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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 given prompts.

Wednesday 22nd April: Hobbies 

Running and 3PM dance parties are some of our favourite hobbies at WEGO Health.  Tell us, what are YOUR hobbies?  Love to crochet?  Can’t stop collecting rocks?  Take photographs of everything?  Share your favourite past times.

Sitting here preparing the post for today, I feeling particularly bad due to the symptoms I experience as a result of the brain stem lesion.  The dizziness and vertigo are making it difficult to do anything due to the severity, and the trembling in the legs is so bad that it has already lead to several falls, and it’s only early afternoon.

Today’s prompt above asks us to write a post about our favourite past times that makes us happy and provides us with a respite from life with chronic illness.  This is a post that I have already written during a previous #HAWMC and which you can read here.

Instead, I have decided to write a post about the little practices and routines that help me during a particularly bad flare.  By doing so, I not only hope to help others who may find comfort in these during their own relapse, but also by reminding myself of the little things that give me comfort and pleasure even during the bad days, I can also help myself in the process.

An important aspect of living with chronic illness, is in my opinion, having your own personal sanctuary; for me, this is my bedroom.  My little haven where I can go to escape from the stresses of everyday life, and where I can receive comfort when chronic illness is beating me.  It is also an homage to me, filled with everything I love.

I love butterflies, as they are a symbol of hope and change, and as a result there are a lot of decorative touches with butterflies throughout my room.  The space therefore, for me is not only comforting but is also a space where I would love to spend a lot of time, which for someone living with chronic illness is vital.  Little touches such as soft and luxurious cushions also gives comfort for the times when there is a need to stay in bed for long periods.  I have also added things like inspiring quotes and affirmations throughout my room, cards pinned to my positivity board, prints hanging on my wall, or on little trinkets to keep in my comfort box.  Including these affirmations and positive quotes in my personal space, is a reminder that despite the struggles faced as a result of chronic illness, things however will get better.

Furthermore, living with chronic illness and as a result spending most of the time at home can lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness.  Making new friends and maintaining existing friendships can be difficult.  As a result, I have used the internet and social media to meet other people also living with chronic illness, and have even made several pen pals.  Writing is something that I love, and so using this hobby, I write letters and cards to others who are also struggling in the hopes to help lift their mood.  By helping someone else, it also helps to lift my spirits also, and is reciprocated by lovely and thoughtful cards dropping on to my doorstep.

When it seems that chronic illness is controlling my entire life, and due to the severity of my symptoms as mentioned above, a lot of time is inevitably spent in the bedroom, lying down and trying to find any relief.  During these time, I find that entertainment is a vital tool, not only keeping myself occupied but also to distract myself from symptoms such as pain, dizziness and trembling in the legs.  I often find solace in various films and TV shows on streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime.

Recently, I have loved watching episodes of ‘Once Upon A Time’, often watching several episodes concurrently.  During times of painsomnia (insomnia as a result of pain), I also find watching films or TV series on my tablet to occupy my nights without disturbing anyone else!  Books are also fantastic distraction tools, as they often pull you into the story, that you lose yourself in the plot, forgetting about everything else.  Audiobooks are a great alternative when symptoms makes it difficult to physically be able to read.

Addictive viewing amidst a bad flare in symptoms
Addictive viewing amidst a bad flare in symptoms

As mentioned in earlier posts this month, colouring books are the new craze and one which I have bought into.  They are incredibly relaxing as it helps the mind focus on the present and not on any stresses that may be troubling an individual.  I have found it particularly effective in helping to distract my mind from the pain in my legs.  I love the intricate patterns and detail that appear in the adult colouring books, which are coming popular and provides you with some artwork to decorate your living space! I also enjoy other craft projects such as making cards, and sometimes even a go at jewellery making.  Also, a great way of being productive amidst being physically incapacitated by symptoms.

Painting my nails is just another hobby and activity that I like to do during the bad times as a result of chronic illness.  Living with a variety of symptoms affecting the body, and even sometimes noticing physical changes, as a result, can be difficult and lead to issues surrounding body image.  For me, living with constant trembling in the legs, and very often in the hands can be miserable and very uncomfortable, noticing small tremors in my hands serves as a physical reminder that there is something very wrong with my body, so to make me feel better, I like to paint my toe and fingernails some bright and bold colours puts a smile on my face and makes me feel better and more confident about my appearance despite these troublesome symptoms.

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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 on given prompts.

Saturday 18th April: Summer is Coming

What are the 3 things you look forward to the most in summer?  Whether it’s the travel, the weather, family cookouts, or another activity, share with your readers why you’re excited for the summer!

It’s fast approaching the end of April, and as we enter into May we are ever nearing the start of Summer.

Hopefully, like last year we will be immersed in months of glorious sunshine and warm temperatures.

Summer is the probably the favourite season for most people if asked.  Living in the UK, and experiencing long and miserable winters, the summer, therefore, provides a welcome respite from the grey clouds and rain.

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With grey clouds overhead everything can look bleak and depressing.  In the summer, however, the same scene can look beautiful cast in dazzling sunshine and bright blue skies.  Also, if you ever notice being out and about during the winter, everyone seems in a rush; dashing in shops and buildings to escape the rain.  The same people during the summer, however, are much less hasty during their walks, taking their time whilst enjoying the feel of the warm sunshine on their skin.

Furthermore, in my personal experience, and depending on whether the temperatures do not get too high, I find that the chronic pain that I experience as a result of spastic paraparesis eases slightly during the summer months compared to the excruciating pain that the very cold temperatures during the long winter months cause.  Taking part in activities such as swimming also helps relieve any pain and discomfort that I do feel, and there is no better time of year to do said activity than the summer.

Look at that view basked in beautiful sunshine and blue skies filling the sky. Bet it wouldn't look half as beautiful when there are grey skies!
Look at that view basked in beautiful sunshine and blue skies filling the sky. Bet it wouldn’t look half as beautiful when there are grey skies!

A few months ago, I wrote a blog post about the reasons to love winter.  Not an easy article to write, and often felt that I was taking the reasons for hating the season and putting a positive spin on them.

I have the opposite problem with writing this post about summer; there are so many reasons for looking forward to summer, that choosing only three is extremely difficult!

Here are my reasons for loving summer:

  • Summer Fashion: Although I love my winter wardrobe as mentioned in my post on the reasons to love the season, with the chunky knits and thick, comfortable leggings, I prefer the summer fashion with all the bright colours such as orange, yellow and pink, all of which to me represents happiness.  I also adore wearing maxi dresses and white trousers, all fashions that look lovely and fresh during the summer months!  Recently, going shopping and noticing the new looks for summer, with the bright colours everywhere in the shop looked cheerful.  And the swimwear collections, reminding us that holidays are also looming
  • Good Times: The choice of activities during the winter months can be quite limited in part due to the changeable British weather.  However, if you are a person who likes to be busy and active, you are certainly spoilt for choice during the summer, as there is so much to do.  Summer fêtes, open-air theatre productions, outdoor concerts and music festivals to name but a few.  Tourists besiege the popular destinations, making the summer feel like one long party.  With so much to do and the fact it’s light early in the morning, and the days are long, we get to see much more of our friends and families, enjoying barbecues, picnics, playing games and gossiping until late. Making memories that will last forever.
  • Nature: There are lovely natural sights to behold during the summer months.  Beautiful, bright butterflies fluttering around.  Dazzling, exquisite flowers in full bloom.  The smell of freshly cut grass.  The sound of birds chirping.  Everything feels alive and exuberant during summer!

There must be something special about summer, I mean even a snowman wants to experience it!

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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 on given prompts.

Tuesday 14th April: “I feel best when…” 

Write about moments when you feel like you can take on the world.  Where, when and how often does this happen?

Again this is an extremely difficult prompt for me to answer.  For some time now, too long to remember when it started, but the symptoms have become much more severe and debilitating.  As well as the deterioration in the severity of the symptoms, the symptoms themselves over the years has become constant.

It now seems that I never get a respite from the symptoms such as the dizziness, trembling in the legs and pain.  Not all the symptoms, however, are constant, for instance, certain triggers provoke visual disturbances, and although these symptoms are not consistent, they still occur more than they used to.

Therefore, as I never get a break from living with the symptoms, every day can often feel like a struggle and can feel that I never feel my best and able to take on the world.

This is especially the case when going out after a restless night’s sleep due to pain, which has been the case for a few months.  Furthermore, as the trembling and dizziness are so bad, it is a struggle to be able to get out of the house, never mind finding the stamina to take on the world.

Living with symptoms which are constant can make it difficult to be able to take on the world
Living with symptoms which are constant can make it difficult to be able to take on the world

Although, I do find that when I am feeling at my worst due to the pain and trembling in my legs as well as the dizziness and I somehow find enough strength and determination to achieve something that I have struggled to do, such as going to a place that is difficult for me (e.g. retail stores which have high ceilings or a lot of fluorescent lights).

When I do, I suppose it is the closest I can feel to being able to take on the world; I experience a surge of confidence when I have been able to battle through the debilitating symptoms to achieve a goal.  I cannot remember when the last time it happened, but I can remember feeling so happy and proud of myself after managing to stay in a local Next store despite struggling to cope with severely trembling legs and horrendous dizziness.

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The symptoms were so severe that during the entire trip, I felt like I needed to get out of the store and go home.  However, despite how bad I felt, I fought through the symptoms and managed to stay in there, even long enough to queue and buy an item of clothing.  For me, at this time it was an immense achievement as there were many times when I was unable to go to the store due to my symptoms.

I also notice that when I can push through the symptoms and able to accomplish a goal, I am also able to do more and go to other places too.

Perhaps it is the little achievements that we as spoonies manage to carry out despite living with debilitating and continuous symptoms that can make us feel like we can take on the world.

 

531000_10150773237874254_36556179253_11327993_607059728_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 given prompts.

Sunday April 5th: Breaking News  The top story of today is…YOU.  Share with your readers your proudest accomplishments in the last 5 years.  Don’t be shy, tell us everything!

It often feels that chronic illness robs us of our lives.  As a result of the debilitating symptoms we constantly live with, the majority of our time is very often spent inside the safety and comfort of our homes.  Sometimes much of our time is even spent stuck in bed. It very often feels that chronic illness is controlling us rather than the other way around.  And because of these feelings of inadequacy and grieving over the life we have lost takes place in our conscious thoughts.  I know from personal experience, that very often we feel that because of our time spent living with illness, we have not accomplished anything special, especially when witnessing the many accomplishments and big life events of our friends and family on social media. We forget to celebrate the small victories and accomplishments that we achieve without us ever realising it; sure, they may be inconsequential to an outsider, but fellow spoonies and our close friends and family will know how big these triumphs are, especially as it shows our strength at not letting our chronic illness win and dictate our lives. So, as the prompt asks, I am going to share with you all some of the small victories and accomplishments that I have achieved during the last five years:

  1. Going on a cruise – This is probably the biggest accomplishment that I have achieved.  A lot of people are afraid of the unknown, but as fellow spoonies will relate, this fear can become worse when living with a chronic illness.  So, going on a holiday, and especially a holiday that we  have never been on before can provoke worry. What will it be like?  How am I going to feel during the cruise?  What if I become ill? A lot of questions are raised when going on holiday and a lot needs to be thought of when living with a long-term health condition.  But despite the worry and the severity of my condition at the time, I still went on the fortnight cruise and had a wonderful time

    The magnificent 'Adventure of the Seas'
    The magnificent ‘Adventure of the Seas’
  2. Going to Bath – I am a fan of Jane Austen, so it has been of one my dreams for sometime to go and visit the Bath, a city in which she lived for several years and influenced several of her novels.  And last week, I made it there.  At the time I was disappointed as the trip to the museum was the only visit I accomplished during the time, Mum and I spent there.  The rest of the trip was spent lying on the bed in the hotel as I was too unwell to do anything else.  But looking at it positively however, the trip was still an accomplishment as not only had I visited a new city that I had never been before, but I also visited someplace I wanted to go for sometime.
  3. Going to the Cinema – Due to the dizziness, going to places such as the cinema is very difficult for me, as it’s not only due to the extensive sensory overload which can make the dizziness worse and cause vertigo but due to the neurological condition, I am unable to cope with buildings which have high ceilings.  However, despite this when the film, Les Miserables came out I really wanted to go and see it as it’s one of my favourite musicals.  My carer took me to a smaller cinema, but it was still quite the ordeal and really had to battle against the dizziness and nausea.  Somewhere, despite all of this however, I managed to stay and watch the entire film and so therefore this was quite the accomplishment.BCCY6Z7CcAA0Q7e
  4. Started shopping at Next – Due to the problems with large buildings being able to go and shop in stores located in local retail parks is also extremely difficult, and as a result mostly use online shopping to buy clothes from my favourite store, Next.  However, before my cruise last year, I wanted new clothes to take with me.  So, once again I pushed myself to go in there, it was not easy and often had to leave the store and go back and sit in the car because of the severe trembling in my legs but the determination I had gave me the strength to try and try again.  Now, I regularly visit the store, even if it’s just to look around, and can even push myself to spend more time in there then I previously could.

    It's more satisfying shopping in-store than relying on the internet
    It’s more satisfying shopping in-store than relying on the internet
  5. Visiting new places – A lot of spoonies, I am sure can relate to the difficulty and worry of going somewhere we have never been before.  We spoonies often love the familiar.  Going to towns or cities which we know well is far easier when living with a chronic illness as we know where certain facilities are such as the toilet for example.  For me, suffering with severely weak legs and dizziness I often need to sit down somewhere quiet, and therefore when shopping in familiar surroundings I know where there are suitable places to take a rest.  When going to new places, however, we do not know any of these types of information, so visiting someplace new can cause worry and anxiety but during the past year or so I have managed to push myself to visit new places, which I have throughly enjoyed and although there have been problems such as legs giving way when I have not found any places to recuperate when symptoms flare, I am glad I have given myself the opportunity to experience new places and now have new places I love shopping!

What have been your recent victories and accomplishments?  Celebrate them all – even if they seem small and inconsequential!  Being a spoonie, even getting out of bed and having a shower is an achievement, especially on a bad day!

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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 on given prompts.

Saturday 4th April: Creature of Habit 

What good habits (health or otherwise) do you have?  Do you have a routine that you follow every morning?  Are there any bad habits you wish you could break?

As someone living with a chronic illness, my obvious morning routine consists of making sure that I take my daily medication to help manage the symptoms caused by my neurological condition.

Routine is something which is defined as ‘a sequence of actions regularly followed.’  Therefore, a routine follows a predictable pattern.

The only thing predictable about living with a chronic illness, however, is the unpredictable nature of our daily lives.

As a result, being able to maintain a routine is extremely difficult as we never know how we are going to feel from one day to the next.  We do not know whether our bodies are going to cooperate on that particular day.  About my own experiences of living with a chronic illness, due to spastic paraparesis, my legs are weak, and often there are days that I am unable to get out of bed due to the severity of the weakness.  When these days occur, therefore any routine and habits that I do follow become impractical.

It is not only the physical symptoms that make it difficult to follow a daily routine successfully, but other symptoms such as pain, insomnia, and fatigue are also obstacles in the ability to maintain a routine.  Due to fluctuating pain levels, I often find it difficult to sleep.  As a result, my sleep patterns become disordered and out of kilter; finding myself waking early in the morning one day and sleeping in late the next.  And fatigue is the most significant hurdle in my opinion as very often you feel too exhausted to be able to do anything besides lying down and watching television!

Regarding wishing, if there were any bad habits, I would like to break, I suppose I would choose to check my phone less!  I do check it often, as it often feels that it is my most significant connection to others (through social media) and the world outside my house.

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