Its been a while...

Hey everyone,

Sorry it has been so long since I lasted posted! I have had a lot going on and haven't really had the time to properly sit down and blog.
Christmas is obviously on its way so I have been very busy Christmas shopping and getting in to the festive spirit. It's a strange time of year, this time a year ago I was in hospital and spent Christmas time feeling very poorly, this year it's really nice to be feeling healthy and enjoying everything.

The blog is now just over 6 months old and it still amazes me how many people read my ramblings and how many people I have been in touch with since it started. I have been in quite the reflective mood and have realised how important this blog has been to me and how crucial it has been throughout this awful time. I have had a pretty horrific 18 months and it has often felt like luck is never on my side - it has truly felt that it has been one thing after another. I am very much looking forward to the new year and 2014 - I think it's my turn for some nice things to happen.

I am also happy to announce that I am going to be the proud owner of my very own long haired mini sausage dog and I could not be happier. As many of you will know I have been wanting one of these gorgeous dogs for a very very long time and finally after months, if not years, of begging my parents have finally agreed that it is okay. Of course I found a breeder and some gorgeous pups within 24 hours! This means that all being well I will be picking up my new dog on Saturday! I have been planning for this for so long that although it has happened super quick we all ready for the new arrival. Its going to be a boy and I am still unsure on names so if you guys can vote for one of my shortlist options on my homepage that would be amazing! Might help me make a decision...

My, 'IM GETTING A DACHSHUND' face

During the past few weeks I have applied for my teach training - a process which should be simple but took hours! Due to the nature of my degree I doubt I am going to get in this time round, so my plan is to work as a teaching assistant from September to gain as much experience as possible in a classroom setting. This should hopefully also give me a bit of a break from studying!
I have finished Uni for the term and have had a few weeks to spare so have been spending them helping in a years reception, 1 and 2 at a local primary school. This has honestly been the best thing I have done in a long time. The children are gorgeous and make me laugh constantly, helping with the nativity has also been lovely and heart warming.

As I said the past few weeks have been very busy, I have been meeting up with friends a lot and spend most evenings going to various pubs and restaurants. I have also been indulging in lots of lovely pamper spar treatments, I have gotten my hair cut and nails done, which is lovely and well needed.

Hope you are all healthy and happy.
Lots of love,
Gabi

Alcohol, a Spa Day and My Dodgy Knee

Hi guys,

So recently I have been having a very strange reaction to alcohol. I don't drink often and when I do I tend to have a glass or two and leave it there. Every now and again I will go out with the girls, really let my hair down and enjoy more than a few but I can equally go months without any alcohol at all.
Since having Margaret I have had a very weird reaction after drinking. It doesn't happen every time and has happened after drinking a variety of drinks (white wine, cider & malibu). About half an hour after drinking my face flushes bright red and becomes very hot, my cheeks feel almost puffy and tight, like they are swollen. To look at me I just look very red but it also makes me feel a bit weird and almost agitated. Like I said, it's not every time and the reaction goes down over the course of a few hours but it is very strange indeed. My medication has not changed and I am not drinking anything new. The only difference is Maragret. I have had various suggestions over Twitter from fellow Crohnies/Ostomates, with many others experiencing different or odd reactions. Some suggest it may be down to dehydration.; this would make sense due to my dehydration since Margie.
If anyone out there has any ideas I would really appreciate it. Having a reaction not only makes me feel a bit wobbly and concerned but is not at all attractive!

Me, three hours after initial reaction. 

This week has been pretty tough, for lots of reasons.
I have however been very busy. I decided to stop my childminding work; it was five days a week for around five hours a day & I could no longer keep on top of it all as well as Uni. It's a shame, but I really do need to concentrate on my degree - that's the most important thing right now.
I have a deadline coming up in the next week or so, so Uni work is keeping me extremely busy. I have been driving in quite a lot in the past week for tutorials and for full use of the library. I think I am on top of everything... for now at least.
I have been seeing a lot of my friends recently including seeing The Hunger Games: Catching fire - which was amazing! I am in fact, going back to see it again, I loved it that much.

As I said my life is very stressful at the moment and my wonderful Dad booked me and Mum a spa day to try and ease away all the stresses and worries. When I was very poorly, Mum and I spoke about all the nice things we would do once I was better and a spa day was our main idea. Since Margie I have been incredibly busy and we haven't had a chance to book it until now. I woke up bright and early Saturday and headed to an amazing 4* Spa only 10 minutes down the road. I have been various times before and have always had an amazing time. When we arrived we had to fill out a lengthy health questionnaire; of course it took me a horribly long time to fill it out, writting down surgeries, medication, allergies and health conditions.
We lounged around for a few hours, round the pool, in the sauna and in the jacuzzi. It felt amazing to just relax and not have to think. It was so restful I can't tell you! I even got in a few lengths, which I really enjoyed. We had a welcome fruit smoothie and I had a cheeky bacon sarnie whilst we sat round the pool. At 12:30 Mum and I headed upstairs for our treatments; Mum had opted for a facial whilst I had a neck, back and shoulder massage. It was absolutely amazing. I could have easily fallen asleep as I lead down on this warm bed, with the most relaxing music playing. According to the beauty therapist my shoulders were very tight, something I am not surprised about. Our treatments were followed by a delicious, healthy lunch of Moroccan couscous, mixed pepper frittata, rocket salad and fruit tart. I had the loveliest time with Mum and it really broke up a challenging and stressful week.

Swimming some lengths has inspired me to join a leisure centre and start swimming more regularly. I am keen to join a gym and exercise properly but unfortunately the dreaded knee is playing up. Now as any old readers will know I have had an awful time with my poor, arthritic knee. In the past two weeks or so it has been playing up once again. Although there is no obvious swelling, my knee is still really quite sore and a bit stiff. I am keeping an eye on it and applying anti inflammatory cream as much as I can. I am hoping this isn't a sign of things to come or that it is going to be a recurrent issue. But I guess, we will just have to see.

Lots of love
xxx

Asthma and an Amazing Hero

Hi guys,

So I have had a right week of it.
Monday started with me completely sleeping through my alarm and missing my long awaited asthma clinic appointment. I woke up at Matt's at 6:30 as he was heading off to work bright and early; unfortunately his new house only came with one set of keys which means that I have to leave when he does so it can be locked up safely. I got home two hours before my appointment was due to decided to shut my eyes for a bit, of course I set my alarm just incase. Next thing I know I sleepily open my eyes and it's 10:30... I managed to miss my appointment by a solid hour and half and slept through 3 minutes of my alarm (Lion King's - Circle of Life). I felt so bad for messing around the poor nurse but I was also livid with myself. I had waited for that appointment for two weeks and my asthma has gradually been getting a lot worse.
I know that asthma needs to be controlled and mine definitely isn't. I rang the Dr's and they were strangely not bothered at all! Thankfully she managed to slot me back in for an appointment this morning. Which, by some miracle I did not miss! Unfortunately she confirmed that my asthma has indeed worsened and the medication I am on now, of one blue inhaler when needed, is no longer working. I was sent away with a brown, steroid inhaler to use every day. This is so strange, I was first told I had asthma when I was 8 but was told it was only bought on my my allergies and therefore not really 'proper asthma' and more 'asthmatic episodes'. Now, 14 years later it's suddenly gotten worse. It is still hugely triggered by my allergies; Matt recently worked one day a week helping at a stables which caused me great problems thanks to my horse allergy. However, now if I laugh too hard or go from warm air to cold air, my chest feels tight and I start to wheeze. Not great! So now I have two lovely inhalers to use, and one of them has to be every day.

I also had a very unsuccessful visit to my stoma nurse on Tuesday. Again I was up and out of the house at 7am, drove 40 minutes to the hospital, found parking (which is always a nightmare) & made my way to Outpatients 2, across the hospital. After 10 minutes of waiting I poked my head in to the office only to see that there was a decorator in there. I did start to wonder what on earth was going on! It turned out that nobody seemed to have any record of my appointment, but someone would come down to see me anyway. 20 minutes later nobody showed and I decided to leave, I let the receptionist know and headed off to Uni. It turns out that I was supposed to go to another hospital to see my normal stoma nurse. I think it was a huge mis communication as I thought I was seeing a different stoma nurse at a different hospital... Nobodies fault but very interesting and a complete waste of my time.

This week I have also had my flu jab. I am high on the list of people who need them due to this chronic disease, imuno-suppressents and asthma. I have had the flu before and it definitely isn't nice so hopefully this will help me avoid it!

This week my Mum showed me an amazing article in The Sunday Times Magazine. The front cover showed this extremely brave soldier, who is a triple amputee with a stoma bag. I think this man is incredible, he is just 20 and amazingly courageous. Recently I have been having a bit of a tough time, I feel really stressed and overwhelmed with a lot of things in my life. I have realised that I have lost a lot of my confidence and self esteem that I used to have. I hate that I am anxious and worry so much, and wish I could snap out of it. This isn't because of Margaret but I do think a lot of it comes down to how ill I was and for so long. I have been dwelling in all my problems rather than pulling myself together and proactively doing something about them. This image really hit home, and put everything in to perspective.

Lots of love
xxx

Changes

Differences I have noticed since having Margaret:
(I dont know if these are related to having Margie or just coincidental)

1/ Indigestion
If I eat too fast I get awful indigestion, the kind that makes you feel sick and like you can't breathe, all at the same time.

2/ Hunger
Now when I get hungry I don't just feel peckish or get grumpy like usual. I actually feel quite poorly, it's like I always need food in me, I guess because it's leaving my body a lot faster than normal. It probably has something to do with my blood sugar or sodium levels, or maybe dehydration. One thing I do know is I do need to eat otherwise I feel poorly, weak and sick.

3/ Cold
I now seem to feel the cold a hell of a lot more than I did before, again this may have nothing to do with the surgery. However, I have read that if you do not have enough fluids then you feel the cold a lot more & one thing that comes with having a stoma is easily becoming dehydrated. This isn't helped by the fact that I am AWFUL at staying on top of my fluid intake.

4/ Lactose Intolerance
Now this is a big bonus! Since old Margie my lactose intolerance has gotten a lot better. I now have to eat double the amount of dairy products before really feeling it. This is great news for my love of pizza and cheeseburgers!

Last week I was looking through some of my stuff whilst packing up all of Matts belongings. It was whilst doing this that I found my two year books from when I was 16 and 18. I loved finding the photo of Matt before we really knew each other and a good two years before we became a couple!

Look how young we look! It's scary that that was 6 years ago, and weird that when these photos were taken we didn't know that we'd end up together...

My weekend was spent moving Matt in to his new home. Part of me was excited and part of me was dreading it. I unfortunately haven't gone with him, being a full time commuting student means I don't have the money to afford to move out. Matt has been living at my home with my parents and brother for about 11 months, and I have loved having him around every night. Although him moving out has it's major plus points I will miss him a lot. I know it sounds ridiculous, as he is only going to be 15 minutes away but with his crazy work schedule I won't be able to see him every day, which I am gutted about. For two years he lived an hour away so I am used to not seeing him all the time but I definitely don't like it....

The moving in weekend went really well and Matt's home is looking so good, I really love it. I did spend much of the time lifting and carrying things up hill but in the end it was worth it. Matts mum and I even managed to assemble a bed side table, even if it did shamefully take us an hour and 15 minutes... Saturday night I made the first meal in the house, sausages, home made wedges and beans, we had to eat on the stairs as not all his furniture had arrived yet! Sunday was spent having a dog walk, yummy breakfast and pub drink and a roast, so all in all a pretty good weekend.
It was slightly shadowed by my absolutely stinking cold which I have yet to shake off. It started with a completely bunged up nose and head ache and has developed in to a down right annoying cough. My body aches and I feel exhausted, this was not helped by a killer 11 hours looking after two children under 6.

My asthma is also something which is getting a lot worse, and something I find a bit scary and am not used to. The first time I had any form of asthma was when I was about 8 and decided it would be a good idea to cuddle 5 kittens knowing I was severely allergic to cats. I ended up being given my blue inhaler for the first time. Since then I have been lucky and have only had to use it a handful of times, until now! Over the past few months my asthma has gotten worse and worse, and now I'm having to use my inhaler at least 4 times a week. I know compared to some people this is nothing but for me it's quite a lot. I hate the feeling of my chest getting tight and coughing a lot, especially in the evenings. I am heading to an asthma clinic next week to hopefully sort out the the problem and maybe get some stronger meds! Heres hoping any ways!

I will leave you with a beautiful photo taken whilst on a dog walk!

Lots of love

xxx

My Talented Brother and Some Bread

Hi Guys!

So in the past few days I have been a pretty busy bee!
I took two children I look after to their halloween party, I didn't know anyone and felt a bit awkward sat in the corner on a tiny childs' chair. The room was full of mums who knew each other and so many children dressed in costumes ranging from adorable chubby baby pumpkins to the incredible hulk. The afternoon was made a lot better when a kind lady handed me a hot dog and a cupcake, which I swiftly tucked in to.

I have also had a uni presentation and group critique! For as long as I can remember I have hated public speaking or being the centre of attention in any situation. Part of my uni course has required me to stand up in front of various group sizes and present an idea or my work many many times. I am quite proud to say that although I don't enjoy it, it no longer reduces me to tears! I am especially at ease when I have to talk about my own work, I guess you can't really go wrong when it's all about things you've done and there are no tricky questions afterwards! Anyway the crit went all and strangely now that I have Margaret I am a lot more confident something I have noticed this in so many situations.

Even though I am less than two months in to my third year I already feel bad whenever I am not doing Uni work. It does help that a huge part of my final major project is based around my family and local area, this means I can tap in to them for ideas and inspiration. Recently I got my family members to draw out our old route to school, I found it really interesting how different people draw the same route! My brother, Sean, who is away in Cardiff at Uni studying animation put together such a nice route!

His work is amazing and he is constantly adding new work to his blog! Please do check it all out, I have a very talented brother!

SEAN'S BLOG!!

My baking bug has also continued, today I made a crown loaf, a favourite of my brother and boyfriend! We are going to it eat with a Spanish-esq rice and chicken dish, which is so good!

After some great advice from a fellow stoma owner I am now going to be changing Margaret every day if I can and definitely every two days, in attempt to stop these awful night time leaks!
I was also pretty livid this morning, I received a letter letting me know that for the fourth time my appointment with my surgeon has been re arranged. It is so so annoying! Every time it happens I have to book more time off of work/Uni. I haven't seen my surgeon since a few days after the op, which I have to say I do find a little bit worrying. I was supposed to see him 2 and half months after surgery and 5 months on I have yet to see him. I know I have seen stoma nurses and my consultant but I do find it a bit concerning that he has yet to make sure all is okay. If I were to get Margaret reversed it would probably be next Summer, and I have a feeling that'll be the next time I see mr surgeon...

Lots of love!
xxx

Halloween and Cake!

Hey Guys,

Sorry for the delay in posting!
I had the best birthday night out, I ended up wearing the black spotty dress (seen in my last post). Matt and I were running late and ended up running for the train, we got there in the end with the help of Harry picking us up half way. We opened a bottle of champagne on the train and caught up with everyone. The food at TGIs was so good, it has been my favourite place to eat for ages and I haven't been in months, way before Margaret. We sipped cocktails and ate way too much and right at the end of the meal I was instructed to stand on my chair, had a huge balloon hat plonked on my head and had happy birthday sung to me in front of the whole restaurant. It was slightly embarrassing especially as I was wearing a pretty short dress. After dinner we headed to a cocktail bar which was so good.
I had to empty Margaret but there were only two small toilets, neither of which flushed... I was a bit embarrassed and didn't know what to do. Matt came and saved the day explaining to the bar man that I had recently had surgery on my intestine and needed somewhere a bit more private and discrete to use the loo. The bar man then took us outside, through two coded doors and in to the locked shopping centre to open a disabled toilet for me! What a star. I am a lucky girl to have such a supportive boyfriend.

This past weekend I headed to my friend, Pheeb's Birthday/Halloween party. Originally I was going to go as a cow, purely because I have a cow mask which I have never worn - it moo's and everything. After much thought I changed my mind and opted for a witch, which was the scarier option. Matt went as a clown and I did his face paint for him! I have to say I think he looked really good! and pretty creepy...

Margaret again had another leak in the night, something I am slowly getting exhausted by. This time I didn't get up quite in time and had to strip the sheet and mattress topper whilst poor Matt was sleeping. Luckily he just rolled over and had no real memory of it in the morning. I really can't work out why it keeps on happening, it is always on day 3 of having the bag on - maybe I just need to change it more frequently! I am also suffering with the bag ballooning with gas at night time, this doesn't trouble me in the day but the moment I lie down thats it, the whole bag fills to bursting point with gas. This is very irritating but apparently completely normal - I guess I just need to man up and get used to getting out of bed once a night...
In the past week I have also had around 6 or 7 people ask me for advice or tips about medication, ostomies or Crohn's. I am more than happy to answer any questions anyone might have and was thinking of maybe setting up a question box on my blog for those who don't have my direct contact details...
what do you think?

This past week I have also done a lot of baking! I have made a victoria sponge with butter cream icing, vanilla cupcakes and finally an apple, cinnamon and raisen cake. I have definitely gotten the baking bug again!

Its half term at the mo so I am crazy busy juggling babysitting and Uni, but I will do my best to update it soon!
Lots of love
x

Belly Warmers & Belated Birthday Celebrations

Hi Guys

So last week I was contacted by a lovely lady, and reader of my blog, about some her products. We had a quick chat and she explained all about NukuNuku. I did a quick google search and was very intrigued and was lucky enough to have one sent over!
Nukuku are a range of haramaki belly warmers, bought over from Japan, where they wear them all the time! They are basically a band of fabric which you wear around your belly, which can have a variety of benefits. I chose black as I thought it would go with everything and was so excited when the package came through the door.
I was a bit sceptical as it really does look like a piece of fabric, and I couldn't see what was so different about them, or why they were so special!

I quickly popped it on and put my pyjamas on over the top, and I tell you I could sleep in this thing it is so comfy. It is like having an extra warm layer across your middle, which is an obvious benefit in this cold weather! It doesn't cut in to me at all, and works even with a growing Margaret. I am a big lover of the hot water bottle and have always used them to soothe painful stomach cramps or to provide comfort and warmth - this belly band does a similar thing but in a much more practical way. It also provides a sense of support for Margaret. As some of you may have seen, I have used a support band before, provided by one the ostomy care companies - and this belly band beats that one hands down. I have yet to test it out under normal clothing, so as yet, do not know how it lies under my clothes, but I will let you know. I did end up sleeping in it one night and found that it did ride up and became annoying and uncomfortable - saying that, they probably aren't made for sleeping in.
If any of you want to check them out, you can find them at NUKUNUKU
Check them out and let me know what you think!

I have been incredibly busy the last few weeks, I am well in to the swing of things at Uni, going in 1-3  mornings a week, I have also been doing a lot of childminding/babysitting - which I am finding exhausting! It is great practice and experience for when I do my teacher training but it is so draining. My tutors are gobsmacked that I am trying to do it all, especially as it is my final and most important year! I get home, eat, shower and go straight to bed - which is pretty boring!
In the past couple of days Margaret has leaked twice.
The first time, I was exhausted. I couldn't bring myself to get out of bed. Once it was all sorted out I then couldn't get back to sleep for an hour. I tell you, the next day was a huge struggle. I don't understand why she leaked! It drives me crazy, and at 2am really gets me down. As my life gets back to normal I do find myself wishing that I didn't have her. Although it is down to her that I am feeling better, I wish I could just be healthy without the hassle of having her there.
I also wish that I could have a break from her. I hate that I can't take her off for more than ten minutes at a time or when I am in the shower. I wish for a couple of hours I could whip her off and not have it there. It's odd that even though most of the time I can't feel her there, if I think about it too much I start to feel strangely claustrophobic.

Today I had an appointment with my gastro-consultant, and it went really well. I have halved my dose of the Humira injections to one every two weeks, which I am so glad about - they aren't the nicest thing to have to do every week. All in all it was so positive. I told her all about this blog (without mentioning Margaret's name) and she thought it was brilliant. I have put on some weight, which was inevitable as I am now eating properly, however, I would like to lose a few pounds and tone up.
There was the loveliest nurse in the outpatients department, we chatted for a while and she was so friendly and kind. When I was later waiting for my bloods in another room, she walked through and gave me the biggest smile and wave! It really made my day!
Talking of blood tests, my arm was pretty butchered today. The first attempt didn't work so she stuck a whopping great big needle in my left arm for a second try. I have to say, it was one of the more painful blood tests I have had to have done. It ached for a good hour afterwards, which I have never had before. She didn't even crack a smile!

My weekend is looking like its going to be a good one! I have more babysitting and Saturday night I am heading out with some of my gorgeous friends for a belated birthday meal and night out full of cocktails! I can't wait despite really struggling with what to wear. I have narrowed it down to three options...

Let me know what ya think!
Lots of love
xxx

The Best Birthday Weekend!

AAgain it has been a long while since my last post, very sorry about that!
So last weekend was my 22nd Birthday - Friday 4th October! - I woke up that morning bright and early to open some gifts and cards before everyone went off to work and school. Matt had taken the day off which I was so glad about, as my last birthday I spent all day on my tod! I got some lovely gifts including a list-making notebook, something I was SO excited about... & the most beautiful Michael Kors watch. I have wanted one for a while so was made up with I got it! A very happy girl indeed.

When all my cards were opened, Matt turned to me and asked,

"Have you packed a bag then?"

I did look a bit confused, with no idea what he was on about! I knew he had planned something for the Saturday as I was told not to arrange anything with my friends on that day. Anyway, it turns out he had planned a long weekend away in London including an afternoon at the Harry Potter Studios! I was so so excited, especially as I had just over an hour to pack and get ready before heading off to the train station. We quickly packed a bag and headed off for what was to be the best weekend I have had in a very long time!
The Harry Potter Studio Tour was everything I thought it would be, I am a die hard Harry Potter fan and have wanted to go for so so long. Matt on the other hand isn't such a fan, but actually really enjoyed it. I found it amazing being able to walk in to the great hall and be so close to all the sets and props as well as find out how it all worked behind the scenes! I tried butterbeer which wasn't so tasty but the free cup was great!

After the tour had ended we headed to find our hotel. Matt had booked us two nights at The Mayfair Hotel, an incredible five star hotel! I have never stayed in such an amazing place. The room was beautiful and we were treated like royalty. Matt had organised for strawberries, chocolate and champagne for when we got to our room - which was so lovely. That evening we headed out to Soho and Piccadilly Circus, as Matt had never been. We had an amazing dinner and cocktails. I then spotted one of the men on bikes which a carriage thing at the back. I have wanted to go on one for a very long time and this seemed like the best opportunity! Matt asked the guy how much it was to get back to Piccadilly Circus, to which he replied £10. Before Matt had the chance to reply I accepted the offer and jumped in; I think the wine had something to do with that! Matt rolled his eyes before asking for some 'romantic music - like Enrique' - just to embarrass me I'm sure! The lovely man put on 'One Direction - Little Things' to which I pealed with laughter. We wrapped ourselves in a blanket as we whizzed through traffic - despite the fact I thought we may crash, it was honestly one of the happiest moments of my life! I was so so happy. The whole journey lasted less than the one song, Matt was outraged at the huge amount of money such a small journey cost, but it made me so happy, so I think it was worth it. & what a way to end my birthday!
We ended up heading back to the hotel quite early - we were both shattered after such a long day, and the amazing bed was too much to ignore!

The following day we woke up at 10 and headed down to breakfast which was out of this world! I loved every mouthful, we were presented with everything you could possibly wish for! Full English, meat, cheese, breads, cereals, fruits, salmon, eggs, waffles and pancakes were there for the taking. Breakfast is normally my least favourite meal of the day but in this instance it was definitely my favourite. Our day was spent shopping and eating lovely food. We met up with one of our lovely friends, another Matt, and spent a long afternoon at a shisha bar in Mayfair which was so relaxed.
We decided not to head out that evening and instead ordered in room service (twice!) and had a drink in the hotel bar. Another amazing day.

I was absolutely heart broken to leave the hotel the following morning. The weekend has gone so quick yet it felt like weeks since we had left home. We did spend the rest of the day in Covent Garden, having drinks and yummy food whilst watching some hilarious street entertainers. I was gutted to leave London and get back to the real world after the most amazing weekend. It was so good to spend some time away with Matt - it had been over two years since we had gone away together! & after what can be described as the worst year of my life, I felt that we definitely deserved it.
Margaret did pretty much behave herself whilst we were away. I don't know how much she loved the alcohol or huge amounts of food we had though! I woke up that first morning to find the adhesive had lifted away! Luckily I had bought lots of spare stuff with me so I didn't need to worry. I did however find that the alcohol bloated me a lot - it never really used to, but this time my tummy swelled up like a beach ball, I thought I was going to pop! Maybe it is the type of alcohol I had - too many cocktails!

All in all I had the loveliest birthday - definitely one of the best I have ever had! Matt had gone to so much trouble and spoilt me rotten - I want to go back.

The last week in the real world, has been long and tiring. Juggling Uni with babysitting duties has been very tough and I am worried about it all, but I am sure it'll be okay.

I will try my best to blog much sooner and update you all!
Lots of love
xxx

Allergic Reaction & a Big Work Load

Hi Guys!

In the past few days I have had lots of wonderful high profile people tweet and spread the word about this blog! The likes of Hilary Alexander, Abbey Clancy, Gemma Cairney, Frank Turner and for all of you Strictly fans out there, Karen Hauer and Kristina Rihanoff! I am so grateful that these lovely people  have helped raise awareness for a disease that not many people understand or know about. It is also fantastic that it is getting people talking about stomas and ostomies - something which many people are too embarrassed to mention.

The past week has been spent babysitting and doing Uni work - it has taken me all week to get back in to the swing of doing work and being busy every day. It sounds terrible but I haven't had to be busy for a long time. It does, however, feel so good to use my brain and get stuff done. I am a bit concerned with how much I am taking on - I start my new job next week and have been terrified by the amount of Uni work I have to do. It is very frightening.

I also managed to complete my first ever cardio gym class for the first time since Margaret. I have of course done my run and a few pilates classes but as yet had not done more than thirty minutes of cardio exercise. I arrived to the class a bit apprehensive but had picked a circuit class which was described as 'more relaxed' and 'great for beginners' - I figured this was a good place to start. There were only five other women there initially - they all seemed pretty relaxed, one even came with a cup of tea, I did worry that I was taking on a particularly easy class that would end up being a waste of money. But I tell you, these women were incredible. We were joined by ten or so more women of varying ages and it was quite the work out. I really did enjoy it but also came away sweaty, red faced and pretty gross.

The problem I have found in the past with a couple of other classes is that by half an hour in I am struggling to keep up. Hopefully this is something I will be able to improve on and will be tackling some hard on work outs!

Friday I ventured out on a dog walk with Matt and Jake, which was brilliant except for a nasty allergic reaction. I don't know if I inhaled something but I somehow came in to contact with something which caused my eyes and sinuses to swell up, my eyes were itchy and streaming, I couldn't breathe through my nose and my whole face was itching. The symptoms didn't wear off for a good 24 hours, which was not ideal for baby sitting. I looked down right terrible!

Saturday Matt headed off to Southampton for a Palace game - leaving me at home with his 'lovely' Palace jumper. I hate the thing and threatened to dispose of it whilst he wasn't around!

I have begun to write my dissertation which is about gender stereotypes in Disney films and how they effect children.
I am also at the start of figuring out my final major project subject and I think I am going to base it on IBD and body image. It is only early days but I may need to call on all my readers to help with things such as surveys and interviews.
Is this something which any of you would be okay to help with? I am looking for any IBD sufferer and in particular those with a stoma.

This next Friday is my 22nd birthday! It also marks a year from when things went particularly down hill, so I can't wait for this birthday to celebrate getting better.

Lots of love
xxx