Ginger and Whining

Whyyyyy is the nausea kicking back up again??

Not that it's really ever died down that much, for nearly a year now, it's been ever-present whenever I'm in a moving vehicle. Years ago, before migraine was a word I used, I used to brag, "I can read and eat sitting backwards in the back of a bus and I'll be fine!" Ugh, just writing that sentence made my stomach roll and my vision went a little wonky. The letters on the screen started doing a sort of 3D wiggly-dance, anyone else ever get that?

This post is brought to you by Canada Dry! They didn't actually send me anything or pay me, but for a reasonable price, they're keeping me from feeling like I'm going to hurl on everything at all times. Thanks Canada Dry!

As far as ginger ales go, Canada Dry is a good-tasting brand and is consistent in quality and flavor. Also, my boyfriend has become an extreme couponer in order to keep up with my habit, and Canada Dry is the only brand sold locally that we can afford. The last time we shopped he got me a eight cases for $2 or something silly like that. I've tried a few other brands, Seagram's was the most recent attempt, since they also offer coupons, but they aren't gingery enough for me. I've also tried some fancier ginger ales from Beverages and More (my brother's a bit of a soda connoisseur), and they were, on average, AMAZING, but way out of my price range. So much so that I never even bothered to look at the labels, just savored the moment while I had it.

Other than for medicinal purpose, I avoid sodas completely. It's ginger ale for the nausea and dizziness (a sip or gulp every minute to half-hour as needed), but I'll also rarely turn to Coke or Pepsi if a migraine feels like it might respond to caffeine (no more than 1/4 can at a time, and no more than 2 cans a day), but only if coffee (a sip at a time, spaced minutes apart) or tea (a few sips at a time, spaced minutes apart) aren't available. I don't drink soda recreationally, though, because I think that corn syrup, and it's high-fructose brother, are terrible for my health and for our country's agricultural sustainability. That's why I prefer my medicinal caffeine via coffee and tea, and if I could afford and find ginger ale without it, I'd be an instant convert.

I've considered making ginger ale myself, but haven't yet had the money to invest in bottles to give it a whirl. I do drink ginger tea, sometimes, but the carbonation in combination with the ginger is what really kicks the nausea for me, I have to drink twice as much tea as soda to get the same effect. Ginger candy is gorgeous, and I do like to keep some on hand, but I have to eat it continuously for it to be effective, so I treat it as more of a candy than a medicine.

So, I'm a ginger ale junkie, as long as the nausea sticks around. It's the only thing that's consistently made me feel better, reliably and without side effects. I do catch myself without ginger sometimes and those occasions are very uncomfortable. My backup remedies are only somewhat effective, if at all, and include eating or drinking constantly, sucking on lozenges constantly, and/or whining and moaning constantly, none of which make me a fun person to be around. Hence, the boyfriend has become an extreme couponer of ginger ale. Thanks again, Canada Dry!