds awful, but it is actually amazingly good! I either eat it with a spoon or with corn tortilla chips, but the chips are a liberal diet splurge. It does have tomato in it, but honestly, this is one time I don't care (and my avoiding tomatoes is based on a theory, not the diet anyway). This one is from my Rival Crock-pot Slow Cooker Cuisine cookbook. I love crockpot recipes that I can eat for 3 meals in a row... yes, I do that.
-2 lbs lean ground beef
-1 cup chopped onion
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-salt to taste
-16 oz tomato sauce
-1/2 cup (sugar-free, in this case) ketchup
-1 1/2 tsp oregano
-2 packets of Splenda (instead of 2 tsp of sugar)
-16 oz cream cheese
-2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
-1 tsp mild chili powder
In a skillet, brown ground beef with onion, discard fat. Pour browned meat and onion into Crock-Pot. Add garlic, salt, tomato sauce, ketchup, oregano, Splenda, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, and chili powder. Set Crock-Pot on low until cream cheese has melted and is thoroughly blended, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Stir, taste, and adjust seasoning if desired.
So glad to hear that your pain level wasn't as bad today (and with rainy weather - wow!) and that you've been able to wean yourself off the Tramadol. That's the only medication I take, and I only take it during really bad flares. I don't find that I go through withdrawal, but I do find that if I take it for more than a couple of days in a row, it increases my skin sensitivity and flu-like symptoms. Meds are so weird.
ReplyDeleteInteresting. My mom was on it years ago for a neurological condition, Chiari Malformation, and she just told me after being on it for a couple of years, she just stopped with no withdrawal. I've read that some people have worse withdrawal from it than from heroin! There's a wide range. I still think it was the best thing at the time. Other meds didn't help, and this one did (until it got to a certain severity). But, if I can just control pain with food, I'll do it!
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