Weekend Catch-Up : Helloooo September!

Hello to September, and hello to you lovely lot! How has August been for you? For me, I’d like to wipe it out and start again; it hasn’t been a good one. Here’s to a healthier, happier, brighter new month for us all!

I thought I’d just do a little catch-up so if you need something to help you doze off for a few minutes then please keep reading! 🙂

Little treats 

Considering I only spotted this offer the other day and posted it on my Facebook page, I’m amazed to find my order has arrived already!

Better than half price Body Fantasies sprays at Superdrug – £1.50 (usually £3.99) ? Lots of fragrances to choose from, they smell goooorgeous & the scent lasts really well. I’ve gone for the Twilight Mist & Pink Vanilla Kiss ones with free delivery. These can be great for your confidence & give you a little mood lift ?️? Oh, and I couldn’t resist a bath soak either because it may be good for my pulled rib muscles!

I won a blog giveaway!

The lovely Liz at MyWellBeingAndLearningJourney did a giveaway recently and I was one of the lucky two drawn. Love my mindfulness book that came in the post yesterday – thank you Liz!

I got sick

You may have seen the post on my blog’s Facebook page. I picked up a nasty chest infection, ended up in hospital on Sunday to get an out of hours appointment as I couldn’t breathe. Came home with a bag of drugs. Turns out the killer pain in my left rib is from pulled muscles; silly me never really thought you could even pull the rib muscles inside your chest (as opposed to those underneath). The inhaler and steroids have helped take the edge off, and I’ve got another day of antibiotics left. I’m taking the codeine very sparingly, but having hardly slept for 7 days taking them last night so I could actually lie down without my rib screaming quite so intently was close to heavenly.

The intro to Pain Management session

My rheumatologist referred me to physio, which I’ve recently started, and pain management. This week I had the appointment for the Introduction, which was a group session of about 5 of us, though most came with a partner or family member. I asked to sit on my own like Billy no mates because of my chest infection as I felt like I was potentially contaminating the room! The intro lasted about 90 minutes and I’ll admit that some of it felt like taking a trip back to high school when they wrote on the white board and asked us to call out what pain meant to us, what we associate with it, how chronic pain affects lives etc. They told us a bit about the services offered, namely either an 8 week group course or one to one sessions with one of the specialists, and what would happen next. There’s no pressure – you either sign up for an individual assessment, where you and the team figure out what may help you, or you don’t. I liked that they didn’t make anyone feel pressured and appreciated that the Pain Management Programme isn’t for everyone. I’ve set up my assessment but as the rheumatologist already said to me – ‘You know it all already, and you could counsel someone else in all the tools and what to do and how to help themselves, you just can’t seem to apply it to yourself’. We’ll see what they suggest when this know-it-all-hypocrite with doctor-heal-thyself syndrome turns up!

I’ve also… Had a mini-meltdown (okay, not so mini…) but then I managed to turn it into productivity and a little rest, so I’m feeling a little better.  I still feel rocky, so if you’re going through tough patches too then please know you’re not alone. I’ve had other challenges at home to deal with. I’ve written letters and worked on a few things pertaining to my first op that went pear-shaped. I’ve done all of the boring / routine / ‘normal’ things around the house, emails, shopping, etc. Won’t bore you to tears with that. But sometimes the boring and the normal are good; you appreciate them when you’re not able to do them because you’re unwell or are in hospital, for instance, so I try to make the most of the little things like this.

I still hate the British weather

It’s now September and I’m hoping the sunshine makes some kind of return in the next two weeks. I resorted to the two-cardigans-jumper-jacket combination I favour of the winter months when I went out earlier. It’s cold. Then you get the random moment you leave the house like the Michelin Man and the sun comes out… suddenly you could fry steaks off your face because it’s roasting. The minute you take the coat off, it’s back to rain and chills and glum clouds. Of course, it’s hard to moan and not feel guilty when there are such terrible floods in Asia and of course Houston. But, moaning is something we Brits can do quite well, especially where the weather is concerned. That said, there was a beautiful sunrise earlier that I wanted to show you.

Have yourselves a restful weekend whatever you’re up to! For today, I’m trying to be a bit productive but I may have to attempt bed rest tomorrow for my left rib muscles because they are screaming at me!

Caz  ♥