A no-chew recipe: shrimp and corn chowder

I made this recipe with things I had on hand. It is an easy one.

15 ounce can of creamed corn
juice from 1/2 lemon
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 tablespoon butter
1/2 onion, diced well
1 1/4 cup chicken stock or broth (may also use fish or vegetable stock)
1 1/3 cup lowfat milk
2 tablespoons nonfat Greek yogurt
1 cup cooked, peeled, deveined shrimp, chopped into small pieces
4 whole shrimp (optional) for garnish
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum (optional) to thicken soup
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground rosemary
Makes 4 eight ounce bowls

Heat the butter in a pan and add the onions. Cook until translucent. Add the can of  creamed corn. Squeeze the lemon juice into the mixture.

Measure out the chicken stock. If you like your soups thick, add the xanthan gum before you heat the broth.  Stir it well, until there are no lumps in the mixture. Add it to the other ingredients and stir.

Add the remaining ingredients (except the whole shrimp), stir, and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Keep a close eye on it, and then bring the heat down to low. Cook another 30 minutes. Keep the lid on the pot, except for stirring occasionally.


Once the soup is ready to serve, garnish with a whole shrimp. I also used a lettuce leaf from a bag of prepared spring mix lettuce. Garnishes are important. Even if we can't chew it, it still gives us the feeling of eating something special.

Even on a hot, humid July Florida day, this chowder was not too heavy. It's not high in fat, but it has protein. It isn't easy to get that in a no-chew diet. I used Lactaid milk in mine, and it tastes fine for those who like to watch their lactose intake. Hope you like it!

Be sure to search my blog for other no-chew recipes.

Trigeminal neuralgia, parking lots, and wind

Summer is here, making it a great time to prepare for cold weather that promises to arrive a few months from now.

On "handicapped" or accessible parking permits, we see a wheelchair. Yet most people who have these permits don't use a wheelchair. In fact, they may look perfectly healthy. And that's "permissible." After all, most people who have trigeminal neuralgia have been told that they look just fine. But it's not about how we appear to others.

Taking care of one's self sometimes means overlooking the scrutiny of the neighbor, a family member, and the guy in the parking lot who doesn't know us. It means self-advocating. As a certified rehabilitation counselor, I am here to help you find ways to advocate for yourself.

Every state in the U.S. has a unique form (usually found at the tag office) required for applicants of  "handicapped" or accessible parking permits. Most of the applications have a category for a physician to make a selection, saying that the individual has difficulty walking. Don't exclude yourself from this group. If you have trigeminal neuralgia, you have a neurological disorder that can cause a number of issues, including difficulty walking.

Think about this issue: when the wind hits your face and causes electrocution-type pains to slice through it, do you have difficulty walking? One time I asked a gentleman this, and he explained to me that he walks backward through the wind, allowing the back of his head to shield the wind. As he does this, he places another jacket over his face to protect him from the windy blasts. It's not a story that surprised me, but it saddened me. People who have invisible disabilities have rights, plenty of them. Sometimes we just have to fight a little harder to get the things we need.

Walking through a parking lot backwards is dangerous, and so is walking through one with a jacket over one's face. Cars come through parking lots, sometimes at a fast pace. Drivers are distracted with phone calls, text messages, and many other things. Most parking lots have precast concrete bumpers in some of the parking slots. It's easy, if our vision is obstructed, to stumble over them.

Accessible parking helped me get my master's degree. I had to park far from class. I was young and looked healthy, but I wrapped my face up in big scarves and went to class. I parked right outside the class door, making it possible to traverse the path from my vehicle to the building.

Do you have difficulty walking when the wind blows? If you have trigeminal neuralgia, the answer is probably yes. And the pain may be year round because the wind can howl any season.

You may want to talk to your doctor about accessible parking this summer, before your pain escalates and before flu season begins. A good way to approach this might be to make a few notes about what you do to protect yourself as you disembark from your vehicle and make your way across a parking lot to see a doctor, to buy medicine, or to get groceries. Sometimes a phone call to a doctor you have established good communication with will be sufficient. Other times, you may want to make an appointment. And if your physician says "no," ask another one.

Stay safe.

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A no-chew recipe: low fat "mashed" potatoes

A pot full of mashed potatoes?

When I was having pain from trigeminal neuralgia, I ate some really fattening things. One of them was mashed potatoes. I didn't really like them before I got sick, but they quickly became a staple of my diet. Because they were (notice were not are) high in saturated fat, they weren't a good choice. It's easy now to make some great potatoes that aren't low in fat, contain protein, and still taste great.

Sometimes restaurants served "smashed potatoes," meaning the skins are on. In the picture, you can see I left them on after cleaning them well. If you are having difficulty swallowing or in a high degree of pain, you may want to remove the skins. I like to leave mine on because of the vitamins and minerals they contain. Here's the simple recipe.

4 cups sliced raw potatoes (any variety, sliced approximately 1/4 inch thick)
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (optional)
1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt (you can use more)
3 tablespoons Smart Balance buttery spread with flax seed oil
1 teaspoon Sea salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper


Put potatoes in two quart sauce pain, add water and garlic, bringing the potatoes to a low boil. Cook until they are tender. Drain. While potatoes are still hot, add Greek yogurt and buttery spread. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Serves 4 to six. Hope you find it enjoyable. My husband loves this and he's never had a facial pain or jaw pain issue.

Use the search button right above this entry to search for more recipes on my blog or find a fish recipe here. No chew Fish De Lish

Surviving the dark places

Pain often brings isolation, and it is no one's fault. The person who has an illness doesn't feel like talking, socializing, or maybe even getting dressed. You have to cope with the stress that wreaks your body. And others don't know what to do.

Even if you, in all your pain, reach out for others, you may still experience social isolation. One reason is that people do not want to get to close to suffering. It's frightening to think about illness and how it could happen to them. Their lives are already stressful, and they withdraw from you.

You feel alone, wondering how God could allow you to suffer. Has he left you?

No, God has not left you in your time of distress. Perhaps the pain seems bigger than God, but it is not. Be assured that He is with you. If you need assurance, take a look at Psalm 138:


⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
       if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
    ⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
       if I settle on the far side of the sea,
    ¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
       your right hand will hold me fast.
    ¹¹ If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me
       and the light become night around me,"
    ¹² even the darkness will not be dark to you;
       the night will shine like the day,
       for darkness is as light to you. 

In your pain and aloneness, cling to things and people important to you. They may feel as though they are part of your past, but consider them part of your future.  Fight the good fight of faith: worship God, talk to Him, and focus on God's ability to bring you through this. Be prepared to be lifted up by the Lord, to rise on the wings of the dawn.

Opening up

Most people who have trigeminal neuralgia and other types of neuropathic facial pain have experienced quite a bit of rejection. It happens because people who have not experienced such mysterious and excruciating pain find our explanations to be incredulous. They just can't believe it's possible.

Here's something else to consider. If this is terrible thing happening to someone else, it could happen to them. Denial is easy.

Think back to your earliest days with this disability. Was it difficult for you to believe that such pain could come out of nowhere? So difficult to describe? Mere talking can cause the electrocution-type pains to erupt, making it easier and easier not to talk about the terrible predicament.

We withdraw. We go into our own world, and we feel alone but we aren't. It's not just us and the television.

Today I am watching Julie and Julia, a movie I've seen before. I've seen it before, and I love the story. Julie blogs away while she works through Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child. She starts with no followers, but she quickly gathers an audience. It's the beginning of Julie's success.

If we take a look back, though, we see that she opened herself up to anyone who had access to a computer and could read in English. That's risky, and it's what we bloggers do.

When I wrote With Great Mercy, I opened myself up, telling how I thought the Lord had forgotten me, and then later learned how He much He cares. I really hadn't known the extent of His love until I reached out for His mercy.

At the time I didn't know others who have trigeminal neuralgia, but I knew they were out there. If I wanted to write something to help others, I would have to be transparent. It's a scary thing, but transparency is makes someone believable. The author's authenticity gives the reader someone to relate to. 

If you have no one who understands the depth of your pain, I encourage you to open up to someone. Step out of the box of isolation that often defines the world of someone who experiences so much pain. There are ways to do this: a support group, a prayer group, or a professional counselor. If you don't have a trusted friend, feel free to contact me via email.

Trigeminal neuralgia turned my life upside down. It turned a drama teacher into a rehabilitation counselor, and lukewarm Christian became one who wanted every day to get closer to God.

Has illness caused your life to change? Did something good result from it?

In the midst of the storm

We had a long, cold winter and so many people who have trigeminal neuralgia and neuropathic facial pain really suffered. Now that warmer weather allows these individuals to enjoy lower pain levels, barometric pressure threatens to deliver more discomfort.

When barometric pressure shifts suddenly, many people notice that their pain rapidly increases. No, it is not in your mind. No, it’s not fair. One summer Florida experienced four hurricanes. Three of them came through my area, and the symptoms of trigeminal neuralgia raged.

You may want to have a plan of action. Don’t hesitate to report the summer pain to your health care provider. It may be that medication can be adjusted or additional treatments can be given. Keep an eye on the weather report to help you know what to expect.

It’s not easy to remain calm in the midst of a storm, especially when pain is at its center. This is where the challenge lies.

So long ago when my pain got bad, I was unable to talk. I’d call my mother, and press three keys on the phone pad. She knew my signal, and she would come over to say a prayer with me and to sit with me.

It may help you to prepare for pain caused by weather fronts. Store your storm stash together:

Favorite Bible verses

Encouraging Quotes

Medication

Phone numbers of people who will offer you support

If you wear glasses, a light weight pair

No chew Fish de Lish recipe

Nutrition can be a concern for people who have pain in their jaw areas, whether it is from trigeminal neuralgia, neuropathic facial pain, or a jaw disorder. We hear about spices and how they are great for our health, so I developed this recipe that’s so soft and requires little chewing. I use thawed cod loins, but tilapia and other types of fish are suitable. If you use another fish, the temperature and time may need to be adjusted. The marinade becomes a sauce, making this dish easy.

Fish De Lish

1 juice orange squeezed with pulp or 1/3 cup orange juice

½ teaspoon minced garlic

½ teaspoon dried cilantro

pinch of ginger powder

1 tablespoon Smart Balance Light Buttery Spread

Bring the items above to a boil in and remove from heat. In a pan to be used for baking, place the thawed fish and cover with the marinade. You’ll need to keep it in the refrigerator marinating a couple of hours or longer. At some point, you’ll want to turn the fish over so both sides will be flavored with the marinade sauce.

When it’s time to cook the cod, place it in a pre-heated oven at 400 degrees F. It will need to bake 10-15 minutes, until it is flaky. I turn mine over in the marinade sauce after 5 or 6 minutes.

Then it’s ready to serve. The sauce is enough for 3-4 cod fillets.

Information below about the herbs and seasonings come from http://www.anniesremedy.com/herb_detail18.php

It is believed: *

* When cilantro is taken in a lightly cooked form it causes the body to excrete excess mercury.

* Ginger is an excellent digestive, aiding in the absorbtion of food, and elimination of gas and bloating. Ginger stimulates circulation so it is good for cold hands and feet.

* Garlic helps to lower hypertension, serum triglyceride and cholesterol levels. Both garlic and onions help thin the blood by discouraging platelets from sticking together.

I hope you will enjoy this nutritious recipe. Use the google search bar at the top of the blog to find more recipes on this site.