fashion Archives

In Chronic Illness

I went and I conquered!

April 12, 2014 No Comments

408463_10150737747764254_36556179253_11203169_350344195_n

Welcome to the Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge brought together by WEGO Health – a social network for all health activists. Again, I am participating in the annual Writer’s Month Challenge in which I will be writing about my health activism and health condition based upon prompts given.

The prompt reads as given:

Health Activist Choice Day 1…Write about what whatever you want today!

I thought long and hard about what I wanted to write about for today’s post. As we all know living with chronic illness is like riding a rollercoaster with a number of highs and lows; and unfortunately many of these are lows. However as much as I struggle living with my neurological condition, I try my best to remain positive despite it, and so therefore I would like to write about an achievement that I have finally managed to accomplish. As most of you may know, due to my neurological condition (a long-standing brain stem lesion) one of the main symptoms that accompany the said condition is severe and constant dizziness.

The dizziness, as we have found out is triggered by certain visual stimuli, such as large stores with its open spaces, high ceilings and fluorescent lighting. This therefore, restricts me into where I am able to shop, for example the clothing store Next, which also happens to be my favourite clothing store. A few years ago, a Next opened up in a local retail store near to where I live, however, I was unable to shop in there because the store itself would trigger the dizziness and vertigo, and as a result make me feel very unwell. When my carer started working for me, approximately fifteen months ago, we made one of my goals to be able to go into the store that was one of my favourite retailers. Over the months we have tried and tried to no avail; sometimes we got as far as the door but the dizziness became so intense that we had to go straight back to the car.

However, last Thursday on a whim I decided that we should give it another try. As we are due to go on holiday soon, I still need some new clothes to take away with me and seen some clothes that I liked whilst browsing their website. I have to admit, I love browsing their website and their delivery options are fantastic, for example you are able to order certain products by 9 PM and have them delivered the very next day. However, there is a delivery charge, and when you order as much as I have done over the years, it really adds up.

I did it! I managed to go into store, and what’s even more is that I managed to shop and browse their lovely clothing and accessories for nearly an hour! And even managed to buy a couple of items! I cannot describe the sense of accomplishment that I felt when I paid for my items! I actually did it! I defeated the dizziness and vertigo; pushed through and won. I admit, there were a couple of moments that I nearly collapsed, and even went back to the car at one stage; and apparently at one point I even went green when the dizziness became so severe it made me feel very sick. The trembling in my legs was also quite severe, but I took along my wheelchair which made it much easier; and even when I was just pushing the wheelchair it have me a sense of stability, and at least I didn’t have to contend with the worry of my legs collapsing beneath me.

A gorgeous top that I fancied whilst browsing the Next website

The style of hat that is most effective in lessening the severity of the dizziness

I really have to thank the entire staff of Next at the Talbot Green Retail Store, who really made the experience much easier and were very helpful towards me and my situation. One staff member noticed how unsteady I looked and offered to open up one of the cash registers to save me from queueing. And the members of staff who diligently looked for items that I was looking for; going up to the stockroom to show me some of the options that were in stock. It is fantastic customer service that really helps when suffering from a chronic illness or disability and more than makes us more likely to return.

So, I managed to conquer a very debilitating symptom and managed to physically shop in a store which I love. Now, I have done it once, I look forward to many more visits to Next…

I hope you have enjoyed the new blog post! Have you conquered any fears or battled through severe and debilitating symptoms to accomplish something that you have wanted to for so long? As ever I would love to hear your comments and stories of triumph over our symptoms and conditions!! Feel free to share below in the comment section…

In Chronic Illness

Sick to Chic!

May 12, 2013 No Comments

With all the falls that I have been experiencing lately, the crutch that I bought myself last year has taken quite a battering! The crutch itself has dents, scratches – some of the damage that has been caused by the falls has even caused some cuts on myself. Where the paintwork on the crutch has flaked, it has caused the paint to sharpen; and it is these sharpened points that has been causing cuts on my legs and feet when I have had falls in the house.

Also, the anatomical moulded right-handed designs have become uncomfortable, and where it has rubbed against my fingers, a callous has formed there! So I thought that I would treat myself to a new crutch – one which would be more comfortable and not cut me! I remembered reading online on a forum that I often visit, that one lady recommended an online store that sells crutches at a reasonable price. And therefore I headed to Chic Aid Crutches to look at the range that they offered.

And what I found was impressive! Chic Aid Crutches offers an impressive range of different crutches, including full cuff crutches, half cuff crutches, designer crutches and even folding ones! And even more impressive is the wide range of colours that are available! We have all seen the standard NHS crutches – they are heavy, uncomfortable and the grey colour just looks dull and boring. Using them, feels depressing as they are just not fashionable! Why should we be sick and be unfashionable with it? Especially when we have the option to use a bright, colourful and fashionable mobility aid which feels comfortable, lightweight and what’s more is fun! It does not feel like a mobility aid but rather a fun fashion accessory!

After purchasing the crutch, the delivery time was fantastic – I only waited a day for it to arrive, and the crutch was also well-packaged and with no damage to the crutch whilst it was in transit.

Lately, I have really come to love the colour orange – its bright, fun and is a colour that instantly cheers me up. It’s a reminder of a beautiful sunset. And it’s because of this, I chose an orange colour for my new crutch. A beautiful and cheerful colour that will look lovely during these Summer months.

My brand new crutch

And it has some great features – a padded foam covered handle – which is very comfortable to use and what is even more great is that it doesn’t rub against my finger. The height can be adjusted in tow places – the height from the floor to the handle, and between the handle and the cuff. This is great for me, being short! It is also very lightweight and is quiet when it’s being used; great for when I am in the house and my Dad is in bed after working nights, as the NHS standard crutches can be noisy when being used. Another fantastic feature and incredibly useful is the black Pivoflex ferrule, which provides increased stability with their ‘flex’ action – a feature that is great for me, due to my balance problems, and so a mobility that aid that provides increased stability really is a must-have feature.

I really love my new crutch and perhaps one day I will buy more from Chic Aid Crutches and look chic and fabulous whilst being sick!

Thank you Chic Aid Crutches!

In Chronic Illness

NHBPM Day Twenty-Three: Spring Cleaning!!

November 23, 2012 No Comments

Welcome to Day 23 of this month-long writing challenge! Today the prompt asks us to clean out our fridge or closet in written form, and to describe what is in our closet and how it might reflect our personality.

My closet, is rather big – taking up nearly half of an entire wall in my bedroom! So what’s in there? Well, first there is obviously all of my clothes – trousers, tops, jumpers, coats and so on…

In my wardrobe there are a lots of pairs of jeans – I used to live them in, but since my condition has become worse I have had problems with manual dexterity due to trembling hands, so doing up buttons have become increasingly difficult. As a result I now live in jeggings and leggings. I have a variety of tops – some casual, which I tend to wear on the days where I am stuck in the house, or when I am feeling unwell – loose-fitting clothes; I even have a couple of pairs of loungewear – which are kind of like nightwear, which you can wear all-day!

I also have a range of tops, tunics which are more smart for when I go out somewhere – as I do like to make an effort if I am going out; like to look my best even if I do not feel it! A few of my tops have butterflies on them too!! I suppose these items would suggest that I am feminine, and that I do care about what I look like, and what others may think of me also. All these tops with butterflies would surely suggest that I like butterflies – so they would be right!! This also is reflected by my jewellery which includes necklaces with butterfly necklaces, butterfly charm bracelet and butterfly earrings!! Although I do own jewellery with pendants of a flower and other paraphilia but still reflects me being a girlie-girl.

In my closet, I also own a slanket – basically, a big blanket which you wear, has big sleeves for your arms, and a big pocket for your feet! I bought mine on QVC in bright pink – another suggestion that I am feminine. It would suggest that I like to feel comforted; which I do and the slanket does just that – it feels like a massive hug whilst wearing it. I feel warm, and protected, like being in a cocoon, and great for those days when I am under the weather as well when it is extremely cold outside.

Another part of my closet, is more of the entertainment centre – it has a lot of my books, especially those by Jodi Picoult, as well as others. This would suggest that I am a bookworm, and love to read, as well as learn as some of the books are non-fiction. And of course a range of books on dizziness, health and the brain, so would further suggest that I am detail-orientated – if something is wrong with me, I like to know all the details that I can so I can make an informed decision on any potential plans regarding treatment or further tests.

As well, as books my closet also contains my entire DVD boxsets and films – a whole range from thrillers, dramas through to comedies and romantic comedies and dramas. The only genre which I don’t really watch is horror films, as they scare me too much!! These would suggest that I am a film and TV addict – as well as reflecting my wide range of interests in different areas, such as forensics, science as well as medicine and so on.

This is the inside of my closet – what is inside of yours? And what would it say about you?