Caffeine Free

I am very happy to announce that I have been caffeine free for a little over five days. My plan to slowly wean off and gradually reduce my caffeine intake worked. Previous attempts have failed, leaving me with massive headaches that forced me to drink more caffeine. But, this time, I was able to overcome it. I have had a few headaches, but none as severe as previous ones. In fact, two Advil were enough to relieve them. I admit that I had a candy bar yesterday (I know, bad me.) Not long after eating my Milky Way, I got a headache. I'm not sure if that's some residual caffeine addiction or it could be stress related, because I have an awful lot of stress right now. But, it will definitely make me think twice about reaching anything that contains caffeine in the near future, whether it be a can of soda or a candy bar.

I'm not much of a water drinker. It's not that I don't like it, it's just inconvenient, believe it or not. The local water tastes nasty. Anytime I buy bottled water, my kids drink it all and my husband does not like to buy more. Our faucet is not equipped to have a filter on it. The only other option is a Brita or Pur pitcher, so I may look into that. In the meantime, I've been drinking decaf tea with Splenda and have been quite satisfied.

My consultation with the surgeon is tomorrow. I'm very much looking forward to it and have several questions. I got a letter today about my sleep study last week. It was a form letter and was addressed, "Dear patient." It went on to say that I had significant sleep apnea and suggested I come back to try a CPAP for another sleep study. I'm not really keen on that, so I'm hoping my surgeon will say it's not necessary. For one thing, I slept horrible for my first sleep study, so much worse than at home. I'm never really sleepy during the day. I am fatigued, with a general sense of being worn out, but never sleepy. I also sleep through most of the night, except if I have to get up to pee. So I don't really see why it's necessary. They told me while I was there that any sleep apnea I had was mild and they probably wouldn't recommend a CPAP. So I'm confused. I called my primary doctor to see about getting the report.

I guess that's it for now. I'm hoping tomorrow appointment goes great!

Say Goodbye To My Little Friend

Caffeine. We've had a love-hate relationship for 30 plus years. I remember glasses of chocolate milk when I was little. Getting a soda out of the vending machine while going for walks with friends as a tween. The perpetual pitcher of sweet tea in the refrigerator as I got older (and fatter.) That sweet cup of coffee as an adult. Celebrating doing a great job on an exam with a trip to Starbucks for a pumpkin spice or mocha latte.



I learned that you were evil at an early age, yet I developed a dependence on you. I pushed you away, only to regret it with that dreaded caffeine headache. I remember being 17, having an awful headache and the first thing my mom would do was pour me a glass of Coca-cola. It always relieved the headache within half an hour and I felt so much better. My mom is also addicted to caffeine. I can't tell you how many times I've heard her say, "Don't talk to me, I haven't had my coffee yet."


My surgeon said that I will need to give up caffeine for my surgery. I am definitely willing to do this, my only hesitation is because of the headaches. I've tried to stop caffeine before, and failed many times. The caffeine dependence is negatively reinforced by the headaches and it creates a cycle. I stop the caffeine, I get a headache. I drink some caffeine, the headache goes away. We're not talking a mild headache either. This is one that you can't stand sounds, light, etc. It's very very similar to a migraine. The only difference is the location on the head.

We just finished studying substance abuse in my Abnormal Psychology class, and I was actually shocked that I fit the diagnosis of substance dependence. I never really thought of caffeine to be a drug, but it's true. I'm dependent on it and am low functioning without it. If you are wondering if you are caffeine dependent, consider this:

Substance dependence is a maladaptive pattern of substance use with clinically significant impairment or distress as manifested by at least three of the following:

1. Tolerance
2. Withdrawal
3. Consuming larger amounts for longer periods of time than intended
4. Desire with unsuccessful efforts to limit intake
5. Large amounts of time spent in obtaining, using or recovering from substance
6. Social, occupational and recreational activities are reduced due to use.
7. Use is continued despite physiological and/or psychological problems caused.

Scary isn't it? Quite a wakeup call. Personally, I experience tolerance, withdrawal, failure at limiting intake and use despite physiological problems caused. Before I really started the ball rolling towards weight loss surgery, I was consuming a lot of caffeine. I would have up to 3 cups of coffee and 4 or 5 glasses of tea or soda. For anyone counting, that's an average of 500mg of caffeine a day. In the past two days, I have had one cup of coffee and one can of Dr. Pepper. That brings my consumption down to 157mg. Huge difference! And, I have noticed a difference. I have a mild, continuous headache. It's just there, not bothering me much, but it's not going away either. I'm hoping to slowly wean myself off, I'm not quite sure that I can go cold turkey, at least not with a major caffeine headache. If I can get my body used to the 150mg of caffeine, I'll take it down to one can of soda, which is about 40-42mg. Then, I'll be able to deal with a mild headache for three days. At least that's my plan. I hope it works!