YOU AND YOUR DOCTOR SHOULD DECIDE….

This is a phrase that you will see in almost all pharmaceutical descriptions of most drugs.  Today I found out just how scary that phrase is.
After my 10 inch zipper insertion, er cancer surgery I became very hypersensitive to pain and so my Fibromyalgia became the very bane of my existence.  My rhuematologist kept trying to put me on anti-depressants.  Now if you have ever met me you’d say, WHAT THE HELL?  I’m one of the happiest, most optimistic people you’ll ever meet.  I repeatedly declined the drugs.   A few months later my primary care doctor suggested a drug that worked well for Fibromyalgia and lo and behold it was the same drug the rhuematologist had suggested.  What the rhuematologist failed to explain was that these drugs failed as anti-depressants, but worked well for the pain of Fibromyalgia. After reading all the paperwork and discussing it we agreed the benefits outweighed the risks and it was worth a try.  It was amazing! for a while anyway.  Somewhere around 6 months side effects began creeping in.  First one, then a second and a third and when a fourth and fifth happened I scheduled an appointment with my now new primary care doctor (I sure miss my last one).
I made a list of the side affects that I was having, and this drug has some doozies – things like weight gain, blurry vision, headaches, depression, suicidal thoughts, dry mouth… I discussed these with the doctor and he immediately took me off the medication and ordered a new medication all the while promising me that the new prescription DID NOT have the same side affects and had been around ‘forever’.  So I agreed to try it and went to pick up the prescription.  After I had paid for it, the pharmacist did a consult on the new medication and he told me that the doctor was incorrect and that all of the same side affects were a factor because the “pathways” were all the same.  REALLY?  Isn’t this what I just spent an hour trying to fix?
I don’t know about you, but I’m totally fed up with hearing about all the new drugs out there and their possible side affects, especially while I’m eating dinner.  I REALLY hate those commercials, but more importantly I hate being lied to or “misled” either by the commercial or the medical professional.  
Obviously the phrase, “You and your doctor should decide” really means you have to do double duty and do ALL the research, deciding and follow up for yourself.
Personally I’m going all natural and just going to find other ways to deal with the pain.  I did it when I was first diagnosed with SLE and I can do it again!!

GREEN CHILE TUNA CASSEROLE

 
GREEN CHILE TUNA CASSEROLE
2-5 ounce cans tuna, REALLY well drained
2 cups cooked egg noodles
1 bunch green onions, sliced
1 can chopped green chiles, well drained
1 can Campbell’s cheddar cheese soup
1 cup whole milk
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

  • Preheat oven to 375˚.
  • Blend together milk and soup until well blended.
  • Fold tuna, onions, green chiles, garlic, salt and pepper into soup mixture.
  • Fold in cheese.
  • Gently fold in egg noodles.
  • Pour into a generously greased baking dish.
  • Top with potato chips.
  • Bake for 30 minutes.

Shepherd’s Pie

Shepherd’s Pie Recipe from Dawn’s Daily Life
9 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 (6 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 (15 ounce) can green beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can corn, drained
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons milk
Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the potatoes in a large pot, cover with water, and cook over high heat. Boil for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, brown ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat; drain fat. Add tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce to taste, salt, pepper, green beans and corn. In a separate bowl, mix flour with the 3 tablespoons water and stir into beef mixture. Pour this mixture into a casserole dish. Stir all together well. Drain the potatoes, mash and spread over the beef mixture. Place 2 to 3 vent holes through the mashed potatoes.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Brush the milk over the potatoes for the last 5 minutes of baking.
Modifications:
-I added 2 cloves of garlic, 1 onion and 1 green pepper to this recipe.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Peel and cut up about 10 potatoes and put them on to boil
Slice up a green pepper.

Coarsely chop 2 garlic cloves and slice up an onion.

Brown about 1 1/2lbs of lean ground beef.

Add the garlic, onion and green pepper.

Add 1 small can of tomato sauce.

Drain and rinse a can of corn and a can of green beans and added it to the mixture.

Add 7 or 8 good shakes of worcestershire.
While that mixture is cooking, measure out 2T of all-purpose flour and 3T of water. Mix it together and then mix it into the pan.

Grease a 9×13 baking dish and put the mixture in it.
Drain the potatoes and then added a tad of butter.  Mash.

Once mashed up, I scoop the potatoes over the meat mixture and poke 4 holes in it.
Popped it into the oven for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.
With a few minutes left to go, I measured out 3 tablespoons of milk and started to brush it on the potatoes. That was too much of a pain so I just drizzled it all over the top.
Here’s what you’ll end up with:

Review:
I almost just made the mashed potatoes on the side and served it that way but I really wanted to try to stay as close to the recipe as possible. I’m glad I did!
I added the garlic, onion and green peppers and it did add a lot of flavor. In hindsight, though, I think I should have left out the green peppers. The texture was pretty close to that of the green beans and while it wasn’t bad, it just didn’t add a lot to it.
If you aren’t going to be all critical about the authenticity of what you put in the dish, I think you could really add anything you wanted–mushrooms, ground turkey, beans, etc.
I’d say to definitely give this recipe a try. It was easy and tasty!
Hope you enjoy!
April

WEEKLY MENUS

Menu Plan Monday hosted by Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie


 DATE BREAKFAST LUNCH DINNER
Monday 3/19 Cereal Sandwiches Seafood Salad
Tuesday 3/20
 Toast C.O.R.N. Roasted Red Pepper Krab Salad
Wednesday 3/21 Yogurt Soup Polynesian Chicken Pasta Salad
Thursday 3/22
 Fruit Salad Hot Wilted Greens
Friday 3/23
 Oatmeal Sandwiches Peanut Butter Burgers
Saturday 3/24
 Oven Poached Eggs Salad Danish Cube Steak
Sunday 3/25
 Buttermilk Pancakes C.OR.N. Stuffed Shells

DELICATE BERRIES – HELPFUL EMAIL INFORMATION – REALLY WORKS

Berries are delicious, but they’re also kind of delicate. Raspberries in particular seem like they can mold before you even get them home from the market.  There’s nothing more tragic than paying $4 for a pint of local raspberries, only to look in the fridge the next day and find that fuzzy mold growing on their insides.

Well, with fresh berries just starting to hit farmers markets, we can tell you that how to keep them fresh!  Here’s a tip I’m sharing on how to prevent them from getting there in the first place:  Wash them with vinegar.

When you get your berries home, prepare a mixture of one part vinegar (white or apple cider probably work best) and ten parts water. Dump the berries into the mixture and swirl around. Drain, rinse if you want (though the mixture is so diluted you can’t taste the vinegar,) and pop in the fridge.  The vinegar kills any mold spores and other bacteria that might be on the surface of the fruit, and voila!  Raspberries will last a week or more, and strawberries go almost two weeks without getting moldy and soft.  So go forth and stock up on those pricey little gems, knowing they’ll stay fresh as long as it takes you to eat them.

FRIDAY FILL IN TIME

FFI
1. Welcome TO MY WORLD.
2. COMPLETED PHONE CALLS and PAPERWORK COMPLETION makes me jump for joy.
3. There’s a LIGHT AT THE END OF EVERY TUNNEL!
4. BREATHING is the thing I love most about LIFE.
5. Eyes FORWARD IS THE PHRASE I REMEMBER MOST FROM TEST TAKING IN SCHOOL.
6. VA CLAIM COMPLETION is what I’m eagerly awaiting.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to SOME DOWN TIME, tomorrow my plans include PAPERWORK and Sunday, I want to WATCH THE RACE!