Taking a Break for a Snack: Roasted Chickpeas

It’s been a crazy week filled with appointments, and I’m also having difficulty sitting at my computer because of tailbone pain. For those reasons, I wasn’t able to write one of my usual blog posts for today. Instead I’m going to post my favorite snack recipe for you to enjoy: Roasted Chickpeas.

The great thing about this recipe is that it has no added fat or salt and chickpeas are also a source of protein. I love this snack so much that I’ve even taken some to the movie theater to eat in place of popcorn. This recipe is very easy to make but it does have a long cooking time. 

The fun part is choosing the spices and you can change it up each time if you want. I like to use onion and garlic powder (sometimes a dash of garam masala, too) and my husband likes a kick of cayenne. Anything goes! If after you cook the chickpeas you find the taste is not strong enough, just sprinkle extra spices on while they are still hot. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

~* ROASTED CHICKPEAS *~

2 cans of Chickpeas (some brands use less sodium, read the labels)

3/4 cup dry grated Parmesan cheese

Spices I like to use: 

     1 tsp Garlic powder

     1 tsp Onion powder

1 gallon-sized Ziploc bag

9 x 13 baking pan (I like to use an AirBake pan)

Aluminum foil

Pam cooking spray

==============================

Set oven to 350 degrees.

Cover baking pan with foil & spray with Pam. Also spray a spatula. 

Into the Ziploc add Parmesan cheese and the spices you want. Seal bag and shake to mix. Test by sticking in one finger to taste. It should be strong because the chickpeas are very plain. Add more spices if desired.

Strain liquid from chickpeas & pour them into Ziploc. Seal bag well and shake. Pour the coated chickpeas into pan & spread evenly. If there is any excess dry mix in the bag, sprinkle it over the top. Put pan into oven.

Set a timer for 20 minutes. Stir with spatula to prevent sticking together. Reset timer & continue stirring at 20 minute intervals.

After 100 minutes remove 3 chickpeas from the pan and let cool for a few minutes. Eat them to check firmness and texture.

A delicious double-batch of Roasted Chickpeas!

If you like them crunchy outside but chewy/soft inside (like me!) they will likely be done at approximately 110 minutes. To get them hard crunchy (which will increase storage life) they need to cook about two hours or maybe a little more, depending on your oven and the type of pan you use. They will harden up a bit as they cool. It may take some practice to get them just the way you like, but practicing is always delicious!

Remove chickpeas from oven & allow to cool down completely in the pan before storing. Note: If you store them in a sealed container like Tupperware, they will soften a little.

Enjoy!

Tuesday-Newsday #57

It’s time for Tuesday-Newsday! The featured blog post this week is, “Where is Your Attention Focused?: Positive Thinking for the Chronically Ill” by Wendy Burnett of Transform Your Chronic Life.

Let Me Know: If you’d like me to watch for articles on your pain condition, just drop me a note in the comments section below.

WARNING:  My goal is to provide the most up-to-date news I can, which you can then take to your personal doctor and debate the merits of before you try it. I do not endorse any of the docs, treatments, info, and meds in anything I post nor can I guarantee they are all effective, especially not for everyone. I always include the citation, source, or website so you know where it came from. As is the case with any health info, ALWAYS get your doctor's opinion first!

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*CHRONIC PAIN

Chronic Pain Patients More Prone to Depression, Anxiety  

If you have issues with depression, check out this free website where your friends help keep your mood on track: Moodscope

Women age 50 & up with persistant pain have a higher risk for depression, obesity and declining physical function

Gene which affects pain sensitivity identified, could lead to a new approach to individualizing treatment of chronic pain

How the hallucinogen Salvia affects the brain could lead to new avenues for treating drug addiction, chronic pain, and depression

*PAIN Rx

Caffeine Gives a Small Boost to Painkillers’ Effectiveness

Blood Pressure Can Be Raised By Pain Relievers

60% of hospitals surveyed say they've trashed scarce drugs

*FIBROMYALGIA 

Naltrexone May Lessen Fibromyalgia Pain

New Surveys Reveal Striking Differences Between Public Perceptions and Private Realities of People With Fibromyalgia

Invalidation, lack of personal support, loneliness more marked with fibromyalgia than other rheumatic diseases

Fibro Pain Map: A Pain Management Tool for People With Fibromyalgia

The American Chronic Pain Assoc. has produced a great interactive tool for keeping track of your pain management goals. It can help you create a detailed picture of your pain - where it is, how it feels, and how much it hurts. You can also print it out and share it with your health care provider.

13 Mistakes Fibromyalgia Patients Make

*SICKLE CELL ANEMIA

Carbon monoxide-based sickle cell treatment to be tested 

Taking the Guesswork out of Sickle Cell: New blood test identifies high risk patients

Cord blood transplant cures Sickle Cell girl

Teen sickle cell patient gets new lease on life after rare transplant

*COPING WITH CHRONIC PAIN

Where is Your Attention Focused?: Positive Thinking for the Chronically Ill

by Wendy Burnett of TRANSFORM YOUR CHRONIC LIFE

Break Out Of Your Shell in Order to Blossom

According to the calendar, Spring is here, but we are experiencing a late cold snap which has pushed back the usual warming weather we’d have by now. However, I am ready to counteract the coldness by giving my bit of nature a little nurturing.

A week ago my annual seed planting took place. I prepared the trays and sat at the table surrounded with baby food jars filled with all kinds of seeds I had saved from my garden last year. Armed with a pair of tweezers, I gently placed each tiny vessel of life into a cell filled with Seed Start mix and watered them. My husband set the trays into the grow-light stand in our kitchen, which will coax them with warmth and light to burst open and reach upward.

These are some of the seeds I have collected from my own garden.
Clockwise from top: Loofah, Lupine, Squash, Coleus, Tomato.

I love planting seeds. It amazes me how something so small can contain what is needed to create a plant that can grow tall and covered with blooms or produce an astounding amount of fruit to feed us. I get such a deep satisfaction from nurturing those tiny seeds. Whenever I plant them and think about their natural process, it always makes me come up with metaphors for living with chronic pain/illness.

Digging a hole and putting the seed into the bottom of it is kind of like a funeral. The seed has been in a sort of suspended animation, waiting in this lesser form for its opportunity to transform into an elevated state. If the buried seed receives what it needs, it will fracture the shell restraining its energy and flare into life. If all the conditions are right, the resulting green shoot will burrow through the soil and burst upward toward the sun as a seedling to begin its journey to become what it is meant to be. 

“Life does not accommodate you, it shatters you. 

It is meant to, and it couldn't do it better. 

Every seed destroys its container or else there would be no fruition.” 

~Florida Scott-Maxwell 

Just like the seed, we need to shatter the barriers of pain/illness which restrain us so we can achieve our full potential. How can we do that? We need to be honest about the things which are holding us back and face them head on. Are you doing what you should to care of yourself? Are you following your doctors orders, managing your symptoms properly, balancing your life without overdoing, and not isolating yourself from life as if you are buried alone in a hole?

Life holds no guarantees, neither for us nor for the seed. But if we provide for ourselves the right environment, the proper care, and we nurture our body and our spirit - we can push past those restraints and grow. Perhaps we can transform ourselves beyond our imagination, like a seed into a flower. With positive energy and attitude, even though our pain may never be healed, life can be bigger and brighter outside of our self-imposed shell.  

Help your nature with a bit of nurture, and let your soul blossom!

ALSO RECOMMENDED:

You may enjoy my seed planting blog post from last year:

~Seeds have needs... just like we do

Tuesday-Newsday #56

It’s time for Tuesday-Newsday! The featured blog post this week is, “Potholes in the Road of Chronic Pain” by Sue Falkner-Wood

Let Me Know: If you’d like me to watch for articles on your pain condition, just drop me a note in the comments section below.

WARNING: My goal is to provide the most up-to-date news I can, which you can then take to your personal doctor and debate the merits of before you try it. I do not endorse any of the docs, treatments, info, and meds in anything I post nor can I guarantee they are all effective, especially not for everyone. I always include the citation, source, or website so you know where it came from. As is the case with any health info, ALWAYS get your doctor's opinion first!

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*CHRONIC PAIN

Pain Management YouTube Channel Exceeds 40,000 Views

An Arizona pain clinic features information across a spectrum of pain management topics from medication to alternative treatments. Check out the videos by visiting HERE 

APF Pain Monitor - March 2012 Issue

Welcome to a new version of Pain Monitor – here you’ll find articles on living with chronic pain, the latest pain news, events, and much more. We hope you or a loved one finds this information helpful in living a better life with pain. Please help us improve this publication by completing the survey highlighted in every issue. Articles include:

--Rejuvenate and Recharge

--How to Live Well With Chronic Pain: Steps You Can Take Today

--Top Ten Tips: Make the Most of Your Medical Visits

*RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

Preventing Damaging White Blood Cells From Entering The Joints Offers Potential Strategy For Treating Rheumatoid Arthritis

Ultrasound touted as valuable tool for diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis

New Blood Test for Rheumatoid Arthritis and find more info here in the Research Summary

Few Rheumatoid Arthritis clinical trials compare drugs: study

Too Many Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Inactive: Experts say exercise helps keep joints flexible, maintains function

Common Pain Options of Little Help for RA Patients

Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Guide to Frustration, Social Media and Advocacy

*BACK PAIN

Study Seeking Patients: Washington Center for Pain Management Begins Enrollment in Stem Cell Therapy Study

Medicare Says 'No' to TENS for Low Back Pain ... in and response... TENS Advocate Shocked by Medicare Decision to Drop Coverage

Ablation Possible for Back Pain When Steroid Injections Fail

AquaHab Physical Therapy Case Study Supports Research Findings Demonstrating the Benefits of Physical Therapy for Low Back Pain

Target Pain e-newsetter by the APF features Back & Neck Pain in the March 2012 Issue

Articles include:

-Oh My Aching Back! The ABCs of Back Pain

-Fast Facts on Acute Neck and Shoulder Pain

-Finding Relief: 10 Ways to Manage Back Pain

-Lifestyle Tips: Preventing Back Pain from the Start

-Back Pain & the Workplace

*MILITARY VETERANS and CHRONIC PAIN

Severe Back Injury: It may not be PTSDs or brain injuries that pose the most long-term danger to our surviving vets from their Middle East tours

Burned soldier treated with painkilling video game supposedly more effective than morphine

Narcotic Painkillers Another Threat to Traumatized War Vets: Those with mental health issues more likely to be prescribed highly addictive meds

*LIVING WITH CHRONIC PAIN

Potholes in the Road of Chronic Pain

by Sue Falkner-Wood

Unveiling my ‘Traveling Red Dress’ Experience

At last I have my photos to share and I can talk about my experience! If you’ve missed the first two parts of my personal journey read here first:

~part one: The Traveling Red Dress: Having My “Moment”

~part two: Update on My Red Dress Moment...

What exactly is the Traveling Red Dress? It's a special project for women who going through a life-changing event, chronic health issue, or who need a boost of spirit in a sort of Sisterhood of Traveling Pants sort of way. Red dresses are worn and then sent on to next woman who asks for it and photographers donate their time to take photos to document our ‘Red Dress moments’. Like me, those involved have been dealing with major issues who just need to stop and acknowledge their struggles and realize that they are special, unique, and “worth it”. 

“...sometimes we all need a little red dress to remind us (that we are special and vivid and dynamic).. So today, think about what it is you need and were too embarrassed to ask for... 

Find your red dress. And wear the hell out of it.”  

~ Jenny Lawson

Red Dress’ers have included women recovering from cancer, young girls dealing with bullying, widows adjusting to a new life, daughters caring for elderly parents, those in financial peril, mothers with sick kids, and many more with all kinds of personal stories. The woman who started the Traveling Red Dress movement, Jenny Lawson, lives with severe depression. The two blog posts (read #1 and #2) she wrote blossomed into something more than she expected. Said Jenny: “There’s something fairly magical about the whole project. It started as one simply un-simple dress and grew into a web of women sending other women shining red dresses as a way to say, ‘I see you. I recognize where you are and what you’ve done.’ It gives me such faith in humanity.”

In my situation, living with a chronic degenerative illness is tough. My day revolves entirely around it. I pretty much live in a bathrobe and sweats, go to physical therapy every day, and my pain is 24/7. Even sitting for more than 15 minutes is painful. When I read Jenny’s message about the Traveling Red Dress, it made me stop and think. I couldn’t remember the last time I put on makeup, did my hair and really tried to look my best. I haven’t felt beautiful in a really long time, and it made me realize I was letting my daily struggle beat down the spark inside me and squash my self-esteem.

If you read Part One above, I detail how I found my own red dress to wear. My husband called an old friend who owns Hagop’s Photography, who agreed to do my Red Dress photos. On the day we schedule to shoot, the weather changed and became very cold and windy. We started at Stanford University for all the lovely arches and backgrounds, but I was absolutely freezing! When I got up from lying in the grass, I was shaking so hard I couldn’t walk on my own and had to lean on my husband. In between each location we shot at, my mom and husband tried to warm me up by wrapping me in a blanket and two coats while I drove my wheelchair. 

Here they are! This collage includes all my favorite photos
 from my 'Traveling Red Dress' shoot.

It was a true test of stamina and endurance for me, but I could began to feel something beyond the physical. I really felt beautiful! I could sort of see a lot of people, mostly tourists, watching me (I had my glasses off so I couldn’t really see that well) and it made me feel special. I was the center of attention and I felt like I was actually worthy of it. I wasn't just a 'sick chick' slumped in a recliner wearing an old bathrobe and fuzzy slippers. I discovered I am much more than that. It was truly empowering!

After we finished shooting the images with the rose and camellia petals scattered on the grass, they had to be removed according to Stanford’s rules. As I sat bundled in my wheelchair and the others picked up the petals, a strange woman came up to my husband and asked, “Are you doing some kind of ritual?”

He said no and we all laughed. But in a way, I think she was actually right. This was a ritual to prove to me that I am *not* rendered completely helpless, unappealing, and devoid of sparkle by my painful chronic illness - unless I allow it do that! I am much more than that, and I need to remember to let myself shine through and believe I am worth it!

Do you want to be a part of the legacy of the Traveling Red Dress? Go to its Facebook Page, find a dress, and have your own ‘moment’!

ADDITIONAL THANK YOU's:

I have to give major thanks to my photographer, Hagop of Hagop’s Photography. He is a true talent with thirty years in the business. He was patient and understanding, and worked hard to achieve the vision I wanted for my photos. You could do no better than hire him to shoot your wedding or family portraits. He is the best!

My hair stylist, Dontay, also got caught up in the spirit of the Red Dress and styled my hair for free. He’s a fantastic stylist - thanks so much!

I also want to thank Carol Angel at Redwood City Florist for helping me get all the rose petals, and my friend Dale for adding in extra camellia petals.

Thanks to Meg for making that gorgeous necklace for me, with real Carnelians! To contact her about having jewelry made for you, send an email to meggieprice@gmail.com 

Tuesday-Newsday #55

It’s time for Tuesday-Newsday! The featured blog post this week is by Heather Grace of the American Pain Foundation. The piece is titled,  “Does nature explain why people leave the chronically ill?

Let Me Know: If you’d like me to watch for articles on your pain condition, just drop me a note in the comments section below.

WARNING:  My goal is to provide the most up-to-date news I can, which you can then take to your personal doctor and debate the merits of before you try it. I do not endorse any of the docs, treatments, info, and meds in anything I post nor can I guarantee they are all effective, especially not for everyone. I always include the citation, source, or website so you know where it came from. As is the case with any health info, ALWAYS get your doctor's opinion first!

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*CHRONIC PAIN

Where Pain Lives: Chronic Pain Tougher to Manage in Poor Neighborhoods

New tools tackle chronic pain

*PATIENT NEWS

FDA weighs over-the-counter switch for key drugs used to treat ailments like diabetes, asthma and migraine

Researchers find yoga helps ease stress related medical and psychological conditions

*FEMALE PAIN

Endometriosis Increases Risk of Certain Ovarian Cancers

Researchers seeking a non-invasive way to analyze Interstitial Cystitis

E. Coli in Chicken Linked to Urinary Tract Infections, study finds

Vitamin D Eases Severe Menstrual Cramps

*PETS

Dog Therapy in Waiting Rooms Calms and Eases Pain

The New Face of Pet Therapy

Women Cope Better With HIV/AIDS When They Have The Love Of A Dog Or Cat

Pets Pump You Up: You can credit your dog or cat with improving your well-being and confidence, researchers say

10 ways owning a pet benefits your health

Pets Are Good Medicine

*RELATIONSHIPS AND CHRONIC PAIN

Does nature explain why people leave the chronically ill? 

by Heather Grace, from the American Pain Foundation

Keep Your Medical Records in Hand

I’ve been writing recently about switching health insurance coverage and having to choose new doctors. You can get caught up by reading my two previous posts here:

~Health Insurance Switch: Where Will it Lead Me?

~Preparing to Meet With a New Pain Doctor

I had to make the switch very quickly. Usually when you ask for copies of medical records, you have them sent to the new doctor. But I didn’t yet have a doctor to send them to, so I had the records delivered to myself. At first I felt a bit overwhelmed. There are six computer disks of information: two of them contain all the notes of my office visits with every doctor I’d seen plus laboratory results and every email and message. The remaining disks are digitized copies of the x-rays, MRIs and scans I had done in the last seven years.

I’m so glad now that I have possession of my records. I’m totally convinced those of us with chronic conditions should have copies of our medical records. For someone like me, with a complicated syndromic illness affecting many areas of my body, having all my records together when I see all these new doctors is proving to be so extremely helpful. Instead of the physician wasting time during our appointment searching through the disks, which are organized chronologically and not by medical specialty, I can reach into my binder and in an instant provide exactly what information they want to see.

Here’s how I did it:

When I went through the records on disk, I searched for a medical specialty (for example, Rheumatology) and then printed out each office visit’s notes. I sorted them by year, put them into a plastic sleeve, and slipped them into a large binder. I did this for each medical specialty involved in my treatment: Rheumatology, Cardiology, Opthamology, Gynecology, Dermatology, Pain Management, Podiatry, and Neurology. I then printed out and sleeved all these results from the last two years: Lab results, Brain MRI report, Xray reports, CT reports, and any other tests/treatment results.

Next I included all the paperwork from when I was originally diagnosed at the National Institutes of Health. Then I downloaded and printed out all the daily chronic pain reports I’ve been keeping on my phone with that cool pain tracker app called Manage My Pain Lite and created a separate section for all my pain journaling. In the very back of the binder I put the original six medical record computer disks from my old HMO in an envelope. 

“To be prepared is half the victory.”

 ~Miguel de Cervantes

I took one final step: I had my husband take the completed binder, remove each section of papers, and scan them onto a new computer disk. When he was finished, I had in my hands a concise and completely up-to-date single master disk. I made a couple of copies for backup, and then slipped two of those master disks into my binder to carry with me to appointments.

It sure paid off in my first two doctor visits! I gave my new internist a copy of the master disk to enter into the hospital computer system. In the course of our appointment, she asked me specifics about dates when certain tests were done and asked to see reports from Gynecology and Cardiology. I was able to turn a few pages and answer her questions, even pulling out just the information she wanted to read.

In my second appointment, the Ob-Gyn wanted to see exactly what was said by my last doctor in that specialty as well as the report on my brain tumor and current blood test results. Again, I was able to instantly hand over what she needed to see without her having to search endlessly through those six original medical records disks and waste what little time we had scheduled together.

From this point on, it will be much easier. Each time I follow up with a doctor, I just need to ask for a copy of the notes from our last office visit. That way I’ll have my entire health record current and available to me if I want to see a specialist outside my insurance or for any other purpose.

It was lot of work to organize, but I highly recommend doing it! Don’t let anyone tell you that you cannot have copies of your office visits, test results, or any other treatment paperwork - they are YOUR medical records and they belong to you!

Tuesday-Newsday #54

It’s time for Tuesday-Newsday! The featured blog post this week is by Sue Falkner-Wood, titled, “Self-pity is lousy company in a life with chronic pain.”

Let Me Know: If you’d like me to watch for articles on your pain condition, just drop me a note in the comments section below.

WARNING:  My goal is to provide the most up-to-date news I can, which you can then take to your personal doctor and debate the merits of before you try it. I do not endorse any of the docs, treatments, info, and meds in anything I post nor can I guarantee they are all effective, especially not for everyone. I always include the citation, source, or website so you know where it came from. As is the case with any health info, ALWAYS get your doctor's opinion first!

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*PAIN Rx

Hormones Out of Whack With Long Opioid Therapy

Craving For Pain Drug Possible Without Misuse

Oversight lacking in outsourced drug trials

*PATIENT NEWS

Medical bills can wreck credit, even when paid off

Prescription Meds Can Put on Unwanted Pounds

Taking Vitamin E linked to Osteoporosis, study finds

*CANCER

Counterfeit drug warning for Avastin issued

Drug may be near for Cancer's companion condition, Cachexia

Cancer Patients Who Smoke Report Worse Pain, Symptoms

Exercise a Good Pick-Me-Up After Cancer Treatment: Aerobic, resistance and strength training improved weight and well-being

*OSTEOARTHRITIS

Potential Biomarker Identified For Osteoarthritis

Metals from hip replacements present toxic risk for millions, investigation warns

Skin Tests Catch Metal Sensitivity Before Joint Replacement

Replacing Knees with 3D

Cane Use Improves Pain in Arthritic Knees

'Unacceptable' Pain Levels Common After Knee Arthroplasty

Local Anesthetic Stops Pain at the Source After Hip Replacement Surgery

Hip replacement device helps to halve recovery time

*COPING WITH CHRONIC PAIN

Self-pity is lousy company in a life with chronic pain

by Sue Falkner-Wood

Update on My Red Dress Moment...

Due to circumstances beyond my control, I am not able to write a full blog post this week. Our landlord arranged for all our windows to be replaced and our apartment was a mess! We had to move the bed, chairs, computer desks... even our countertop dishwasher! Our cats, who were not thrilled, were temporarily transported to my parents’ house. Consequently I’ve been without my computer for a couple of days. 

So rather than not posting at all, I’ve decided to give you a quick little tease of my Red Dress photo session which happened last weekend.  (Go here to learn all about: The Traveling Red Dress: Having My “Moment”) 

On the day we scheduled the session it was sooo windy and cold - probably about 45 degrees! - and in between each location I was bundled into my wheelchair under two coats and a blanket to try to keep me warm. I was shivering so hard by the end that I could barely walk. 

Here I am at the start of the shoot,
so bundled up you can't see my red dress!

However I have to say that as cold as I was, it was totally worth it! If you are on the fence about whether to do your own Red Dress photo shoot, I urge you to do it!  Even if you have physical limitations or your chronic pain severely affects your activities, find a way to put a red dress on and let it work its magic. You don’t even have to leave your house. Use what you are most passionate about to add a theme to your photos, really make them special to who you are.

Heading back to the car at the end.
My husband snapped these photos with his phone.
I can't wait to share the professional photos with you.

I’ve seen all the pictures of me and I don’t know how I am going to choose just a couple of images! I promise that soon as I can, I will share the best ones here on my blog and also on the Traveling Red Dress Facebook Page.

Embrace the legacy of the Red Dress!

*UPDATE*: SEE THE PHOTOS 

FROM MY RED DRESS SESSION, click below:

Unveiling my ‘Traveling Red Dress’ Experience