10 Days of Good Things

OK so maybe some most of the past 10 days have been occupied by a lot of resting, which has proved necessary, I have had quite a few achievements dotted around too.  Quite significant ones as well.

My birthday was a lovely day.  Having my hair done was wonderful, and it meant one less thing for me to have to do that evening before going out.  I also had a really lovely meal out with my family, at the only food establishment I trust with cooking my food locally.  I got some lovely presents – an amethyst ring, a necklace to match, a set of knitting needs, a skein of yarn, a funky lizard brooch and a letter rack – much more than I had expected.  And 30 isn’t that bad after all.

I’ve had to spend many of my days recently in the armchair with my feet up on the foot stool (which is huge, and almost turns the reclined armchair into a chaise lounge).  Because I also went insanely noise sensitive, and thus couldn’t entertain the idea of music, TV or films, I instead kept myself occupied with my cross-stitch and new-found hobby of knitting.  Alternating between the two is not only good to give the brain a rest – knitting a scarf using garter stitch requires no brain power at all – but cross-stitching is fiddly and my hands can’t do that for extended periods.  Obviously I do have to rest from the knitting as well for the same reason.  I’m coming on well with both the cross-stitch and the knitting though – I’m three-quarters done with the cross-stitch, and I’ve knitted about 2ft of scarf.

The past 10 days have also been good for socialising.  I don’t mean going out or having people round – I’ve been far too exhausted to entertain the idea – I mean online.  Having joined the knitting website almost a month ago, I also joined a new crafting group for people with chronic illnesses.  It has meant over-doing it a couple of times posting and reading, but interacting with some new names has been great.

I have to continue resting for the rest of the week – next Friday I graduate!

Catching Up

As you  may have noticed, I haven’t been posting much lately!  It’s sort of good though, as I have managed a couple of things in this time, but then I have also had to do a lot of resting in between (but then that’s pretty bog-standard).

On 29th February (if you can remember that far back, I can but only just!) it was a lovely spring-like day.  Warm and sunny.  I live near a lake, and ever since I’ve moved in to my current abode I have had my eye on a particular bench to sit on when the weather is nice enough and I feel well enough to.  So, this day, I felt I might like to try a little wander down to sit in the sun for a few minutes to get a dose of vitamin D.  I took my crutches and my camera, and headed for the bench.

Mr Robin Redbreast comes to say hello.

I took several photos that day while sat on the bench – of the lake, some sparrows, a helicopter, a couple of mallards – but this photo is the one that I was pleased with the most.  It was lovely there, and so quiet.  Only the sound of the birds could be heard.

It took me quite a few days to recover from what would normally be a short walk to the average person, but was (only just) able to attend the local ME group’s meeting.  I (again) had my crutches with me, and thankfully the seats there are fairly comfy, so I created a make-shift chaise lounge so I could have my feet up.  I managed to volunteer by sitting on the welcome/sign-in desk, and volunteered to be treasurer.

Me on Welcome Desk duty (having just polished off a Sezzy-friendly, Sezzy-made chocolate cake).

As I have volunteered for treasurer’s job, I have decided to take a course in bookkeeping and accounting, so that I have a foundation to actually do the job properly.  I have a basic understanding of accounts and a bit more on spreadsheets, but want to really know what I’m doing.  If I pass the course I’ll be able to register with the IAB.

Having then rested all week, on Saturday evening my family and I went to a family friend’s 60th birthday party.  It was quite hard work for me being there – the lights were bright and fluorescent, the hall was cold, and it was full of balloons to which I’m allergic.  I’m kind of glad that I have decided to have a quiet birthday with my family instead of trying to have a big party.  On the way home we had to make an unscheduled stop to A&E as while we were at the party my grandmother had been admitted – being in a no signal area meant we didn’t get the message until much later.  With the help of my sister, I managed to find out the situation from the hospital.

I have been resting a lot the past couple of days, so that I have a chance to enjoy tomorrow.  I am going to get my hair done, and then have a meal out with my family.  Then I will have to rest a lot so that I am ready for my graduation ceremony at the end of the month.

This post has taken me all day to write, but again, I’ve got it done.

Dizzy, but it was fun getting there…

I’m exhausted, and a little on the dizzy side.  It’s been a challenging weekend, and I’ve done far too much.  It’s at times like this where I employ the phrase ending “… but it was fun getting there.”

Yesterday my parents took me to town to choose my birthday present.  I turn 30 in a little over 2 weeks time – a prospect that leaves me a little melancholy if I’m perfectly honest about it, not because I am to turn 30 but that it is another ‘big’ birthday since I got ill that I have not been well enough to do anything ‘big’ to celebrate, plus a few other reasons I won’t go into.  I’m still nowhere near recovered allergy-wise from my recent big hiccough, and the telling sign was I am back to reacting to virtually every shop I enter – for some really odd reason I was OK in Marks & Spencer!  The day was a success though, in that I chose some lovely presents for my birthday and my graduation, and got some nice shoes too.  With the aid of a mobility scooter I also bought some funky slipper socks at Sainsbury’s.

Today my family had a belated celebration meal at the only place I can eat fairly freely and without worry about my allergies.  It ‘only’ involved me sitting in a car, transferring to the table at the place, and eating, but by the end of the meal I knew I’d over-done it big time.  I get vertigo spells when I’m extremely exhausted or when I have over-done it, but before it has been limited to home, or where ever I am staying that night.  Today it happened while I was out.

I’m that exhausted and having vertigo spells that it’s taken me over 5 hours to write this, and I know I am going to have to do absolutely nothing for the next few days.

Now it’s time for bed.

Meal with No Name

It was time to cook dinner.  I didn’t want the usual steak, chips/potatoes, peas and green/broad beans.  I got my thinking cap on and decided to cook something a little different:

Beef rump, tomato, onion, green beans and parsley with cheesy mash.

It was lovely, easy to make and very filling.  I’ll cook that one again!

Happy Pancake Day!

Pancake with sugar and lemon

Achieved, Check

1. Sorted out a prescription, check.
2. Chased up MP, check.
3. Tackled electricity company about Warm Home Discount, check.
4. Helped a friend, check.
5. Eaten well all day, check.
6. Prepared bins for tomorrow, check.
7. Knackered, check.

Tired But Not Sleepy

Yes, you can be tired without being sleepy. ME sufferers will recognise this frustrating situation well. So while I lie here in bed, connect to here via my phone and try to make myself tired enough to be sleepy, you lucky people reading this get to know what my achievements were today (well, yesterday really, but tomorrow only starts after I’ve slept).

Dad and I travelled back from my clinic, though what should have been a nice 1 hour 30 minute journey at the very most turned into an arduous 3 hour 30 minute haul, all thanks to a road closure and subsequent traffic jam. However with the help of my trusty phone and its various apps, I found out exactly what was going on and created a diversion.

When finally we were home we were more than ready for lunch, so had a meal at Sainsbury’s. Nothing special and it was only just lukewarm, but it filled a gap that needed filling. Plus, I didn’t react adversely to it. That was my sixth meal that I happily ate. It’s so good to eat again! I love my food!

Lunch eaten, I deposited my crutches at Customer Services and traded them in, albeit temporarily, for a bright orange mobility scooter. With the help of Dad, who got everything from the shelves I couldn’t reach (which was most of the time), I managed to do the first full grocery shopping in a long time. Without that scooter I wouldn’t be able to do it. I’m just so pleased I had the courage to start using them. For as long as I need them, I’m not turning back.

My oldest friend came over this evening to see me too. I normally wouldn’t have had visitors after such a long and busy day, however it was really good to have the company. Today is the most poorly he’s probably ever seen me, and yes I did feel self-conscious with my skin flared and being so skinny (or as he kindly put it, slender), but I think in some ways it did me good to allow someone to see me ill like that. Probably all ways if I think about it!

One of my best friends also phoned up briefly just to check on me after my trip away to the clinic. I am lucky to have some really good friends around me. I might not see them all as much as I’d like, but to have them there is amazing.

I know that in one day I did a lot, more than I have done since my health nose-dived almost 2 weeks ago, but it made a nice change from feeling utterly weak and cut-off from the real world. I must take it easy for the next few days, but hopefully I can get some strength and finally, maybe, even arrange to have friends over – there are a few I haven’t seen in such a long time, and with one thing and another it just hasn’t happened. I do need to try and straighten the flat up a bit though!

Now I think I can sleep.

Three Meals

Today I ate three meals today.  Breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Three meals.  Doesn’t sound that impressive when you say it just like that really.  What has made it the better is that I didn’t react to a single meal.  Not one.  That’s the first time in about ten days that I haven’t had excruciating pain after eating, so painful that it was actually less painful to have hunger pains than the pains from eating.

Of course, I couldn’t have done this without the re-testing of my vaccines that I undertook yesterday and today.  Most points were out, which explained the hideous symptoms I was experiencing.  It’s going to take me some time to recover properly – my body has a lot of healing to do, it’s an utter mess.

But, I ate three meals.  Read it.  3.

A Meal and Nice Comments

Wednesday was a very good day.  I managed to do ‘just’ one big thing – I went out for dinner with a couple of fellow German students from my course in 2010.  We’ve made this an annual arrangement, so as to keep in contact.  One of the chaps kindly picked me up on the way to the pub restaurant, and we had a nice couple of hours out, catching up with a year’s worth of events.  This outing was the first time I’d been out properly (bar the mini excursion to Boots last Saturday) in almost a month.  It did mean that I couldn’t do anything else that day apart from recline with my feet up and rest, but that 2 hours out was well worth it.

Yesterday was very much a rest day, although while reclined with my feet up I also managed to work a bit on the cross-stitch project for Dad.  Slowly but surely I can see progress.  I hope that he will get this finished and framed by the end of this year – he’s already been waiting 10 years for it!

Another achievement for yesterday was managing to do some work on the website of the appeal fund that was set up for me.  The committee have allowed me to do this, and at least I know that I am helping where I am able to.  My task yesterday was to add a quote from the Patron.  What she had written was really touching, especially when she said that I was “brave and exceptionally kind” and that she “wanted to do anything” she could to help me.  As someone who usually thinks of others before themselves, it’s very moving to hear and know that there are all sort of people – close friends, acquaintances, strangers – that want to help me.  I will be eternally grateful.

Mum is on her way to visit me now.  I will be glad of her being here, as today I do need some help.  Accepting help, that is today’s achievement.