10/05/2012

10.5.12

A whirlwind 5 months have passed and as always a LOT has happened.

I left December finally having moved on from the troubles I had last year, Ive never felt so emotionally drained in all my life, and I found the last six months of the year a big struggle, wondering if I would ever feel like myself again. I'm happy to say one day in December I just woke up, and felt like me, everything felt like it would be okay, and I wasn't worried about my inability to have children, how I would feel approaching my due date, and was no longer hoping to skip my birthday this year. (FYI the baby that we lost had a due date of 28th January- my birthday is a few days earlier). I didn't question why I felt fine all of a sudden, I just put it down to finally having moved on. 

When my gorgeous partner and I were in London celebrating our anniversary (a place that is very dear to us as our first 'official' date was walking along embankment at Christmastime looking at all the lights and just talking for hours), he got down one one knee next to the enormous Christmas Tree outside Somerset House and asked me to marry him, all I could do was cry, and in return get him blubbing a little because through all the struggles we had had, the only thing that we both knew was how much we wanted to be together and get through it together. Grief is an interesting thing, it can so easily tear people apart and cause conflict, but the only natural thing that came to us was to mourn together, and enjoy spending our time with eachother. Post Crying I instantly realised what had just happened and can barely remember a lot from afterwards, we spent the day in a haze of happiness, listening to Christmas Carols at the Royal Albert Hall, having dinner together and enjoying all the Christmas festivities that were happening around us, it truly was the most fantastic day and everything felt like it had slotted in to place. 

On December 23rd we found out that we were pregnant, it all pieced together why everything felt so right all of a sudden and how I felt so positive, everything felt different. When we found out I was already 6 weeks, the baby was the farthest thing from planned, we had decided we may start trying come February (after my due date, as for me this was the final hurdle, realising that there would be no baby and this date would always be significant to me), and on top of it, I had had a early miscarriage in November so this pregnancy was a miracle off the back of a miscarriage which is really rare!
Something about it felt different, I didn't think for a second everything would be okay, so we both ignored it and celebrated our Christmas as an engaged couple, thinking about ideas for our Winter Wedding (Dec 2012- which has now been pushed back) and waiting until we could get everything checked out to see if the same problems would arise. I'm happy to say that at 6 weeks the hospital found a very strong heart beat, and I'm sitting here currently at 25 weeks pregnant :-)

I have enjoyed every minute of being pregnant so far, even the morning sickness every single morning until 15/16 weeks pregnant, the nausea that I had all day every day, the horrendous sciatica, SPD and heartburn that I'm currently suffering with.. and looking like a whale. Up until 18 weeks I was still my body shape with a slight 'pouch' stomach, I've now got a full on stomach (which I love) and am putting weight on elsewhere on my body- I know its inevitable and as long as baby is healthy when they are born I will get myself back to myself. I feel blessed to be able to be carrying this child, and I love every time they kick and make my stomach flicker, I thought this wouldn't happen, as at 23 I had had a missed miscarriage which resulted in an operation having to take my baby out as my body had continued thinking it was pregnant, and two early miscarriages and somehow I'm sitting here feeling my little baby. I hurt for every woman that has ever experienced any problems with pregnancy, conception, child birth, as women our bodies are designed to carry children and reproduce and yet there are so many that find it such a struggle, and would give anything to be a mother. I know I felt like that, I couldn't see a pregnant woman without my eyes flooding with tears, and when my niece was born part of me felt so bitter as my baby was supposed to be born two weeks before. I'm getting a bit emotional at the moment, as all I can think of is the year anniversary of my operation, I literally felt like my world was collapsing, and every day for months I just cried and cried, I remember that night my boyfriend and I just laid in bed and just cried ourselves to sleep, it was the most painful thing I've ever experienced and I hated how much it hurt him, and that my body had just let us down. There were quite a few nights of this, just laying, crying together, and the thing I'm most looking forward to in this world is finally being able to have our child together- who will never know a day without love, and being able to marry the man who cried when I cried and mourned with me, getting me through every day when I couldn't see how life would go on. 

Every day I still worry, when I haven't felt the baby in a while he gets bombarded with texts and has to calm me down, I doubt that will go away until I have the baby (August), but there isn't a second that goes by that I don't feel like I'm the luckiest person in the world to have my husband to be, and for us to be pregnant :-)

I cant wait for baby to come, and my partner is planning the nursery as a surprise, we are both planning our wedding, and looking forward to having a little 7 month old baby there with all our friends and family celebrating one of the two best days of our lives.

This is little spaghetti
 (at the 12 weeks scan there was a lot of wiggly arms going on)



01/01/2012

1. Ending with a proposal, starting with wedding planning

Literally this minute I am so excited that we are in a fresh new year, this year has so many magical moments and exciting times to come.

2011 has been incredibly hard to get through, the most devastating, heartbreaking days that I couldn't see how I would get through, my somehow my partner and I managed. Many of the struggles we've faced this past year we haven't even spoken to many about, and have just tried to stay positive and move on in privately.

This past year our love has grown stronger through loosing our first baby.. to loosing the two pregnancies that followed, each time making us stronger and more determined of how much we wanted to be together. In September we bought a beautiful little puppy after I suffered a second loss, she has gotten me through the most difficult days, and she has been there for us to love and nurture, and put all our extra love into which I think has been a great healer.

December saw Mr Bean and I celebrating our anniversary, at the most magical time of the year; we are the spirit of Christmas, everything about this time of year is magical, our meeting, our anniversary.. and this year with a terribly romantic proposal! My Fiance and I have spent our first Christmas together as an engaged couple.. and possibly our last Christmas together before we are married. We are so excited to plan our wedding, a small homely, festive, winter affair for all our family and friends to  enjoy. I cant wait to start planning, we are hoping this coming December.. watch this space.

Even with this new year I still have a few personal hurdles I need to overcome, my birthday is this month, and my due date would have been a few days later, so there is a lot of heartache still floating around thinking about how I should be preparing for the little life to arrive, but I think for myself personally once I get past this date that feels so significant to me I can start to mend. All I have wanted for the latter half of 2011 was for the year to be over, at one point I struggled to see a day where I wouldn't be crying due to everything, and it has only been since November that I've started to feel okay. The year that I wanted to forget and turn my back on has ended up being brutal, honest and ended in the most magical way; and we even have a little secret, that I hope can be revealed..

To everyone who has gotten me through this year, I appreciate your love and support and truly wouldn't have managed without you.
I'm so looking forward to this year, the coming months and planning the rest of our lives together. To the finale of one year, and to the beginning of the next, let's see what you have in store. Let's get wedding planning! X


These are not resolutions, but things that will benefit me that I'm determined to stick to.
  • I will embrace every good day; and try to stay positive on those that are tougher.
  • I will spend countless hours laughing with my families; telling them how much I love them and how much I appreciate them.
  • Mr Bean and I will enjoy planning our wedding and just let it roll naturally, minimal stress and enjoy the feeling of being engaged.
  • Every day I will love Mr Bean more and more, and every day I will look at him and know I have found the most supportive, caring, man in the world who I want to spend my whole life with and hope that one day we can manage to have the children that we deserve.
  • I like to document the struggles, reading back over the last few posts is healing.

16/08/2011

Curtain Call

If life were a book the chapter would be drawing to a close here.

This short chapter of my life certainly hasn't been a dull one, or an easy one, but it has been a life changing one. I have experienced the hardest thing i've ever had to go through and am only today starting to feel like i'm pulling through.

From today I am writting a new chapter, and I don't for one second beleive it will be easy, or that I will wake up one day and have laid all my pain to rest, however I know the  positive progress  that I am making by even trying to tie up the ends. 

I feel that my limbo has finally ended, with my body now back to normal and my figure starting to look more and more like its old self there is no more looking back, only forward. Daily there are still difficult personal struggles, but I am starting to experience occasions when my mind has other things in the forefront of my brain, and have accepted that if this hadn't have happened earlier there would have been complications later.. my heart is taking it's time, but very slowly its starting to catch up.
Funnily enough I wrote my Dear Self post all about what I would tell my future self to enable me to be strong, and took note of life experiences that I think to this day have made me a stronger person; if only i'd have known within a few weeks i'd be finding out I was pregnant and would subsequently have to suffer a miscarriage that almost tore me apart. I wrote about how all I wanted to do was marry my partner and have a family with him, that at 23 I knew I was to be with him forever. Through the joy of finding out we were pregnant and then the agony of loosing our baby not once has our love suffered, the rollercoaster we've been through has only cemented our relationship and future together.

What I have learned throughout this whole process is that life is short, unfair and emotions are pleanty. My motto 'Life is to short for endless plans and worries, just be' has never been more applicable to me than for this next chapter of my life, to truly move on with my life and not follow a destructive path will need me to focus on the positivity of my situations, to not worry about the future and more emportantly than all else to just go with my life, with my partner and for one day to end up with the family we are both more than ready for.

And so on to the next chapter, goodbye to the pain, the anger and to the part of me that will always be missing. On to the future filled with love, happiness, new experiences and to one day having truly moved on.



I will always have a place in my heart especially for you, my suprise, my first, but today I need to say goodbye to you, my darling.


29/07/2011

This has been the hardest month of my life, it has now been 5 weeks since everything, and every day it hurts just as much. The tears aren't coming daily like they were in the initial 14 days, yet when they do they are painful, migrane inducing ones, that make me need to sleep for hours after. Everywhere I look someone is pregnant, people who I didnt know were have now gotten into their second trimester and are telling the world, everytime I see a baby its agonising, and I can't see how it gets better. I want to be happy and more carefree (after house/job responsibilities) like I was 4 months ago, but I feel i've lost so much of myself and don't how to start gaining it back. My body is taking a while to get back to its shape, inevitably my stomach is still swollen and holding weight, I need it to get back to normal soon because it's the most emotional headfuck imaginable, what was my early pregnancy stomach, is just now my body holding onto weight as it's not back to normal.

If anyone knows any way to get myself back, to get my body back quicker (and im excercising so much).. or a way to make me feel whole again instead of like a chunk of me is missing I crave the advice. I feel distraught, bitter at those who have what I lost, angry all the time, and this isn't the way I want to feel, I just can't shake it.

I'm not me anymore, I thought it' would be getting slightly easier by now, everyone has said it will, but every day its getting more and more painful and this doesn't feel like my life now.

Help.

28/06/2011

Thursday 28th June.

I was going to write to you..

From the beginning I was nervous beyond belief, but my plan all along was to write to you, keeping an account of everything I was going through; to help me, but to one day give to you. The worries, fears, happiness and excitement to meet you were all going to play a part, all I needed was to get past this unknown stage and to be told you were on your way to being with us.

I've had the nagging feeling in my gut that something awful could happen, you were so important that maybe this was my way of dealing with the news, to counteract with the potential; to stop myself getting to attached until further along. A few people close to us knew, and although I could openly talk about 'being pregnant' I was always caged, and used the words "if everything goes okay" to start every sentance. This was probably my insurance, there was still a chance something could change yet, and if so i'd be prepared if that day tragically came..

Problem was.. I wasnt prepared.. not even close..


Considering how many times the thought had crossed my mind (this was how important you were, I needed to get my head straight incase..) and how it felt like i'd mourned you since that last unknown appointment;even before a definitive answer, no logic or understanding could prepare for the pain that soared through me when we were told you were gone. 

The tears were the most agonizing thing i've ever felt, I couldnt breathe when they came; they just kept falling, silently, unhysterically, making me feel weaker the more I cried. 
I thought i'd done most of my crying already, last time something in my gut was preparing me for this, everything felt different, I felt different, I panicked every time I didn't feel the symptoms as strongly as before, but I was trying to ignore that feeling, putting it down to worry.
I cried at everything, and those tears weren't even a spec of what has fallen since.

Even through this pain my logical sense knows one day we will have moved on, we will still think of you, remembered forever, but day by day it will get slightly easier. We won't go to sleep with a broken heart, or wake up and not know how to get out of bed, we won't have to change channels or be pained when we see a baby. But I can't stop wondering how you are meant to get through this..
How do the days get easier, How long will it take before I don't get a pang of agony when I see a woman with a large pregnant bump, How can I accept other people are lucky enough to continue on with their pregnancy when mine wasn't able to, How do I stop the anger and resentment?
I cant stop asking myself why you were never meant to be, you felt like fate, the happiest unplanned for surprise! In such a stable, happy, loved home you were the next adventure for us to have.. but we're never to meet you.

Looking back I knew I should have started writing, but I was scared to start.. I wish I had so that right now I had something.. 
At this exact moment I don't know how to be okay, I feel empty and angry, and more sad than I felt possible.
Why did you give up?
Maybe the way to accept you'll never be with us is to write you away, confront the pain, cast the anger aside, and look to the future when one day we will be happy parents.. all whilst knowing you should have been our first born, but realizing that you couldn't..


Friday June 24th 2011
 You will never be forgotten, and a part of me, of us, will always be missing.

This is a greater love than I ever thought possible.

19/06/2011

Whirlwind

In the past six weeks it feels like my life has completely changed. My partner and I have moved from our stunning flat into a beautiful house, complete with a back garden and an incredible view. We've just started to get our weekends back after weeks of moving preparation, decorating, getting our previous home up to scratch and spending time with family.

In this time we've found out something which will change our lives completely, and subsequently has started to change us as people, along with this bears a lot of complications, uncertainty and worries. With both of us waiting on essential and life changing knowledge we're finding it hard knowing how to deal with limbo, how to control the sporadic changes in emotion.. and weather to feel hopeful or give up.

My partner being the more optimistic of the two is dealing better, but as I look into his eyes and watch them fill up I know he feels the same, a wave of sadness consumes us; and we briefly let it, before brushing it away and accepting that we currently don't know anything, and can change no outcome. In the past week I have felt every emotion under the sun, I finally let myself be hopeful to then end up in agonizing tears because it was the only explanatory act for how I felt. Not only has my (and our) whole life changed recently, but we're on a road to it changing forever, whatever the outcome we won't end up the same people afterward. I am so lucky to have such a great soul to be sharing both the good and bad with, someone whom I love so much.

All I can think, all I can feel, little one don't give up yet, we have such a large place in our heart for you and you couldn't comprehend how empty we're feeling with the prospect of not knowing you. You were a surprise, you are wanted more than anything, you will never know a day without love, little one don't give up yet.

 

14/04/2011

Dear Self..

You're going to have some struggles, so sit up straight, pay attention and plan.
You'll feel such pain for your family, and you'll experience such love.
You'll have to sit with your mum countless times, helping her with problems, cuddling her whilst she cries, supporting her at all costs. You'll be there when her mum dies, you'll be there for the next 15 years everytime she gets upset about loosing her, trying to fight back tears yourself as you listen to her sob knowing there's nothing you can do except share in the few years you remember of her. You'll break down and cry yourself because all you want is a cuddle from your granny, for your granny to be here so your mum doesn't have to cry anymore. You'll have tears fall everytime you think about her, because you miss her as much as she did, and because you know that your mum to this day still needs her. 


 You'll go to your mum and dads wedding, and when your 23 you'll still remember how you ran into the graveyard holding your doll and cried a little. You'll never know why you cried, you were happy for your mum, but for 4 years it had just been you, your mum, your granny, and now you have to share her. 
At the age of 23 you'll look at photos of their wedding when your creating a mothers day present for her and feel such emotion, you won't know why, but you feel a great comfort that you were there to see them get married, that you are in a photo where they are kissing, that your granny was there to witness your mums happiness, that she married such a great man.

 You'll let into your heart the most amazing father, at first it'll be difficult, and you'll feel strange from time to time, this is to be expected, you are just getting to know him, but you'll always feel safe with him. Over the years you'll have arguments and scream at eachother, but even the times you think you hate him, and your crying like an idiot you'll always jump to defend him if anyone says a bad word against him.You'll be forever loyal to him, and as you grow up you'll know you care for him because you chose to, and that he chose you to be his daughter. He wanted you! 


You'll welcome a little brother, and a little sister who you'll care for as your own. Your siblings will come to you whenever they need anything, whenever they want a hug, and at 7 you'll be changing your little sisters nappies and feeding her as much as possible to help your mum and dad out. This will turn out to be great, you wont understand until your older how much pressure this took of your mum and her teaching, and how much closer it'll bring you as a family. In the future your brother and sister will trust you with every secret and you'll be able to help them out whilst giving your parents a clear mind that there okay.


At some point you'll have to mediate between your mother and father, for some reason they seem to not be getting on, there always arguing, they aren't spending any time together and there both upset. It pains you to see this, and you often get involved telling them they need to not be together or they need to start acting like a couple again, you tell them you want them to kiss, to be affectionate, to go away just themselves and reignite the spark. Your told your much older than your years, and your mum continues to come to you every time she needs you. Your parents get through whatever it was, their happy, they kiss, they cuddle, they still argue, it still upsets you and your siblings, but then they make up. They spend their weekends together as soon as your all old enough to be left, you couldn't be happier! 


At 13 you fall ill, you have 6 weeks off school and can't stay awake longer than a few hours a day, your mum panics when you shrink down to age 10 clothes, your so tired. For the duration of your high school period you struggle, eventually the doctors diagnose you with M.E/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, your distraught and fight against it, this does you no good and you take weeks at a time off school. You need to accept that your not well, you need to stand up for yourself when people dont understand, they say your lazy and just need a good nights sleep, you need to not challenge yourself thinking its physcological, you need to keep going to school once/twice a week and up it when you can. You will pass all 9 of your GCSE's and you'll cry with happiness, whilst hiding guilt knowing you should have done better. For years you'll cry yourself to sleep and argue with your mum when she's trying to help, shouting at her that you can do it yourself, then dropping to the floor crying because all you want to do is go to school, be a normal teenager and have friends. You'll find a great group of friends who will understand and support you, who will fight your defense if anyone dares mention a reason your not at school, you'll all spend your summer holidays together, birthdays together, have house parties and drunken escapades with eachother, you'll pass your driving tests together and when your in upper sixth they'll buy you a chocolate cupcake because for the first time since you've fallen ill 5 years previous you'll have made a whole school week. You'll cry in the middle of the playground and be hugged by everyone. One of your friends will become your first boyfriend at 17, you will be happy for a time, but it was never meant to be, in the end you'll just feel betrayed by your friend, nothing more. In future years you'll see him around as you share the same friends, and you'll wonder what happened to the boy he was, he doesn't even hold a trace of that person he once was. You loose a lot of weight in this time, but its because your not happy with your life. You want to move away, have your own life, you feel claustrophobic. With your best friend at hand you go to college and start a part time job. You finally gain self confidence, you are faced head on with having to hold your head up high, and be composed, guess what: you succeed! You move away to university and come out a fashion design graduate, your personal life over this time will be tough, and you'll always dismiss yourself to an excruciatingly low standard. You'll let people treat you like dirt over and over again and when you finally start appreciating yourself you'll come out on top and can look forward to the future. 


 You'll meet the person of your dreams, you'll wonder why someone like him would look at you, he tells you you are the most beautiful girl he has ever seen, exactly what he described to his friends before meeting you, you'll go on a 'platonic' date, and you know your falling for him already. You go on your first proper date, and you walk along embankment holding hands, going to a fancy restaurant where he finds you endearing because of how out of place you feel. You nervously say that its odd how odd it doesn't feel, you know there's something about him. You stay with him at his place for days on end, and its already your joint home, he doesn't want you to leave, you know your falling head over heels in love. Within weeks your together, and at Christmas you both express your love. He moves back to his home town (your home town), 50 miles to be with you, you don't know this until a few months later he tells you, you want to cry! The thought makes you tear up even now, you move in together and you're so in love, so happy.

 Your grandpa will fall ill, and you don't know how to feel, he's a lovely man but has always been strict, you hate seeing him so frail, and you worry now for your dad. You start to worry about your mum, she's not taking enough care of herself, and everytime you think of the two of them you well up.. You want to protect everyone but you feel so tired, it's not your job but you'll always do it. You need your mum to be okay! You go home to your partner and he cuddles you whilst you cry. From the beginning you two have discussed children and marriage, and at this time there is nothing you want more than to be his wife, and have a family, you worry about your small family slipping and it makes you want it all then and there.


You no longer worry about what people think, you wonder why everything has to be planned so much in advance, how is a few more years going to help? You want to be able to share the happiness whilst people are still around, that's more important to you than anything, and so your at a crossroads. 
 
 You'll learn you are the most loyal person to your family, that you are scared to open up but eventually do, that when people say you can fall head over heels for someone- it can happen, that all those years you thought you weren't good enough, pretty, whitty enough, you'd never be happy are behind you, and that you are worth it! 

Life is to short for endless plans and worries, just be.

13/04/2011

The love I feel for Doctors

Doctors
I know there a life send as is the NHS, but sometimes doctors really wind me up! The other week I finally got a doctor who listened to me, months after I'd gone to the doctor repeatedly asking there assistance, after not going for another other than pill checks as mine never gave me any help, the local pharmacists were more useful to me!

Basically for a very long time I've been suffering with headaches, sometimes migraines. These headaches are continual dull aches, that last me all day, I wake up with them and frequently go to bed with them, painkillers don't help, and no I don't need glasses except for reading and yes I use those (etc.). Yes I've changed my pill to try combat it, no it did nothing, yes it's been cold/hayfever weather but no its not those I know the difference, it literally has not left my side for as long as I can remember. 
I've also been suffering for years with a problematic stomach (no details necessary), however for the last 6 months the occasional bloating has become full blown daily, I now no longer wake up with a flat stomach, I look a teeny tiny bit preggers, not a problem if i was, but I'm not, and it's sore, it hurts to breathe in so much that I can't, Ive taken to wearing jeans and baggy tops/jumpers to hide it, my waist has gone from being small and feminine to unrecognisable as you can't see past the swollen stomach. I constantly feel nauseous, and no I'm not preggers, yes I have periods, yes I've double checked anyway. Yes I'm eating a healthy balanced diet and swimming weekly (not the last 2 weeks- whoops), the toilet trips are well... not ideal, yes there probably is a problem there but no not enough to be causing this stomach without something else. I now end up going to bed in agony,  and looking at least second trimester preggers worth, I feel so inadequate, so unhappy with myself, I try eating healthier but I know I eat a good mix anyway, I step on the scales and am now 9lbs heavier than Christmas.. so stomach issues continue.
The last one is this nagging irritating throat, no it's not hayfever as it's been going on for months on end. No it's not a cold, listen a family friend had a aggravated, sore itchy throat yes same symptoms, she got checked out, had throat cancer and died, horrific as she was fighting fit, no I don't think I have that, however if I feel the need to get you to examine my throat to try and work out why it keeps doing this after multiple antihistamines etc I think I have valid reason, it scared my shitless, I'm not going to ignore this throat anymore! Foods also aggravate this so much that I'm continually trying to clear my throat as it feels tight, itchy, sore, round about it then makes it worse.. so yes, irritating, and yes affecting me daily, hourly, and yes no doctor has wanted to spend more than 5 minutes wanting to discuss this with me, they keep writing different prescriptions as they don't work and tend not to examine me properly... or at all!

So Doctor A's the one who I ended up so frustrated with, after I left I went home and cried, probably not all doctor A's fault, this was the second to last in a line of non helpful non sympathetic doctors making me feel as if I had no right to be there, judgemental looks as I was trying to explain the symptoms and multiple fob off's of 'hayfever', 'upset stomach', 'virus going round', 'not drinking enough' no doctor, just help me please? first question on hearing about my headaches was, have you had your eyes checked "yes, last time it was mentioned I went and specifically had a test", maybe it's your pill yes, that's why I changed it to see if it was relevant- suffice to say inevitably nothing changed. Are you under any stress? well yes, financial, work, you bloody doctors messing me around everytime I come here, looking at me in shame that I should be walking through your doors, getting rid of me in 5 minutes without examining me at all... yes, yes I'm a bit stressed, but I don't let myself get stressed, this is a dull ache, that continues all day until I go to bed, and as soon as I wake up, its different, trust me.. hmm..... the doctor has no idea, and puts it down to stress- now I and anyone else know there own body, when you say its different, you know its different. 

So when I mentioned my stomach bloating, which to describe as if someone had punctured a hole, put a pump in there and blown it up until it feels like its going to burst put it down to my pill, my age, my putting on weight, no I say, this is not the reason, it's painful, it's sore, yes I've put on weight and I think it's all lying on my stomach, heavy, sore. Are you pregnant  Doctor A asks no, I'm on my period, ahh well it could be that that's caused the bloating, no, it's been getting gradually worse for months now, and no I haven't been eating any differently, putting on weight, doing anything different, and yes it is probably something to do with my toileting, but this is something you need to look into instead of giving me yet another different type of pill to try and combat irregular toileting. I was getting stressed at this point, and had a giant migraine appear, okay maybe stress can affect me from time to time but I know when it's different. 

When I mentioned my throat it was as simple as, hayfever/cold.. no I say its continuous, I'm always having to clear my throat, its always scratchy, it always hurts, after certain foods it gets 100% worse and I end up aggrivating my throat trying to get rid of the problem, eventually said doctor looks down my throat and says your doctor term for large dangley thing that's not your tonsels are touching the back of your tongue, this could be assisting, oh right, thanks for finally LOOKING at me enough to find something! so I got yet more pillls to try combat that.. ramble ramble ramble etc.

Eventually I had an appointment with a different doctor, Doctor B was absolutely brilliant, after at least 6 months of going to doctors, them prescribing me numerous (and expensive after added up) things to try 'sort out' what they thought the problem was, she examined me. She actually examined me, within minutes of feeling my stomach, watching my whince in pain, asking all necessary and intrusive (and embarassing) questions she had decided I needed blood tests, blood tests for this, that, bowels, intestines, intolerances to foods etc to find out what the cause was, as with umpteen stomach prescriptions behind me nothing was changing, and said bloated stomach, agonising pains were getting worse and worse, so one thing down, she actually beleives me! and doesn't think it's time of the month related, 'just' toilet related, and funnily enough there's a running theme of this sort of thing in my family, glad she acknowledged that, and my grandad was ceoliac. right, so next up was my throat, I said how previous doctor said there was no way I could be allergic, because I didnt ever get rashes, even though as soon as eating some foods (that are all the same food type) my throat gets aggravated and feels slightly closed up. This also isn't physcological, as my partner has cooked dinner before, I've not known what was in it, instantly start up with aggrivating issues and he's told me what's in it. He's been supportive and gets so annoyed at the ack of help, and I feel so bad with complaining and him having to live with my wrteched throat!! Doctor B says Doctor A is a fool fact and that there clearly could be an intolerance to something scribbles a few more things on blood tests theyre to check for, after explaining reaction to certain foods, then she looks at my throat, and my ears... and up my nose, and says well your scienuses are clearly blocked not hayfever cold blocked but blocked enough to potentially have to look into it further in the future, so we'll start trying to clear those as this could be a reason for the headaches, and this will most probably be attacking your throat. In addition your stomach is affecting your throat through acid, which could partially be reason for swelling. So my throat could be being made worse, by both ends of my body, lovely! Despite mentioning this to every doctor before Doctor B noone had made a link, looked at my ears and nose, or even did a thorough inspection of my stomach/chest/pelvic area!

Anyway rant over, I know it's unimportant but I get so frustrated when doctors just cattle market you, yes individual patients do suprisingly need more than 5 minutes, and for you to actually listen to them suprise suprise, yes I'm 23, I go to work every day, through headaches/migraines/upset stomachs/agonising stomach cramps and yes I'm here to get help not try and skive work.
Let's hope these tests actually find out what's wrong, I've got a few new pills to be dealing with to assist the throat mending and scienus problems, and one to assist the acid in my stomach. I'm just so glad there's a reason everythings been playing up because I literally feel crap every day from one of them, and it was really getting me down, and the stomach is not helping how I feel about my appearence.

Swings and roundabouts, rant over! Anyone else had problems like this? I might change doctors as my boyfriends are more helpful with him, and it's closer to ours.

04/04/2011

Hello April

Welcome to April,  I can't beleive its the 4th already, this year is speeding by far to quickly! This time last year i'd done so many things, as noted by the gargantuan folder labeled 2010. January 10 I turned 22, February 10 I, my partner and some friends went to climb Mount Snowdon in Wales (I then realised I have a large joint problem), March, April, May were spent spending time with family, birthdays, parties, heading down to bournemouth way with my partner, and on occasion his family. So far this year not to much has happened but what a busy summer I have coming up making up for this!

Loves

The partner and I are setting off moving again! We haven't been in this flat (were in a one bedroom before this) even a year but the oppoutunity of a lovely house came up for the same price, so within 6 weeks we'll be house-bound! I'm so excited and it's such a lovely step for us to take, a proper house, with a little garden :)

One of my partners oldest friends and his fiance had a baby the other week, I went to see it at the weekend and he is beautiful! I was holding him for a good hour and he was so sleepy and cute, suprsingly large feet and hands for an 11 day old. This definately hasn't cured my broodiness, but I have always wanted to be a mother so this is to be expected.

I get to go to there wedding in May which'll be lovely, and the little one will be dressed up in a teeny tiny suit, cute!
...this means I need to find a dress to wear, so any ideas send my way!

We're having a weekend away in May also which'll be nice, work is exceptionally busy for him at the moment and we both could do with a change of scenary, down by the beach, where I feel at home, counting down the days till I can see the waves and smell the fresh air.

Mothers day was wonderful, dad, my siblings and I created two large beautiful photo frames for her. The pictures were ranging from her as a young child to as recent as Saturday, which was a lovely suprise for her. She loved looking through the photos from various years, of us, her and dad, her parents/relatives, instead of being left in photo albums which never see the light of day they are now on the wall for all to see and enjoy. It felt a particularly emotional mothers day this year, as it was my grannys birthday and she hasn't been with us for at least 15 years now. As much as we all miss her, mum especially, I think this was the most perfect present she could have received, didn't mean to create the waterworks though!

My partner has his birthday this month, and my little sister turns the ripe old age of 16 at the turn of may, it's an expensive old month, and i'll without a doubt have to turn to the overdraft to buy presents but I love buying presents for people, hopefully I can think of lovely inexpensive, thoughtful gifts to give.

I want to start a photography diary, I don't know if i'll ever upload it to this, but I really enjoy the 365 photo diaries (Im to late to start this) as I think it's a great way to capture the goings on of the year, and I really miss taking photos.



A new month means a chance to redirect my  failed atempt at completing my March Monthly Tasks.

April Monthly Tasks
  1. Visit the Yohji Yamamoto at the V&A: LOVE!!  (12 March - 10 July 2011)  Maybe impossible this month with mothers day, partners birthday, siblings birthday..
  2. Finally get round to photographing and selling things on eBay I may scream, i've needed to do this for 2 months! I REALLY NEED TO DO THIS
  3. Start one form of excercise a week (to eventually increase to 2 etc..)
  4. Start packing up our things for moving day- Ee :)
  5. Plan mood boards to create a photoshoot for my final collection, potfolio standard (I graduated in 09!)
  6. Gather research for my jackets project
 This is the best part of my monthly tasks so far, in addition are all the previous march fails.

 Stunning

27/03/2011

Happy Sunday Thoughts

 Springs finally on it's way, blossom everywhere
Sunday Naps
Watching Broadwalk Empire religiously before bed
Pampering Sunday
Finally Payday in a few days!
 So as March is nearing the end, I thought i'd refer back to the task list I set myself for March. In order to keep myself from getting bored, frustrated, and concentrating on money problems there were plenty of things for me to do... not many got done. Maybe my April tasks will be easier accomplished. (let down)
  1. Visit the Yohji Yamamoto at the V&A: LOVE!!  (12 March - 10 July 2011) Will be visiting this when i'm paid
  2. Visit a castle, manor house or some sort of architectural building and take lots of photographs Well i didn't visit an architectural place, but my partner, his brother and I went to an unused airfield (partners work), so for the time being this counts enough
  3. Take at least 2 Polaroid photos (which will in someway describe my month) Took one of a friend who was visiting from Ireland, this month hasn't really had anything particularly explanatory about it. Fail, took one first day of april?
  4. Finally get round to photographing and selling things on eBay I may scream, i've needed to do this for 2 months!
  5. Save up to purchase a new snap shot digital camera  (may continue into April) Saving up isn't a possibility at the moment, every penny is spent by the end of the month, no holiday, no digital camera, may rob a bank for birthday presents...
  6. Research things to do for the partners birthday/presents (and save save save also april) Have been looking into it, few ideas, saving up isn't a possibility at the moment, every penny is spent by the end of the month, no holiday, no digital camera, may rob a bank for birthday presents...
  7. Visit London  (financially same day as v&a would be ideal)!Sigh
  8. Start a project (be it fashion, photography, housework) Fail
  9. Update more on this blog (and change layout if i can work out html enough) More frequent updates, tick, a few changes, tick, no html changes, fail, more interesting things, fail.
  10. Start and complete one book Done! It was a rubbish book, and I nearly threw it in the bin, but I had to finish it to see how they ended the ludicrous story, they didn't, it was bad, but tick!
  11. Make one from scratch dinner from a recipe book I have until Thursday to complete this
  12. Get my first haircut at a salon (seriously never have) & have a change with my hair as its in a massive rut OH MY GOSH YES! Now just to learn how to style it
  13. Continue to swim each week I haven't swum for two weeks, bum
  14. Start using Wii Fit  again, at least 3 times a week! Haha, I haven't even turned it on. Jeez.

 My plan for today goes like this:
Pull everything out of my wardrobe (not hard most is on the floor)
Pack up everything I haven't worn for a while or isn't fitting properly and remove from wardrobe
Organise my wardrobe (dressing for work is a mission at the moment)
Go through makeup, get rid and organise
Hoover (yawn)
Do the food shopping for the week (yawn)
Have a nap (anyone else continually tired)
Google a way to get rid of my awful skin at the moment (ANY IDEAS?)
Relax/Pamper/Have a bath 

I don't expect many of these to get done...


Happy Sunday

24/03/2011

5 Lovely Happenings

1.I have lovely newly cut conditioned hair! My boyfriend suprsied me with a hair cut last night, i'd been going on for ages about how I needed to make my first trip to a salon (yes), and get someone to give my hair a complete makeover, get rid of all the ends and give it a new interesting cut. It'd gotten to the flat, no volume state (hard with really wavy/curly/thick), split ends galore and I had no idea what to do with it, now it's a fair few inches shorter, shiny as a mirror, strokeably soft, full of volume and I have a new look to boot! Lovely, and far to kind of him.
2. I'm off out for an indian tonight, the Mr's been paid (lucky) so we're going out with his parents to a nice little local resturant, it'll be nice to do something, i'm always so lethargic and sleepy when I get in from work lately, maybe this'll bump the energy levels (and my weight sigh)
3. Two sunny days in a row, what country is this? I bet the weekend will be pants in a sod's law fashion, but i'll happily take a few days with wearing pumps, no tights, and a thin jacket instead of my whole winter ensemble before it heads to the minus' again.
4. We might be having a weekend away in a few weeks with family and down by the coast,I was only saying a few days ago that I needed a weekend away somewhere. What a lovely thing to look forward to :)
5. I Repierced my ears! When I was younger I used to have 14 or so piercings, a few have gone here and there, however i long to wear teeny tiny little hoops galore in my lower ears, and can now do so (the second piercing on one side won't repierce though! Maybe a trip to the piercer if my longing continues)

 Not so lovely
1. After loosing one of my favourite earings last night (realised at the hairdressers), I found it when I got back in and presumed i'd just knocked it out when tying up my hair (idiot), so I wore them today, and I've actually lost one forever now. Not in my hair, not in my coat, not in my office, not anywhere! I rarely like dangly earings, but I was inlove with these, and they go with everything I own. Sigh. RIP little one, I doubt i'll find a suitable replacement for you...
2. I also have a pounding headache, photoshopping all day does nothing for the migranes, neither do glasses unfortunately. Oww!


22/03/2011

Number Eight

8 Things

8 TV shows I watch...
Broadwalk Empire
The Mr and I sit down to watch this every Sunday evening after our dinner before bed, the last glimpse of the weekend before the early start Monday.
 24
Technically the last series of 24, another Sunday tradition, however i'm going to start from episode 1, series 1 when I get a spare minute
Hollyoaks
 After a stressful day at work, this is exactly the sort of crap I need to relax before enjoying my evening (speaking of which it's on now)
Glee
I despised this at first, then I was mildly amused but still not to fond, now i guiltily love it!
Americas Next Top Model
New series, old series, any series
American Dad
Underated by far   
Eastenders
It fits perfectly in time with eating dinner, another sort of mindless crap
Gok

8 Favourite places to eat... (I dont really eat anywhere, so this will be creative)
The chinese resutrant the Mr and I went to on our 'first' platonic (later to be first) date.
Sentimental
The Oxo Tower
The Mr and I's first official date!
Living room haha!
Dining table
On occasion, placemats and candles!
Pizza Express
Our friend works there, and sentimental
(struggling....) His parents house
They make yummy food!
My parents house
It'll always be home :)
..to be honest I don't really eat out ever, however anywhere with food and my friends/family is a great place  
The chinese take out we us
Whilst sitting watching eastenders/gok etc. yum!

8 Things I look forward to...
V Festival
With the Mr and friends (August)
Foo Fighters
LOVED FOREVER (June)
KIGNS OF LEON 
LOVE MORE!
Take That
Lets be honest they'll be broken up straight after
Summer, Summer, Summer
April bank holidays/Royal wedding
11 days off work for only 3 holiday days, kerching!
The weekend
I'd really like a lie in...
Christmas
We have no holiday planned, and christmas is 'our' time, when we met and our anniversary.. sap :)

8 Things that happened yesterday...
Pulled my neck somehow, still hurting today
Filled my car up with petrol
petrol money on loan until payday urgh!
Re-bought my FIRST EVER foundation
in the correct colour, picked up the wrong one- idiot (now to learn how to use it)
Used my no7 Voucher
Got depressed about money
Had a lovely cuddley evening
Told my sister she was beautiful
Which she bloody is!
Pulled most of my clothes out of my wardrobe whilst trying to find something to wear to work..

8 Things I love about winter...
Seeing the pretty snow outside when your wrapped up all warm inside
Christmas!
Our anniversary :) 
And our christmas' together
Christmas films
Even if its only December 1st
Snow
Yes it mucks everything up but it's pretty, and exciting
Christmas Markets
Mulled Wine
Smell only, it tastes like vomit 
Cuddles, whilst looking at the snow, being warm inside and watching christmas films

8 Things on my wishlist...
A large bedroom
Not possible until we move in the future
A cleaner
I'm no housewife, sigh.. I try but i'm more slob
Makeup Brushes
A large wardrobe
Ideally with compartments or the walk in compartment variety please
A holiday
A gym membership
I can't afford one, and I need to fight my expanding figure :(
Ipad, notebook, Macbook
All of the above (just one), to carry around and do all my thinking processes on the go.
A home that's ours
Owned please

8 Things I'm passionate about...
My family
More than anything
Creativity in all forms
Fabrics
My Mr :)
Summer
And christmas
Clothes
Not necessarily fashion, but fabrics, colours, drape
Babies
Broody
Photographs of everything!

8 Words or phrases I use alot...
I won't even try and think up any, I have no idea haha!

8 Things I've learnt from the past
You will always spend to much time on people who are never worth it, and feel heartbroken when in reality your not 
I am so protective of my sister
 Trust your instincts, if you genuinly think something it's usually true especially first impressions.
Try to feel confident with your appearence at least once in a while
I should have let people take more photos of me when I was younger, because looking back i'm in very few with my friends in my teen years, I felt unnatractive fat (I was a size 8!) and didnt really have anything to worry about!
I should probably start feeling this way now, as I know in a  year i'll look back and wish I looked like this, which is what I do with images from 2 years ago. typical girl.
 Take photos all the time, everywhere, of everything and everyone.
I love the amount of photos I have to look back on, countless of my family, friends from school, my partner and I have hundreds of things we've done and places we've been.
Don't let people make you feel inadequate
This goes for boys, friends and family members. Too many have made me feel like this, some unintentionally, some deliberatly.
Respect yourself and make everybody work for everything! 
Boys don't just get you, they need to treat you like a princess, friends can't just pick you up when they want, not if there true friends, they'll always be in contact through some sort of medium.
Never loose your creativity
I've lost mine and am yet to get it back
Live more than you think you are
You'll always look back and will have had 'what if's, and why didn't I, I missed out..' I have a few. There are so many things I want to do because i've never done them, so many I can't because of money at the moment, but you only live once. Screw it :)

8 Places I would love to visit...
1Venice
New York
Vegas
Thailand
 Peru
Rio de Janeiro
Rome
To see the Nothern Lights


8 Things I want or need...
A wardrobe that fits me better 
Nothing fits me right, and my body keeps changing
A gym membership
My body is seriously getting me so down
A cuddle
Feeling a bit low
A new job
My salary would only be enough if I lived at home AND had no rent to pay, part of me wants a massive change, to locate to a new place, start a career.. now to get someone to hire me!
A holiday/weekend break/day trip, 
I need to get away from my home for a few hours, with the Mr and just  have fun without worrying about money, or getting stressed with jobs (hes in need too).
A dog
I really like westies
Some lovely underwear would be nice!
Simple way to feel sexy, knownig your wearig nice undies 
MONEY!
I have mothering sunday, a significant birthday for my sister, my partners birthday and a few others (important people) to buy for all within the space of this months paycheck. I never have any money to spend on anything extra in the month, so how i'm going to work this is going to be  a bloody miracle! 


8 Bloggers I'm tagging...