Lotus Flowers. I drink the tea all throughout the day. Its wonderful! Doctors have this new idea that antidepressants can help with pain issues and that severe pain will obviously effect your mood over time, probably because you're always in pain and thats not a fun life. Even though their thoughts may seem a little far fetched at times. There is scientific backing to this one. Antidepressants help rebalance your serotonin receptors (serotonin is one of the chemicals our brain sends out to our body to tell us we feel good) so antidepressants tell your brain and body that you feel good. Taking a prescribed antidepressant may work for some. One of the major problems is with all antidepressants it takes at least 2weeks of taking it everyday for it to build up in your blood enough, just to see if it even works for u. Then if u decide it doesn't (side effects too bad,or no improvement) once u stop taking it it takes another 2weeks to get out of your blood. So, those 4weeks can be really bad. And everyone is different. Some of the side effects are worse then severe pain and depression, like suicide. Not good. I have found that taking Lotus flower tea is all I need. Nothing has to build up in your blood for u to feel it. The effects are instant and there are no side effects. And theres a great pain relieving property to it. Theres a lot of scientific info. on it at thelawofnature.com and if you send them an email they'll mail u a free sample of Lotus flower. Honestly I am thankful everyday that I found lotus, it makes it so I can live my life. Write back anytime. Best wishes.

Kim, I am on the Low Tyramine diet for Migraine auras...so, my response is experience with the diet. The diet has been a pain due to my love for chocolate, avacados, bread, cheese, peanuts and raspberries. How all these things get lumped into one is beyond me. All were a mainstay, as was microwave meals. Oh, I forgot the raisins loved in oatmeal and ham for great winter soups. It is interesting that our minds think we have to have these things. I still "want" them, and keep thinking I hate everything else. Which is a bit silly as the everything else is quite a long list and no reason to not have some great stuff. Guess it is the grass being greener deal. My list also includes avoiding MSG. Have done a lot of searches to get a handle on this and the Low Tyramine diet. There is nothing out there except one book. And, if you start looking too hard. the list of what you can't have gets longer or just too confusing. Bottom line is anything on the store shelf has MSG as does fast food. So, I'm on the cooking from scratch diet, using fresh food, etc. Tis a pain, but am dealing with it. I will say that with this diet I am sleeping wonderfully. It has been years since getting more than a few hours at a time and waking up at 4 am. Actually I wake up surprised the night is without interruption. Cannot really say there are any other significant changes seen. Let us know how you are doing. It will be interesting to know how the diet affects another in a different situation.

I knew I wanted to add to this, and I think I am just rescuing it before it tipples over to the next page. Kathy, Hope this week finds you feeling more chipper! You may not know it but I am so greatful to you. You offered assistance and for me to e-mail you. Nearly sent the e-mail. I wrote several pages in long hand first and was about to type away, but I guess I did not want to dump my doom and gloom on you when you were trying to drop it yourself. So I never did type it up into an e-mail, (I still have the written pages.:) )but it did not matter, your encouragement gave me the strength when my doctors appointment came around to let no holes barred. It was obvious I was in a state and with recent panic attacks, which he had been aware of, that had raised my blood pressure to dangerous levels. This ended up my being hooked up to a 24 hour blood pressure monitor. Normal high blood pressure was ruled out as a result of this - I am relieved to say, and it appeared that the elevation went along with the panic attacks which also brought on an incredible urge to go asleep. (not fun when you are driving by yourself). Apparantely panic attacks and depression ofte come hand in hand, so I was heading that way for sure. Looking back now, I feel I have been depressed for a long time but guess I was in denial - certaily never really had the guts to talk about it before. Anyhow he was wonderful with me and prescribed anti-depressants and told me that I would be feeling better in time for Christmas - an how so right he was. Even better after Chrismas. I cannot believe it. Some horrible things happened with my garden stuff because of the state I was in that was very unfortunate, but I have to accept that it is just the way it is and my health is more important. I have come this far, I may as well tell you. I think you may have seen my beautiful geraniums that I have had for many years, well We started to get them ready for winter early - a really huge job. We had worked at it for a week. Geraniums from large tubs were lifted, topped and tailed and repotted into new medium. So that that in the Spring they could be placed directly on decks and patios without being disturbed. All other Geraniums were cut back and lifted then roots cut and potted into suitable sized pots. We were just about done, not quite, another day's work I guess, so they were all sitting out of the greenhouse waiting for the next phase which was to spray them for aphids before we put them to bed for the winter. This is when I totally gave up and went into my own little shell - my movements were slow to a standstill and I walked so very slowley, then stopped. I could not care about the geraniums, my garden or anything, I had no life left in me. My husband was very good as he knew this was not normal and also new of the pending appointment, which if you remember seemed to take for ever. Our friends came back from a trip and saw all the geraniums sitting there in the place they were before they lift. They insisted on coming one day and the four of us got stuck in finished of the geraniums (bar spraying) and we got them in the greenhous - this after three days of frost. I have to admit that they did not look good and was this a waste of our time. I still have not put my nose in there, but I can see some green topping some of the pots, so if we get half make it, I will be happy. The other thing which I still cannot believe happened and I am wondering if it was not entirely my fault though, though I just cannot say. I put out an SOS here on the board, saying "Help my Hortio Roses have been shipped out" I got all kinds of great advice, as it was snowing at the time and I did not know which way to turn. We still did not received them for another ten days (I am pretty sure) At the time I was on the mailand gone to visit and help out my daughter and her family. She had a nasty soccer accident and broke her leg badly having to have surgery to have it screwed and a huge nail put into it she claims. Anyway when I got back The roses had arrived. Alan put them in a bucket of water in the Garden shed. Despite all the good advice I received from folk here. Anyhow - Christmas came immediately and I never could deal with the darn roses. We were busy way into January, and when I finally looked in the shed they were black as the ace of spades. So they have been frozen for sure. I am taking the blame for this, but I wonder if it was entirely my fault. The other thing. In september I bought approx 200 bulbs for spring blooms - was pretty excited - was going to have a great garden next year. Time is going on - we are up to our eyes in a kitchen makeover but hubby checks into garden shed and a damn rat had got into it and devistated most of the bulbs - even eater, they have a three inch long green shoot on them. Yesterday I had bladder repair surgery, so I wont be able to lift or do anything heavy for at least to weeks, so gardening is out once again. Tee-hee! it goes on, does'nt it, but you know, I am really very happy right now, we will fix up things the best we can, I have a lot to look forward to especially in April - we are just doing our kitchen up and am loving the new look, so life is finally good, and I hope it is going to be a very long time before I come of the medication. Another thing that I do in the fall, which was never accomplished is I lift hundreds of primulas which I keep in shady beds in the summer to be placed back to their place of honour in the fall for winter and Spring. I think I could do with a whole crew this Spring to get me going again - Anyone fancy a trip to the island. Tee-hee! - Life is good here. Love Pauline - Vancouver Island

There's a pressure cooker of change coming. You have some battle fatigue, and additional stressors of moving your Mom and her pets. Not to mention the change in working conditions, the actual work of moving, and leaving what you have known, and are comforted by, for 33 years. And, you are now feeling guilty because you have the good fortune to move, work remotely, be near your kids / grandkids, bring your mom, have a beautiful new home, etc. Lighten up on YOURSELF and give yourself TIME. No one is perfect. Drop the guilt, and just realize that you are doing the best you can. And after while, after this all dies down, you'll sit, you'll relax and you'll just "be" home.