Posts

Showing posts from May, 2019

Fibromyalgia: My Health Journey

-
Recently I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, a multi system chronic condition that is characterised by chronic widespread pain, extreme fatigue, brain fog, digestive complaints and depression. For a sufferer of Fibromyalgia, stress is a major driving force in exasperating symptoms. It is a lifelong condition (there is no cure) but with a range of therapeutic care, symptoms can be managed and even improved. It sounds like a lot, and it is. It has felt like I’d stumbled into a dimly lit tunnel filled with physical and psychological challenges coupled with medical puzzles that needed a large brains trust to solve. I’ve been in this tunnel a long time, but have now stepped into some sunlight. Rather than being completely devastated by this diagnosis, I felt a huge sense of relief, validation and overwhelming gratitude. For my persistent struggle with extreme fatigue, insomnia, digestive complaints, low moods and pain have for the past 7 years made me question my sanity, and doubt my capabil
Post a Comment
Read more

The Hilarious Parallels between Exercise and Parenting

-
This week, I had the most embarrassing and challenging experience I’ve had for a while; one which reminded me a little of my parenting experience. It’s been a number of years since I went regularly to an exercise class, but with my recent flare up of back pain I thought it time to be more disciplined with exercise that helps me. Having looked around at all the classes available, I chose to try one called Body Balance; a mixture of pilates, yoga and tai chi. While I had never tried anything like this before, a friend highly recommended it and so I thought, ”There’s no harm in giving it a trial.”  Due to my previous experience of pilates, I was anticipating an hour of physically tough, but slowly paced exercises that worked on my core strength, and an instructor who took you through the different positions carefully; allowing you to go at your own pace, and giving help when needed. Someone who was sensitive to each individual’s capabilities. My past experience did nothing to prepare me f
Post a Comment
Read more

Defeat is not an option

-
  It started with some fabric. The idea being, that instead of buying a ready-made tablecloth, I would instead purchase some gorgeous fabric at a nice price, and then have the pleasure of sewing it up myself. I would never claim to be skilled at sewing, but I once sewed a pair of pyjama shorts, so how hard could four long, straight lines be? My enjoyment in being creative far outstrips my ability, so I am not easily put off from the challenge of mastering something new (how I imagine the end result, is motivation enough to attempt it). However, my latest project in home-made creations has had me quite undone. It quickly went from a leisurely afternoon of sewing, to a battle of wills. Woman vs Machine…the machine wins.  I had borrowed, for the project, my Mother’s 40 year old sewing machine (as my infrequent usage does not warrant owning one). Time had lapsed since my last sewing adventure, so a careful perusal of the manual was the first thing I did. Having read the manual, I procee
Post a Comment
Read more