Spring is my favourite time of the year.I love watching everything getting new life and growth. I enjoy watching the lambs running and jumping round the field, calling to there Mama's they want feeding. Also of course, I'm expecting my new Grandson, Charlie to arrive, Mother's day and also at the end of March its my 49th birthday. So I'm hoping that all this gives me some much needed energy.
March 1st, ST Davids Day, well I'm not welsh but I live in Wales, so I decided I wanted homemade Leek and Potato soup,(Matthew calls this Nanny's soup, he loves it). Bob came over and did all the chopping, we made loads so we both had some for our freezer as well as for lunch.
Also that day I had to go to the doctors, the new doctor at my surgery is lovely, a woman, I'd say in her 30's, modern and she listens and I don't feel she is rushing me out of their. She made an appointment to have some blood tests. The first question I asked her was "what did she think of M.E", I liked her answer, she doesn't believe people imagine they are ill, she believes its very real.
Later I played some scrabble on facebook, I had an early night as I was so tired and muscles were sore.
Friday was a good day, enjoyed work, then had to go to a meeting at work at 7pm. Afterwards we all went to a Pizza place, it was a planned, just happened and it was great, we all had a good time.
Exhaustion caught up with me by Saturday, I woke in morning for a drink and tablets, then slept till 4.40pm. Had more tablets a drink, then back to bed. Sunday was the same. No food,I hadn't the energy to prepare anything let alone eat it, no shower nothing except sleep and the odd drink and a few cigarettes.
Monday I woke, stiff and sore and smelly, so it was shower first, its great having the shower, I have a grip rail and a step so its a lot easier for me. After the shower, I wrapped myself up in a big towel and had 2 cups of tea and of course a couple of cigarettes. Chopped apple and strawberries for breakfast, was lovely, then got ready and went to work, I was quite busy, managed to have pumpkin ryvitas and pate with some little tomatoes for lunch.
After work I was shattered again so it was an early night.
Tuesday Bob came over and took me to the doctors, for the blood tests. I hate them, after all these years I know I should be used to them, but I'm not, I get so tense every time, its difficult for the nurse to get blood out and I always end up with a bruise.
Afterwards we went to Newtown and had lunch together which was nice. I went to bed when I got back as I wanted to be awake for the football on TV, my team, Birmingham City were playing Chelsea.... I watched it ....we lost!
Had an awful night hardly slept at all, with all the tablets I take I should be knocked out every night, but it doesn't seem to work like that, muscle spasms, stiffness in my joints, it was a good job it was my day off as I wasn't capable of much at all on Thursday. By Friday morning I was a bit better and able to go to work, I had a fresh fruit salad for breakfast, had a shower, then went to work. It was a quiet day, and at 6pm Cath and I went to Talgarth for a swim, steam room and a Jacuzzi which was lovely.
Saturday I woke and couldn't lift my arms, I knew my muscles would be sore from the swimming but I didn't expect them to be as bad as they were. Jon and Sarah came round for a couple of hours in the afternoon and we watched some rugby. After they left I had a slow walk round the town, it was a lovely sunny afternoon, one of those days where you feel glad to be alive.
I got a couple of pasties from the shop, easy for me cook, just put it in the microwave, was lovely with some HP brown sauce. I was in bed by 7.30pm, this is what gets me mad, in bed on a Saturday night at 7.30pm, not because I want to, I have no choice. I would love to be out with family or friends socialising, having a meal, or going to the cinema.... not bloody fair.
Sunday was another lovely sunny day, for me it was more tablets, a drink and back to bed, I managed to get up at 7.30pm, ate the other pasty had a drink and was back in bed by 9pm. Very pissed off to say the least!.
Charlie had been due to be born on the Saturday which was the 10th March, he wasn't and Katie was desperate for him to be born as she was feeling so uncomfortable and tired.
Monday, again in desperate need of a shower before anything else, then I slowly got ready for work, then had banana and strawberries for breakfast. Stripped my bed and opened the bedroom window, then went to work. Came back to the flat at 3pm and just lay on the bed for a couple of hours... or so. I woke just before midnight! Had a drink, a couple of cigarettes, made my bed, then slept solid till the morning. Brain fog and exhaustion do not go well together, so ended up spending most of Tuesday, another day off in bed. Then in the afternoon I had to get out of bed shower and strip my bed again. The sweats drive me mad, its like my whole body sweats.
Bob came over late afternoon, Jon popped in for a while. Ate some ham and spicy wedges and played scrabble for a while, then made my bed up again, then got in it and slept till Wednesday morning.
Wednesday morning was beautiful, warm and sunny, when I got to work I rang Katie as she was on my mind, she told me she was in pain with her back and could hardly sit down. I told her that i thought she might be in labour, as I remembered feeling like that. She didn't think she was as the pain wasn't that bad and anyway the midwife was coming out to see her that afternoon and she said she would tell her and ask what she thought. I talked to my friend at work and they thought it was labour too. I phoned her back and told her what I thought and that I thought she should give the midwife an hour then if she hadn't been then to get an ambulance and go to hospital. Katie phoned about midday to say that she was 6cm gone and the midwife was taking her straight to hospital!
I phoned Bob and he came over and picked me up from work and we rushed over to Carmarthen....took us 2 hours, we asked the nurse to let her know we were there and then 40 minutes later Ross came out to get us and take us to meet our new grandson and to see Katie.
Meet our new addition to our family...Charlie James Elliot, weighing 7lb 6ounces, born at 4.40pm 14th March 2012.
Bob picked me up and we went to see Jon on his birthday. He wanted Belt buckles for his birthday, a while before me and Jon had been looking on the Internet and found a couple he really liked, a Union Jack and a Rare MG car one, this was from USA. He knew I had got him the Union Jack but didn't know I had got the other one, so he was really pleased.
I was still hurting from doing to much the previous weekend, so I could only cope with staying about an hour, as I had to work the next day I needed to take my tablets and get to get to bed.
I slept till 3.45am when I woke feeling like I had been run over, by back, hips and legs were so sore and stiff, the discomfort from this actually woke me, it took about 20mins of trying to move for me to be able to get out of bed, then as soon as my feet touch the ground, they feel like the bones are cracking and it really hurts. I tried some gentle stretching while I was up as well as having a cuppa and a couple of cigarette's. It was about 5.am when I got back too bed, didn't sleep just lay their gently trying to move every few mins.
I rang Katie the next morning when I got as the 17th is her birthday. I had given her a perfume set, the new perfume by Vera Wang and the body lotion, so she was happy.
Work wasn't too busy, which was a good thing as I was not to good on my legs and I was having a brain fog day, letters were awful, so many typo's, I even forgot what I was typing about lol. So I was glad to go back to my flat and rest, I ate some fruit took tablets, had a cuppa and a couple of cigarette's and I was in bed by 5pm and I slept solidly till 4pm the next day, that's like 23 hours and I don't remember waking at all.
Saturday night Jon and Sarah had a party for Jon's birthday and a moving in party, I went for a couple of hours, Sarah had done a lovely buffet, which was good as I hadn't eaten, in fact I think I lived on sugar puffs and fruit mostly that week!
Sunday I woke at 1pm and felt quite good I managed to iron, 15 items in 2 hours, took a while but I was glad I had managed to do some. I washed my hair and Sarah came and did a pedicure and manicure . I love being pampered.
The next week I did too much, I worked Monday, went to a Conference in Birmingham Tuesday at Birmingham City football ground, which I enjoyed but the travelling and the concentration got too me, I got back at 5.30pm and was in bed by 6.30pm. I worked Wednesday, got soaked through to my underwear walking back to the flat after work , got undressed had a cuppa and a cigarette and got into bed. Woke up at 10pm with the shakes and the sweats, had some toast, more tablets, a cuppa and went back to bed. Thursday is usually a day off but I had to go in to work at 10.am till 2.pm because we had a computer person coming in to check all our computers and the net work. I went to bed at 3.pm till 6.pm I woke feeling like a zombie, put some sausages on my "George Foreman grill" and had a sausage sandwich. I do think these grills are great, I wish I had bought one years ago, so easy to use and no bending to put or get things in or out of the oven. I was so thirsty I drank 3 cans of coke in an hour. I had a bit of a wash and then got in the other side of the bed and slept till 3.30am. I woke feeling like I had been run over again, so stiff and sore, after about 20 mins I was able to get myself up and made a drink and had more tablets, tried rubbing my legs and shoulders only then to have my hands hurt. I had a couple of cigarette's and another drink, cried for about 20 mins, feeling sorry for myself, which then gets me mad at myself. I got back into bed about 5.am and just lay their till 7.am, getting up then didn't take as long because I hadn't been asleep in one position.
Friday I was quite busy in work with letters and case work, so I was very tired when I got back to the flat. I slept till about 8.pm and then had to get myself out of bed as I needed food and a drink. Getting myself out of bed is getting harder especially when I have slept for a few hours, it really feels like I have been hit by a car, I do know what that feels like as it happened to me when I was younger. I'm 49 next month, its beginning to worry me what I'm going to be like in another 10 years, hopefully their will be a cure by then and we will all have our lives back.
I went back to bed about 10pm as Cath and I were going to Shrewsbury on the train and she was calling for me at 9.30am.
We had a lovely day, I bought myself a dress and one of those body shaper things from Marks and Spencers, we had a look in a couple of shops, then we went to the sports bar and had lunch and waited for the rugby to start. England and Wales, was a good match, but England lost. Caths daughter and Jon and Sarah were out in a pub in Machynlleth and they wanted us to go for a drink with them. Well we were both hurting as we got to the train in Shrewsbury and the travelling made us worse so by the time we got back to Machynlleth, we were both in so much pain, that we just both went home. I had a drink then got into bed. Sunday I didn't really see till the evening when I woke in agony, every joint every muscle hurt like hell even my fingers and toes. I eventually managed to get to my tablets, it hurt to walk, to sit and lie down, I took tramadol every 3 hours instead of 4, I just couldn't cope with the pain. I took some drinks back to bed with me and lay propped up with cushions and cushions all under my body to try and ease the pain. I fell asleep with the help of Zopiclone and Tramadol. My boss had texted me that she wouldn't be in work Monday and I didn't to let anyone down so I hoped I wasn't like this in the morning.
I wasn't quite as bad in the morning, I was very stiff and sore but I managed to get into work, the walk into walk usually takes me 10mins on a good day, I know it took me a lot longer that day.
I wasn't much use that day, I could answer the phone and that was about it. A colleague offered to do my Wednesday shift as she could see I was struggling. So that was good, at least I could rest till Friday. By the time I got back to my flat I was in agony with my back , hips, legs and arms, also very fatigued.
Tuesday I was still the same and I had to go for a smear test at the Doctors. Bob came over in the morning and helped me and made some lunch. Then Bob drove me to the doctors, the nurse was lovely and helped with my clothes and getting me on and off the couch. The nurse was concerned and we chatted a while and she told me a new woman doctor had started. I made an appointment for March 1st.
