All my illnesses awareness month
May is a big month in the raising awareness stakes and for me it is all my illnesses awareness month! So, I thought I would do one big post with lots of information! Lets do this: My illnesses, Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, Fibromyaligia and ME/CFS that have their awareness days this month and all fall on the 12th and have all greatly affected my life. Before I was sick I was active always walking everywhere and I was a nurse. When these illnesses started to make themselves known, I had to leave my job, my home, and yet it is more than that. The fact that my body constantly hurts, that…
MS makes me a disabled carer
It is MS awareness week, this illness has had a big affect on my life and I would love to talk about it today because MS makes me a disabled carer. When I was in my early twenties and first became sick, I was diagnosed with relapsing remitting Multiple Sclerosis. I was unable to do some things for myself and as I lived with my parents again, my mom became my carer. She would help me shower, give me injections to keep the MS under control and cook my main meals. A few years into this diagnosis, I was asked to come in to see my specialist who announced a…
Empower Your Elderly Parents: 4 Ways You Can Assist Them
As our parents age, they may require more assistance in their daily lives. It is therefore crucial that we provide our elderly parents with support and show that we are there when needed. Here are four simple strategies that you can utilise to assist our ageing loved ones. Help with daily activities such as grocery shopping and errand running Assisting elderly parents with daily activities requires several key considerations. First and foremost, it’s crucial that you assess their needs and identify any tasks where assistance could be helpful – grocery shopping being one such example as it can be challenging for elderly to navigate large supermarkets or transport heavy items…
Finding the good in every moment
There are times when as people with chronic illnesses, we just feel a little more sick than usual and it is those times when finding the good in every moment can be harder. I have been chatting about this recently, but since I had covid in November, I have felt so much worse everything just feels flared up. Fatigue, pain, headaches, vertigo… even my inner ears are itchy! My body just doesn’t feel mine and it can be easy when it is like this to just feel down and to let your depression take over. However, we still need to live, and I am stubborn I refuse to let how…
Dealing with Boredom When Recovering from Addiction
One of the things that make recovery from addiction very difficult for a lot of people is the associated boredom that comes with it. When you are no longer drinking or taking drugs, then you tend to have a lot more time on your hands, and you may not have the resources necessary to fill that time with healthy and fulfilling activities. Not only that but it is common to experience anhedonia, where nothing feels fun, too. This can make it more likely that you will relapse in the future. That being the case, let’s take a look at a few things you can do to deal with the boredom…
Find space to breathe
I have been making changes in my life, trying to find space to breathe and feel happier and healthier its a process!! Change is never easy, years ago my routines were healthy and I felt better in myself I did some exercise every day, did a little cleaning, I cooked and meditated… my life was lived for me to be happy and healthy. Then I took a break one Christmas for 2 weeks off my daily yoga practice and never restarted, I moved in with my mom to help her and stopped having energy to cook and clean. Time moves on and I am left realising I have been eating…
the continual acceptance of chronic illness
Things have changed for me recently, and it has been difficult for me to accept, so today lets have a chat about the continual acceptance of chronic illness. I have had chronic illnesses all my life, but they really started to affect me when I was in my early twenties. At the time I lived alone in Birmingham, England in nurses accommodation and I had a job as a nurse that I really enjoyed. I loved walking and having some independence in life for the first time, then one day everything changed. Me and my then best friend was at a folk festival, we were having a wonderful time,…
National bed month 2023
It is National bed month 2023 and as someone with several chronic illnesses that have the symptom of fatigue, it means a lot to me! So lets chat about getting better sleep. Since 1990, March has been dedicated by the Sleep Council as national bed month, a chance to swap tips and tricks of getting a good night sleep. Along with the Sleep Charity, and Bed Advice UK, they want the nation to sleep better and as someone with chronic illnesses I agree! I have shared here on the blog, as well as on my YouTube channel ways I have found of improving my sleep. But a recent flare of…
45 things I learned in 45 years
Tomorrow, March 16th, is my birthday and I have seen a lot of people do this but I think I will share 45 things I learned in 45 years. I often get told I do not look my age, something I want to leap about and celebrate, but in reality does it matter? Society likes to convince us that we matter less as we age, that we are less attractive and have less to give. However, I feel the exact opposite! As I get older I accept myself and understand myself a lot more, I care less what others think and I enjoy life more than I ever did when…
Organisation and chronic illness
Today I want to talk about organisation and chronic illness, something that has saved me so many flares even this past week so let’s get into it! If you are anything like me, you have probably watched TV shows like the home edit, and Marie kondo and wished you could have a lovely organised home. The problem is that when you are fighting a painful and tired body making the time to get organised is never easy! However, since moving in with mom and becoming her carer we have had to be more organised as I have to make sure I have enough energy to look after her. Over time…