Pain management and veggie food

 Horrendous weather today so we won't be going anywhere, so a day to keep busy indoors, particularly as we're both suffering with pain and need to occupy ourselves to take our minds off the pain.  Easy for me to keep busy, I can always find something to do, but I'll have to encourage husband to get on with a few small jobs.  He's brooding about the housing situation again, he just can't accept that there's nothing we can do but keep putting in bids and then having to be patient.  It's very frustrating I agree, but I don't brood about it because it's out of my hands, I can't do anything to speed things up or find the perfect property.

Thanks everyone for all your helpful suggestions (via email too) re pain management and dry eyes treatment - the optician prescribed drops called Hycosan Dual, I've been using them twice a day since Wednesday, I wouldn't say there's any great improvement yet but perhaps it's early days.  I have been told by my GP that for pain management to be effective, I should take paracetamol in recommended doses (i.e. 2 tablets 4 times a day) - just taking one dose only when I feel I can't cope with the pain simply doesn't work, as I can vouch for.  However, I'm not one for taking tablets on a regular basis, it just feels wrong to me.  But that's just me, I have a (probably irrational) fear of becoming addicted, or that the body gets used to them and they won't be very effective anymore.  But I need to get on top of this current pain so I will just have to do as the doctor says and take them regularly for a while.  I took 2 doses yesterday and still didn't sleep very well (been up since just after 04.00) because of the pain, so will take 4 doses today.  I can't take ibuprofen or naproxen as I have an adverse reaction to them, it's on my medical notes that I can't be given them.  I've got a TENS machine but don't find that helpful either.

Anyway.....moving on.  Yesterday I made us a lovely dinner, if I do say so myself.  We had turkey sausages (turkey or chicken sausages are the only ones I eat) with cauli cheese mash, peas and cauli leaves.  It was a lovely fresh cauliflower with beautiful unblemished fresh green leaves, so I used them as the greens, chopping and stirfrying them in a little butter and olive oil, delicious.  The cauli head I broke into florets and riced in my little electric chopper, then cooked it in a little veg stock.  When cooked I stirred in some cream cheese, a handful of grated cheese and some dried sage and thyme and put it in the microwave, yum.  There's plenty left to have today, with fishcakes and sweetcorn.

We've drastically cut down on carbs for the past 2 or 3 days, the surest way for me to lose weight.  It's working for me already, I'm peeing for England - I always do when I cut out bread, potatoes, pasta etc.  I bought a veg cookery magazine yesterday, it's got a nice recipe in it for a courgette and cheese frittata, I think I'll make a double size one and use a couple of grated carrots in it as well - I like the combination of carrots and cheese.

I'm going to do a big choppy salad box today (by the way, Sue of A Smaller and Simpler Life, who gave me the idea - having tried it a couple of weeks ago, I'm astounded at how well the salad lasts by your method of keeping it in a lidded plastic box, putting a piece of kitchen tissue on top of the salad and turning the box upside down), I'll have it for lunches with crumbled feta cheese or canned tuna, husband will have shredded ham - I cooked a small gammon for him yesterday.