It's Been Good

I need to finish the posts that I start. I also need to carry around something to make notes on for future blog posts - these things would make me a better blogger.

anyhoo

I have had a great summer. Whatever happened to me and my wobbles back in June (relapse or stress induced) didn't last long - maybe four or five days. My fatigue level has been manageable and my body is regulating it's temperature.

I'm going to repeat that last one - my body is regulating it's temperature...like a normal person! I know, I know, my house is cold like a walk-in freezer. But when I have been out and about (which was a lot last week) I haven't had to carry around a towel to wipe my brow! No wait, I have carried around a towel, I just didn't use it.

I realized this the other night and exclaimed to Jason, "The fire is down, the fire is down".* My thermostat is currently f-i-n-e.

*a "fire" was the word used by my first neurologist to describe an inflammation when I complained to him of symptoms returning...he said that "the fires were high".

So is there anything else that could possibly make this a great summer?

Let me list a few:

1. I finally got to test out one of those single paddler plastic kayaks and enjoyed it
2. I spent an afternoon at a water slide park and didn't get fatigued OR dizzy
3. I had a great birthday complete with a picnic, my first William and Catherine book and a cherry chip cake

I think that is enough for now. The summer isn't over.

In the Kitchen - Pizza Dough

Lately, Jason and I have been putting our bread maker to good use. We have had the machine for 10 years and have never used it consistently. We only ever make bread and pizza dough and never have results that would cause us to use it on a regular basis.

Until now.

Not only have we discovered a bread recipe (actually we have discovered 2 that we love, but are mostly using just one) but we have found a kick-butt pizza dough recipe.

For us, taste is paramount but amount of dough and ease of use (ie. does it roll out well) are also important.

So without further ado, here it is:

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups water
2 tsp sugar
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp cornmeal
3 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 tsp yeast

 Add ingredients to bread machine, according to manufacturer’s settings, and run dough setting. After the machine beeps, roll out the dough.
 
You can roll the dough into two 9×13″ pizzas (great for kid’s lunches!) or into two medium pizzas or a large pizza and an order of breadsticks (as instructed above).

Parbake the crust with a drizzle of olive oil on it at 450 degrees for ten minutes. Remove the crust and add sauce and toppings.

Changes we made:  we didn't have cornmeal on hand, but we did have some corn grits - and don't plan on changing to corn meal! We love the extra little crunch from the grits!

We don't parbake the crust, we put the full dressed pie into a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes (depending on how thick we made the crust).

And don't forget that you can easily split up the dough and freeze some of it.

Life and Lemons

I really shouldn't be such a blogging delinquent. I have things to say, just ask Jason! However, I'm not sure if I have the right things to say...that is, I can't decide if this blog is the right place to put it. Right place, right time, or wrong place, wrong time. I had hoped that when I changed my blog name from Em's Bits to Recipes For Lemonade, I would allow myself some more "fun" posts. I felt that I had settled into a groove with my "new life" at home with Multiple Sclerosis and that I had discovered some great little things to take my "life lemons" and make some lemonade. It seemed like a natural and positive progression from where my blog started - "bits" on my experience as a newly diagnosed MSer (and a desire to educate others at the same time).

Oh yes, I want to do all of the above while still keeping some things private - my mom and my father-in-law read this blog and if I wouldn't tell them in person, I won't tell them on my blog.

So now for some big news...I think I might be having a relapse. On March 28, I blogged about the return of my swallowing problems. I am able to chalk that up to stress. Also around this time, and for some time after, I began to experience bouts of anxiety. At the time, I assumed it was because I was "busy" with things to do. And now, why I'm beginning to question if this is in fact a relapse, is the daily appearance of the wobbles. It came to my attention that I have taken 8mg of Serc on three (or more) consecutive days. The usual things that can bring on wobbles and I am able to control, are now out of my control...including sitting still eating my lunch.

From what I recall this is the last time I experienced a relapse . This time, I don't have the bone crushing headache. But I can add a recurrence of all-consuming fatigue this time around...with a full helping of stress.

If you are NEW (or if it has been too long since I last defined it) this is what my "wobbles" are:

I feel as if I am moving, as opposed to the world around me moving. This is also called "subjective vertigo".  I have experienced this from the beginning of my disease.

This is all my brain can handle for now...did I mention that the cog fog is also thick this past while?

Emily