A bang to remember!

Tuesday 18th July. Nice enough day weather wise, I decided to go out onto my swing seat in the garden with my coffee. I sat for a bit and the rain started so I stood up, took the swing seat cushion under one arm and my coffee cup and phone in the other and headed inside. A multitasking walk I have done many many times. 

I have no idea what happened but I felt myself falling and  flying to the wall in a strange slow motion then.........

 BANG!

Area in the middle, the brownish bits.......that's my head mark and skin!

I knew instantly it was not good. The pain in my head was beyond words. I crawled inside to the stairs and shouted on my son Marcus who luckily had a day off and was home. 

I have never experienced real "shock". This feeling was beyond anything and I have been in my life in a train crash, thrown from horses,  head on car crash but this was different. 

I had rapid heartbeat, shallow breathing, anxiety and the pain in my head was amazing. 

Marcus called Mike who appeared in seconds it felt like. I had harling from the wall sticking out my head, right hand was grazed in a few places ( must of scaped the wall) and I had banged my left knee.

We attended A&E and was looked over and sent away with a head injury leaflet. It was in A&E I discovered how much hair I had lost as I managed to gather a rather large hair ball!

Hair loss!

I went home via the chemist for some pain killers and a cooling migraine pad for my forehead. I figured I would be sore the next day then be ok! How wrong was I??

The next day I woke and was obviously stiff and achy but the following day the facial swelling started and the black eyes appeared. 

THIS ONE SCARES THE BEJESUS OUT OF ME!

At this point my neck and shoulders were still sore. Not surprisingly after my head forcing my neck to concertina into my shoulders with my full obese weight behind it! I contacted the GP a week after it as I was sure I should of been seeing improvement but every day seemed to be getting worse with the pain and now began light sensitivity. 

I returned to have a CT head and neck. I take it nothing dramatic as I have heard nothing! I wouldn't be surprised if my skull was cracked at the impact site but currently 3.5 weeks on so would be almost healed!  

I have pushed self care and self management to the most i can. I have been visiting my cousins  Holistic Cabin Complementary Therapies By Angela weekly and have now had 3 massages, 2 of which included cupping and some reflexology. I would say this has helped so so much. Mike kindly set up the Lazy spa which I used daily for a week for an hour at a time and that helped too.

I went to the opticians also for a full eye check as the only trouble I have now is the Photophobia. This is considered one of the most commonly encountered symptoms of concussion and post-concussion syndrome.  It was most painful at the impact site and deep behind the left eye. I was only happy looking down with either a hat and dark glasses on or sitting inside in the dark living room. 

I am trying very hard over the next week to increase my tolerance to light. Monday this week was a set back, I felt great and had hoped to return to work the next week. I entered Asda with no hat or sunglasses on, just my normal specs. I managed the fruit and buy the time I was leaving the vegetables I could feel the pressure on my head building, by the time I finished the meat section I could feel my eye twitching and upon reaching the milk I felt physically sick. Silly me for maybe trying too fast.

 So over the next week I aim to be out daily, in the sun ( hopefully) or shop with simply the hat on or the shades. I aim to build up my light tolerance enough to return to work to do some short shifts for 2 weeks before I am on annual leave for 2 weeks. I am feeling more like myself again now too, I was kidding myself that I could easily pass for Angelina Jolie or some other super famous person in Tesco the other day with the hat pulled down and not looking up! 

I am gutted to be missing my friends Hen Night but I am focusing on being back at work and being there at the wedding. I have ordered a large brimmed hat for the service not just for the eye protection but for covering the bald bit!

Why am I posting this? To reflect in years to come about it. Reflecting on something, as all that 3 years of university nursing degree drummed in to us gives us a tool in this case to move on. For me, creating this post is my way of figuring out how to process and reflect upon what happened, what could of happened and  dump it and move on.

Its given me a massive empathy with people who loose their confidence through falls or other life events. I am always normally a very confident person who gives no fucks but the last 3 weeks I seen myself be very vulnerable and scared of even walking out the door at times.

Am getting back to my normal self one day at a time..

2023 Lets do this!

 Well, its been a long time since I wrote on here and so much has happened! Allow me to update!

Following on from the last Blog what's happened..........

HEALTH

Mammogram was abnormal so had to attend hospital for more detailed ones OUCH it hurts!

There was a scar they could see that they figured was scar tissue from old? or a burst cyst? Anyways all clear and return in 3 years as routine.

Started on HRT. Seems alot better, not as painful on the joints and most of my symptoms have gone, What were they?  This is what I sent to the GP and BANG HRT given.

Menopausal?

• hot flushes mostly at night. I have taken sage one a day for years which I feel helps. 
• Always tired- exhausted more the word. 
• Tender breasts 
• palpitations (less than before b12 replacement)
• Frequent headaches
• Horrific muscle aches and joint pains. This is the worst symptom
• changed body shape and weight gain
• itchy dry skin at times but I do lather on creams
• Zero sex drive
• vaginal dryness at times
• recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) 

 So far so good after 6 months apart from.........

After being stable for years on my thyroid medications my recent blood showed I needed an increase. I imagine this is down to the HRT/menopause and the hormones so thats just been upped this month.

DIET

As always I live my life on a diet being the obese person I am. I had great success with the Fast 800 and I have ( just today) committed to returning to it by subscribing to a group Fast mama that I have enjoyed being part of before.

I find the low carb, higher fat protein style diet suits me but I do need a weekly carb to save me going way off plan! 

I commit to losing my 4 stone this year and this time keeping it off, I want to get active and climb hills before I am too old to do so! I want to look and feel better in my body and I am doing this purely for me and my health! 

PETS

Sadly we lost both our old cats in the last year so we have a few months with none. Now we have 3! Loki, Neo and Mika! 

Malf is still here and happy

Sam, our daughters rabbit is here too 

Still have 3 fish and a shrimp but once they go there will be no more fish.

JOB

Changed job again. Though I absolutely loved my job in the GP practice a promotional role came up in the ward where I worked before. I did think long and hard about it and basically I moved for money. Up a band means I will get a better pension on retiring and can make a lot more money now for holidays etc!

I also am loving the job far more than I thought I would, I am enjoying learning the management role.

LIFE

Hoping to climb hills and go abroad this year then see what happens.

Week ending 28/11/21 Health and High winds!

 Weekly update Blogs

So my new intention is to keep my blog updated with weekly updates.

After Kelly needed to read a blog and see what my thyroid symptoms were way back in 2010,

it made me realise I miss Blogging. So to start I plan a weekly update on what's happened in my

week/ fortnight/ Month. ( whenever I blog)

For this past while I was struggling with menopausal symptoms. I never went to the gp as I

decided long ago that I wanted to try and get through the menopause without HRT. I am in

no way against HRT and if I need it, I will take it BUT I wanted to see what the carry on was

so I did some research.

This past while, the sweats and night sweats have gotten mental. I feel like I am in the

Karate Kid but instead of wax on wax off its cover on cover off! I have always been a good

sleeper but even though I have felt more and more exhausted, never refreshed, my get up

and go got up and ran away with my vavavoom!. I already take Sage daily as I read years

ago that it helps, I still take it even though I am sweating, my reasoning being how bad

would I be without it? Lots of sources online big up the B vitamins so I had ordered some.

I had a lightbulb moment a few weeks ago at work when a patient was in, aged the same as mine, and she was in for lots of blood as her symptoms were the same/similar  to mine.

  So I decided to maybe write down all mine and send them as an econsult to the Doctor.

Here is what I discussed..

Was I menopausal? I have no idea because of the coil, sweats and night sweats are mental.

Palpitations were really bad but I have come off most caffeine. Lack of interest in sex.

I had started sage and bought vit B's

My friend gave me a stick to try! Meant to say if you are in the menopause 

BUT could I be Diabetic? that can be linked to sweating and I know I often take hypos and can

function with a BM of 2.3mmols! I have a BMI that makes me obese and my dad is a diet

controlled Diabetic!

OR could it be my iron levels? Years ago I went folate deficient and had to take a 3 month

course of medications. I have been tired and do get short of breath but that could be linked

to menopause and being overweight!

Anyways I bit the bullet, sent in the econsult and that day I got a reply for a phone call

appointment for the gp. I explained all the above to her and she agreed to a full blood screen.

That was done this week. 2 days later a text from the GP to call them! 

B12 level is low so a 3 month course of medication! 

So I have since done some more research and I am cranking up to better menopause supplements.

See if they help and if they don't I will happily take HRT.

Also along with that I have decided to increase my meat and milk intake, I had been going mostly

vegetarian with Mike for ease of making 1 supper but my own health has to come first for me

so I will add in 4 meat meals for me and still have a few vegetarian ones.

Met my friend's new puppy this week, a super cute wee Patterdale Terrier called Angus.

Bought a new Tourniquet for work as the one my daughter got me to start my job had almost given up on the elastic front but I liked it so much I bought the same one!

ALSO got my first mammogram this week! I had it in my mind it was going to be horrifically

painful but it wasn't bad at all. Results in a few weeks.

Storm Arwen hit on Friday and it was crazy weather. Came home to find a part of the

conservatory roof had blown in! Luckily in and not out and away from that would have been awful.

Mike, Marcus and I managed to get it sorted up and then Saturday saw me have to do a massive

deep clean of the room as the wind and rain had made a major mess.

Quite an eventful week for a blog post ! 

Re-focus and re-start

 Hello! It’s been a while eh??

I miss blogging. I realised that last week when I pointed my daughter to it as she wanted info on how I felt when my thyroid went. I pointed her to my blog and voilà! I had written an in-depth post on it detailing more than I could remember. Very handy. 

Well let’s have a wee recap

I wanted to be fit at 50 —— FAIL

I wanted to be slim for 50——-FAIL

I wanted to Vlog more——— FAIL! Etc etc

Let’s have some excuses shall we?

Hmm let me get back to you with some once I find any!

What have I done?

I have changed job so that’s taken a bit to get into. I went from being an acute ward nurse working shifts to being in a doctors practice working Monday - Friday. It’s been ace and I am loving it. I had focused on learning the role and didn’t let the usual dieting get in the way. 

I had a lovely holiday to Southampton to visit my daughter and son in law. Highlights were visiting monkey world and the titanic museum! I love anything titanic I admit. ( my daughter was born on the 14th April. Same day the titanic hit the iceberg though I good few years later I must add. 

I had another fabulous time going to London with my mother to celebrate my 50th birthday. It was so good. My mother in law booked us to go up The Shard for a cocktail. That and the river cruise to Greenwich was my highlights. 

I turned 50. I had a week long celebration! Visiting London. My daughter coming home for the week. An Apple Watch. A spa! Lots of cocktails and meals out. It was fabulous 

Yesterday we had to say goodbye to one of our pets. Always so sad when that happens. This one was the pet we have had for the longest so far. 17.5 year old cat. Stunning male cat called Monty. RIP  He won’t be the oldest ever as his auntie who we have is 18.5 and still going! 

So what’s the plan?

I have over the year dabbled with other diets. 

I returned to Slimming world for 1 week. 

I signed out to try Noom twice

Neither worked for me. They would of if I put the effort in I am sure. 

 I know deep down that the Fast800, 5/2 Diet, Keto, intermittent fasting works for me. 

I know that Christmas and all that seasonal excuses are coming but I want to make a bit of a difference to myself before that so….

Aiming 16-18hr fast daily

Monday -Friday less than 1200 calories a day

Aiming Mediterranean style/ keto diet on that 5 days

I will plan a weekly blog to keep myself updated and Instagram my meals. Doing this 2 things does and will keep me accountable. 

Anyway lovely to be back. Let’s hope I keep posting!

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