Hello everyone, as you may be aware (if you check this website regularly) I haven't exactly been the most reliable blogger. This is because I've recently been very unwell generally, which has been worsened by working etc. Due to worsening health I had a laparoscopy on Wednesday the 18th of December to investigate the cause, unfortunately this wasn't found and so I'll be referred to different surgeons asap. If you have a chronic illness you'll probably understand that this is what it's all about, going to and fro until all of the pieces come together to create a bigger picture, furthermore a diagnosis and solution to the problem is made. Hopefully the fact that I've already been diagnosed with Endometriosis on the womb will aid the doctors to find out what else is wrong. 

Over the next few days I will be working my socks off to get all of the posts I wanted to do up. :) 

Louise X 

Hey everyone, 

I must apologise for the fact that I haven't blogged for over two weeks. This is because I've been working a lot and on top of that my health has been getting increasingly worse. Since my 2nd injection of Zoladex I've had nothing but problems, and I'll be seeing my consultant tomorrow as an emergency, so will update you about that. 
I thought I'd do a post along the lines of health, as recently I've realised just how much some things help when fighting a chronic illness, however small or silly they may seem. Here's what I've been doing when I haven't been working (photo), being in bed so much has given me a lot of time to think up blog posts and to appreciate the little things that help. It's much better to do that than to cry over the losses caused by fighting a chronic illness. 

I have no idea why I was looking away, to be honest I haven't exactly been 'with it' recently. Here's my ultimate chronic illness survival kit: 

At the moment I'm drinking this magical stuff every day, especially before work. Not only does it help with energy levels (very important with constant fatigue!) but it helps to settle common stomach problems with illness, such as nausea which I get a lot. 

A lot of the time, painkillers, no matter how strong, are not enough to battle the pain caused by chronic illnesses. This is why I often use two hot water bottles, one on my stomach and one on my back, as my pain spreads to these areas the most. I recommend doing this whilst entertaining yourself with something, for example watching tv, as it will help to distract you from the pain. Sometimes, I like to hug my hot water bottle close to me to help me sleep, because as well as helping with the pain, sometimes it's just nice to cuddle something for comfort, as illnesses can make you feel pretty sensitive and down. 

Now, this is something which I only recently thought of using, as I've been stuck in bed more than before due to the pain and extreme fatigue. For most people, staying at home a lot means drinking a lot of hot drinks. When you're in pain and need to stay in bed as a result of this, going up and down the stairs can be agonising. Therefore, why not prepare a flask? I hardly ever finish my cups of tea as I usually fall asleep, so the small cup that comes with the flask is perfect! Plus, this way there's only one item to wash up later!

It's a well known fact that baths can help to relieve pain. However, there's an awful lot more you can get out of your bath by using certain products. What I mean is, your bath can be more of an advantageous experience, a treat, rather than just a necessary routine action. I think the best shop for these products is LUSH, as they have a huge variety of both products and prices, meaning there is something for everyone. They also have a lot of moisturising products, such as bath melts. I find this is especially good when you have a chronic illness, as when you experience constant fatigue, you don't always have the time or energy to moisturise every day. The amazing smells, dazzling effects and colours add to the sensory pleasure of the bath, calming your mind and let you have a moment to escape from everything going on. At the moment I particularly like this wand from LUSH, as you can use it multiple times. It turns your bath pink with bubbles, which, combined with its super sweet smell makes me feel more feminine. My femininity is something that I feel I lose a lot with this illness. For example, I only ever wear make up to try to make myself look 'healthy', furthermore to try to hide the circles under my eyes and pale, dried out skin. 

You may be looking at the title of this one and thinking 'how the hell is room decor going to help someone to fight an illness?'. Well, the logic behind this is that when you're this ill, you spend most of your time at home, either in bed or if you're lucky and feeling not so bad, sprawled out on the sofa watching tv or on the laptop, etc. Therefore, making this space as comfortable, homely and relevant to your interests as possible makes it a much nicer place to be, therefore not so bad when you're missing out on things you want to do out of the house. Here's just a few pictures of some stuff around my room, as I'm going to be posting more soon in my Christmas Home Decor post.

Now, I understand that this looks even more ridiculous, as of course, rest is paramount with a chronic illness. However, it is very important to try to exercise as much as you can, and most importantly, to not let the illness walk over your life completely. Trust me, I know this is a lot harder than it sounds, I'm in agony every single day. However, given the right job with supportive colleagues, not too much strenuous activity, and enjoyable tasks, a job can help an awful lot with providing you both with a sense of achievement, distraction from the pain and a break from being ill in a sense. Of course, being paid is also a big bonus! This also means you can afford to buy your own prescriptions, give people money, get people Christmas and Birthday presents, and generally feel less like you're relying on other people, which adds to the sense of achievement. I would recommend a job that's 12 hours a week, as when you're not feeling so bad you can do overtime, and 12 hours gives you a lot of time to rest. I know this as my current job is 12 hours, which suits me perfectly. Even when I'm in constant agony this is still achievable and very rewarding, despite the increase in pain when I get home and the day after. 

This is another activity which can distract you from the pains of your illness and give you a great sense of achievement. The best hobbies I find are those that are creative, as you can really get stuck into them. As you may know, I make soaps when I can afford to buy the ingredients, which unfortunately I can't this month. I find it very enjoyable to be able to create such useful products at home, and to share them with my family and friends. It's a hobby that I know I'll be doing for a long time, trying out different techniques and combinations. Take this time at home as a reason to do things that usually you wouldn't, so that instead of looking back at this dark time and seeing only negatives, you can to say to yourself: 'well, although it was difficult, at least I achieved this, and I managed to this, etc, etc'. 

Animals are amazing company when you're ill. When we had a cat, she would always know when I wasn't feeling well, and would come straight to me giving me affection. When you're constantly stuck at home, having a pet to keep you company can be very comforting, as you can easily get down and fed up about being stuck at home on your own. If you have a boyfriend/girlfriend, you'll know that no matter how many times they come over to see and look after you, it never seems like enough. 

This is why my boyfriend has invested in buying me an African Pygmy Hedgehog! He will be picking it up this Saturday, and will be looking after her for me until I get home from work. I've bought some supplies for her and I cannot wait to meet her. I've wanted a hedgehog for a long time now and when I saw this one online I simply fell in love (in a motherly way, not a weird way!). I will be posting about her soon, and she will have her very own page on this website. :) 


That's it for today, I hope you enjoyed this post and found it helpful. If you're not a chronic illness sufferer, I hope it gave you a bit more of an insight :D 

L x