The days seem to be going
past so quickly now, which is rather worrying for me as I’m yet to start any
Christmas planning. I’m usually a bit more organised than this, but this year
has been difficult and I’m just trying not to put pressure on myself. I’m sure
people will understand if they don’t get their presents until January! This
week has been incredibly draining, and now I’m really trying hard to get myself
into the Christmas spirit.
Last Sunday was a bit of a
write-off unfortunately. I had planned a really productive day, but woke up
feeling pretty unwell. I slept until very late in the morning, so didn’t
actually have much of the day left. I managed a bit of blogging, but my plans to
get on with my university work didn’t come to fruition. Instead, I fell asleep
on the sofa – oops! When I woke up I found that The Polar Express was on TV, so
I decided to watch it (even though I do already have it on DVD, but when it’s
on TV for some reason I need to watch it, and the adverts!)
Monday was a really
difficult day as our family said goodbye to my Granny. It was very sad and I
cried through most of the service, but I did manage to read out a poem, which I
was glad about. As well as it being a sad day, it was also an opportunity to
celebrate her long and happy life, and it was lovely to hear people’s stories
about her, some of which I had never heard. The top left photo in the collage
is of my Gran’s hat, which she wore in the Wrens (Women’s Royal Naval Service)
and was placed on top of the coffin. She fought as part of the war effort and,
incredibly, was one of the few officers who typed up the D-Day landing orders.
I feel so proud of all the amazing and kind things she did in her life, and it
was really special to spend time as a family after the funeral, toasting to my
Gran’s memory. Now that the funeral has happened, I think we now start to
grieve properly for the beautiful lady we lost, who will be in our hearts
forever.
On Tuesday my Mum took my
sister, Bekkah, and I into town for a little bit of shopping. It wasn’t a big
shopping trip, but there were a few bits that we all wanted to get. I was
particularly on the lookout for some Christmas pyjamas, which I managed to find
in Primark, and a Secret Santa present, which I found in Boots. Bekkah was
desperate to get a fluffy Olaf hoody, but we looked round the whole store and
couldn’t find anything. We had admitted defeat, but when I went to try on a
couple of jumpers, Bekkah spotted a white fluffy hoody on the rails in the
changing rooms. It was the Olaf hoody, in her size! The member of staff said
that, because their store was only small, they hadn’t had any in, but someone
had brought it back from another store. Needless to say, my sister was very
happy! When we got home I managed to finish my portfolio for Uni, which was a
massive relief. I’m really struggling with pain at the moment, as I’m having to
reduce my Tramadol, and it’s not much fun.
Wednesday was quite a
tiring day, but I did get a few bits done. I had hoped to get some of my Uni
essay written in the morning, but ended up falling asleep on the sofa again. I
had an appointment with my mental health care coordinator and we had a long
chat, which I really needed. She’s not here next week, but she’s just told me
to focus on getting through one day at a time. In the afternoon I managed to
get my essay finished and submitted, which was a massive weight off my
shoulders. Everything is now submitted that needs to be in, so I plan on having
a bit of a rest! I got this lovely Radley mug in my advent calendar, which I
think I posted a photo of at the beginning of December. If you haven’t seen it,
basically I made myself an advent calendar and my Mum fills it with surprises.
Most of them are little chocolates/sweets, but the odd one is something more
special, like this mug. Obviously this didn’t fit in the actual calendar – my
Mum leaves a little note for me instead!
On Thursday I had to get up
at 5.30am – I can’t even remember the last time I saw that time of the morning!
My Dad and I had to get up to London, as I had a hospital appointment at The
Royal London, Whitechapel, at 9.40am. We made our way to Waterloo, and then got
a taxi across the Whitechapel. Unfortunately the traffic was awful, so what
should have been a 15-20 minute journey took us almost an hour. I saw my
Professor, who specialises in Neurogastroenterology, especially in patients
with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. I updated him on how things have been over the
last few months and he was concerned that my gastro symptoms haven’t got any
better in the year or so I’ve been seeing him (which is apparently quite normal
for the patients he sees). He wants me to try a radical new diet, which is
based on research by a doctor called Heidi Collins. It’s quite complicated and
I’m gradually going through the paper she wrote, trying to work out what I can
actually eat! So far I’ve worked out I need to cut out sugar, gluten, grains,
red meat, processed fats, most carbohydrates and a variety of fruits and
vegetables. I’m quite concerned about my eating disorder in all this, so I’m
hoping to talk to my GP when I next see her. I’m also seeing a Dietician at my doctor’s
surgery, so I’m hoping she might be able to help me come up with a meal plan. I
decided to treat myself to these macarons, as I usually try and get a treat
when I have difficult hospital appointments,
Friday was much quieter
thankfully, which gave me a chance to catch up on sleep and rest. In the
morning I spent ages on the phone to the bank because some money had been taken
out of my account. I managed to do some blogging, but then the Christmas
planning I had planned for the afternoon didn’t really happen. I did manage to
book tickets though for my siblings and I to go and see the Festival of Lights
at Longleat. I also opened this belated birthday present from my friend Sophie,
which was so thoughtful and I’m really looking forward to reading it.
Saturday was a really
lovely day, which I spent with my friend Sarah. Every year for the last seven
years I have gone to stay with her and her husband in West Sussex. But this
year I just wasn’t well enough, so Sarah brought our Christmas weekend to me
instead. We started by making sock snowmen whilst we listened to Michael Bublé
and chatted. After a bit of lunch (hot soup and crusty bread if you’re
wondering) we made some glittery Santas and then watched Nativity, followed by
part of Nativity 2, in front of the wood-burning stove. It was so lovely to
spend time with Sarah and just have some time to do fun things, without any
pressure of deadlines.
If you haven’t read my blog
before, I just wanted to let you know that I have a second blog, which mainly
focuses on my health in more depth than I talk about it here. It’s largely for
friends and family to follow and keep up with what’s going on, but if it’s
something you would be interested in reading as well, you are more than welcome
to follow me over there. It’s called Unicorns and Floral Crowns and you can
find it by clicking here. I haven’t updated it for a while, but I hope to
get into a routine soon. I’m also trying to post on Snapchat a bit more, so if
you fancy following me, my username is Jennycole44.
What have you been up to this week? I
always enjoy hearing about your news and adventures!
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