Hello...It's been to long.
I've been busy with the usual hospital, knitting, photography etc.
I've decided to do one of these 365 days of photography where you photograph events in your life each day, then at the end of the year you can look back on them like a scrap book. I may not be able to post everyday but I will continue to take the photo's and post them as and when I am able. As I don't use my computer everyday I know I won't upload a photo everyday but I will use all of my camera's so I can do it while I'm out and about. I will take the photographs with my DSLR, my normal digital camera, my iPad and my phone.
So here we go....
Tuesday, 1 January 2013
Tuesday, 3 July 2012
Ukulele and me
My good friend Nicola and I have taken up the Ukulele. I'm rather excited about it and even though I've only had it a few months I'm doing ok.
Nicola has a distinct advantage over me as she is a fiddle player, but then I have played a little bit of guitar and have more time on my hands for practise.
Now, I'm not saying that after 3 days I'm as good as Mr Formby, but I can rock a mean version of Sweet Child O' Mine. If you've never heard a bit of Guns & Roses played on the ukulele then you haven't lived!
On a serious note, I'm actually rather surprised at myself. It's been a long time since I felt like playing music. I've forgotten so much that I haven't really bothered over the last few years.
A few months ago I sang at an open mic in a pub (it's the pub where we go knitting on a Thursday so I know a few of the regulars). I got a great reception. Comments like ' I didn't know you could sing' and 'you're a dark horse' and my most favourite comment was, 'are you a professional?'
That afternoon I was reminded that I've spent most of my life mastering a craft that I'm very lucky to have. A lot of people tell me how they would love to be able to sing and that I have been given a gift. (I wonder if it was Gods way of making up for the RA!)
I always thought that everyone could sing and that you could teach anyone to discover their own voice but maybe I'm wrong. The voice is an instrument that we all share but we can't all use it. I think that some are born with something that makes a singing voice extra special. In the same way others are good at cooking or art or sport or French. (I'm rubbish at ALL of those things by the way!) Maybe it's all programmed into us before we're born.
Mmmmm food for thought me thinks!
Nicola has a distinct advantage over me as she is a fiddle player, but then I have played a little bit of guitar and have more time on my hands for practise.
Now, I'm not saying that after 3 days I'm as good as Mr Formby, but I can rock a mean version of Sweet Child O' Mine. If you've never heard a bit of Guns & Roses played on the ukulele then you haven't lived!
On a serious note, I'm actually rather surprised at myself. It's been a long time since I felt like playing music. I've forgotten so much that I haven't really bothered over the last few years.
A few months ago I sang at an open mic in a pub (it's the pub where we go knitting on a Thursday so I know a few of the regulars). I got a great reception. Comments like ' I didn't know you could sing' and 'you're a dark horse' and my most favourite comment was, 'are you a professional?'
That afternoon I was reminded that I've spent most of my life mastering a craft that I'm very lucky to have. A lot of people tell me how they would love to be able to sing and that I have been given a gift. (I wonder if it was Gods way of making up for the RA!)
I always thought that everyone could sing and that you could teach anyone to discover their own voice but maybe I'm wrong. The voice is an instrument that we all share but we can't all use it. I think that some are born with something that makes a singing voice extra special. In the same way others are good at cooking or art or sport or French. (I'm rubbish at ALL of those things by the way!) Maybe it's all programmed into us before we're born.
Mmmmm food for thought me thinks!
Monday, 25 June 2012
A catch up...
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| My 10% Keyring |
So I'm still amazed everyday with how much weight I've lost.
After last Friday's weigh in I've lost 40lbs and I got my 10%. I can't quite believe it. I'm going to be so excited when I get to 50lbs and then 60...and so on...and so on!
I promise there will be photos soon.
Wednesday, 6 June 2012
Dieting
As you know I've been losing weight. My reason for writing about it on here was because if I wrote it down, I had to do it.
People who start to lose weight have what they call a trigger, this could be one trigger, or several triggers that kick start them into losing weight. I'm guessing the people who stick to it are the ones who remember those triggers and keep them in their mind throughout the journey. I had several triggers that motivated me to diet and I wanted to share them with you.
1. I looked like shit. There is no being nice about it, I did look... like... shit. I've always spent a lot of money on clothes, hair etc but when it got that I spent a fortune and still looked rough, then I needed to do something about it.
2. My second was my friend, she suffered a stroke at 32. She's absolutely fine now and it has done nothing more than given her and the rest of us a massive shake up. She ended up losing 3 stone and I decided that I needed to do it too. I also wanted to support her and the only way I could do that, was to do it with her.
3. I was fat at 30, I'm not going to be fat at 31.
4. I was putting more and more on everytime I went to the hospital. Discussing your weight with someone is just horrible, even if it is a nurse and they've seen it all before it still makes you feel like shit.
5. I was 16 and a half stone, size 22-24 and I couldn't fit into my old clothes.
I did really well on my own at first, losing around 16lbs. I wanted to lose it quicker so I joined Weight Watchers. It's been the best thing I've done. I've lost another 20lbs in 10 weeks on the plan and am really enjoying it. The people are friendly and I'm loving the meetings.
I learned a lot about portion sizes, I'm eating the same amounts of some things, some less but with some foods I'm actually eating more. I was having 25g of cereal and a Weight Watchers portion is 30g so now I'm eating more in the morning which is obviously why I'm not so hungry.
I've given myself lots of small goals to work towards which I think is really important. Before this morning's weigh in my goals were;
1. Lose half a lb and I'll have lost 2 and a half stone altogether.
2. Lose another 2lbs and I get my 3rd silver 7 on Weight Watchers.
3. Another half a lbs and I'll have lost 10% of my body weight on Weight Watchers.
To achieve all these goals I only have to lose 3lbs altogether. Yes the bigger picture is always in the back of my mind. I have another 4 stone to go but that's not a massive problem when you set yourself more obtainable targets.
It's not all about the numbers either, you can get all caught up with numbers and I don't think it's healthy. Clothes and confidence can tell a bigger story.
1. I've bought some size 16 jeans and I can do them up, but they're a bit tight so I'm looking forward to wearing them.
2. I've also got into to nearly all my old clothes.
3. My Mum has taken in several tops and dresses. Around 4 inches of material has been taken off each item.
4. I wanted to buy a top from the New Look Inspire Range in a size 16 only to be told 'I'm sorry madam, the smallest the Inspire Range goes is a size 18!' Well that felt good!
The thing with losing weight is that you have to really want to do it and believe me, I really want to.
People who start to lose weight have what they call a trigger, this could be one trigger, or several triggers that kick start them into losing weight. I'm guessing the people who stick to it are the ones who remember those triggers and keep them in their mind throughout the journey. I had several triggers that motivated me to diet and I wanted to share them with you.
1. I looked like shit. There is no being nice about it, I did look... like... shit. I've always spent a lot of money on clothes, hair etc but when it got that I spent a fortune and still looked rough, then I needed to do something about it.
2. My second was my friend, she suffered a stroke at 32. She's absolutely fine now and it has done nothing more than given her and the rest of us a massive shake up. She ended up losing 3 stone and I decided that I needed to do it too. I also wanted to support her and the only way I could do that, was to do it with her.
3. I was fat at 30, I'm not going to be fat at 31.
4. I was putting more and more on everytime I went to the hospital. Discussing your weight with someone is just horrible, even if it is a nurse and they've seen it all before it still makes you feel like shit.
5. I was 16 and a half stone, size 22-24 and I couldn't fit into my old clothes.
I did really well on my own at first, losing around 16lbs. I wanted to lose it quicker so I joined Weight Watchers. It's been the best thing I've done. I've lost another 20lbs in 10 weeks on the plan and am really enjoying it. The people are friendly and I'm loving the meetings.
I learned a lot about portion sizes, I'm eating the same amounts of some things, some less but with some foods I'm actually eating more. I was having 25g of cereal and a Weight Watchers portion is 30g so now I'm eating more in the morning which is obviously why I'm not so hungry.
I've given myself lots of small goals to work towards which I think is really important. Before this morning's weigh in my goals were;
1. Lose half a lb and I'll have lost 2 and a half stone altogether.
2. Lose another 2lbs and I get my 3rd silver 7 on Weight Watchers.
3. Another half a lbs and I'll have lost 10% of my body weight on Weight Watchers.
To achieve all these goals I only have to lose 3lbs altogether. Yes the bigger picture is always in the back of my mind. I have another 4 stone to go but that's not a massive problem when you set yourself more obtainable targets.
It's not all about the numbers either, you can get all caught up with numbers and I don't think it's healthy. Clothes and confidence can tell a bigger story.
1. I've bought some size 16 jeans and I can do them up, but they're a bit tight so I'm looking forward to wearing them.
2. I've also got into to nearly all my old clothes.
3. My Mum has taken in several tops and dresses. Around 4 inches of material has been taken off each item.
4. I wanted to buy a top from the New Look Inspire Range in a size 16 only to be told 'I'm sorry madam, the smallest the Inspire Range goes is a size 18!' Well that felt good!
The thing with losing weight is that you have to really want to do it and believe me, I really want to.
Danger, knitters about!
I know I haven't posted for a while. Arthritis, weight loss and knitting has taken over my life but since we last spoke a few things have happened that I wanted to tell you about.
You already know that I dislocated my hip replacement. Well less that a week after the hip incident I was out with some knitters at a Weatherspoons. I went to use the disabled toilet but as I was walking back I fell over. I'm not sure how it happened but I think I caught something slippy on the floor and went flying onto my front. I had to put my elbows out to stop me as my hands would never stop me from falling, they are far to painful. A few came to my aid and I was most grateful. I had no idea how I would begin to peel myself up of the floor, having no strength in my arms means that I can't push on them. Then I heard someone say, 'don't worry I'm a paramedic'. Some poor man was eating his steak and chips and came over to look after me. He managed to get me up and I was so greatful.
A few weeks later on Easter Tuesday, I was again out with knitters and I decided to drop a very hot black coffee all over my legs. The first aid person was very quick to act as were all my friends but a special thank you to my friend Sylvia who, I'm pretty sure if she hadn't move my leggings away from my legs so quickly, things might have been a bit different.
Now I know what you're thinking. All three incidents are related to knitting. You would be right in thinking it was a gentle pass time, but I'm here to tell you that it is a dangerous sport with serious consequences such as addiction, gossip, sore hands, wrists and fingers and of course with any good addict, the hoarding!
You already know that I dislocated my hip replacement. Well less that a week after the hip incident I was out with some knitters at a Weatherspoons. I went to use the disabled toilet but as I was walking back I fell over. I'm not sure how it happened but I think I caught something slippy on the floor and went flying onto my front. I had to put my elbows out to stop me as my hands would never stop me from falling, they are far to painful. A few came to my aid and I was most grateful. I had no idea how I would begin to peel myself up of the floor, having no strength in my arms means that I can't push on them. Then I heard someone say, 'don't worry I'm a paramedic'. Some poor man was eating his steak and chips and came over to look after me. He managed to get me up and I was so greatful.
A few weeks later on Easter Tuesday, I was again out with knitters and I decided to drop a very hot black coffee all over my legs. The first aid person was very quick to act as were all my friends but a special thank you to my friend Sylvia who, I'm pretty sure if she hadn't move my leggings away from my legs so quickly, things might have been a bit different.
Now I know what you're thinking. All three incidents are related to knitting. You would be right in thinking it was a gentle pass time, but I'm here to tell you that it is a dangerous sport with serious consequences such as addiction, gossip, sore hands, wrists and fingers and of course with any good addict, the hoarding!
Thursday, 8 March 2012
Heads, shoulders, knees and....hips!
I thought I'd give you an update on how things are progressing joint wise.
Well, the scar on my shoulder has been quite sore. It's felt like a graze and the skin feels as if it's stretching every time I move my arm, which is pretty uncomfortable. I was advised by my practise nurse to use bio oil which would help to soften the skin. I used twice daily for about a week and I felt it made it worse. I used bio oil when I had my knee replaced and the same thing happened so I should have known not to use it but I gave it a good go any way.
This all resulted in me going too see the Dr on Wednesday of last week. He said it was an unusual complaint but gave me some hydrocortisone cream to try. It made the skin feel better straight away and by Friday I was able to wear a proper bra again. Up until now I've been wearing strapless bras therefore wearing a proper bra for the first time in two months has been awesome.
Physio is going slowly and is difficult. I saw the physio again on 28th February and she's really pleased with me. I have to start lifting a light weight such as a half filled bottle of water to build up my strength. My arm has been completely useless for so long that I need to build my muscles up to help regain the use. Physio is progressing quickly and I'm finding I can do more and more for myself each day.
Dressing myself is still difficult for me and I'm still requiring help in the mornings. I'm told that a shoulder resurfacing is a massive operation, far more invasive than any other operation I've ever had before. I was also told that it is a long operation so I suppose it takes longer to recover from.
I feel fine in myself, I've been back driving for about 7 weeks. I don't drive if I don't feel well enough so I must feel ok.
In other news my left elbow keeps swelling up. I've have had problems with it since last summer and the pain in it is pretty intense. I have to be careful how much I'm using my arm when using it so it doesn't swell up. I've been having a few problems with my hands too, they are swollen again and I'm struggling to use them. I'm trying to keep them moving with my knitting but I can't do too much of that either at the moment.
On Sunday I was turning to pick some knitting up and I felt my hip twist out of it's joint. It wasn't too painful but I knew that if I didn't do anything about it that it could be serious. I straightened myself up and heard a large click and felt my hip go back into place. It felt rather uncomfortable and the pain was quite bad over Sunday night and Monday. I decided, with a little push from my nurse friend, that I would ring the surgeons secretary and she gave me a an appointment for Wednesday morning.
My dad came to the hospital with me where I had an X-ray to check it was all ok and I'm very pleased to report that everything is fine. He said that it sounded like it had dislocated but that it's gone back in and that I haven't done any damage to it. My dad and I breathed a huge sigh of relief.
This just reminds me that I have to be really careful of my hip and that I must look after it as it has to last me quite a long time.
Well, the scar on my shoulder has been quite sore. It's felt like a graze and the skin feels as if it's stretching every time I move my arm, which is pretty uncomfortable. I was advised by my practise nurse to use bio oil which would help to soften the skin. I used twice daily for about a week and I felt it made it worse. I used bio oil when I had my knee replaced and the same thing happened so I should have known not to use it but I gave it a good go any way.
This all resulted in me going too see the Dr on Wednesday of last week. He said it was an unusual complaint but gave me some hydrocortisone cream to try. It made the skin feel better straight away and by Friday I was able to wear a proper bra again. Up until now I've been wearing strapless bras therefore wearing a proper bra for the first time in two months has been awesome.
Physio is going slowly and is difficult. I saw the physio again on 28th February and she's really pleased with me. I have to start lifting a light weight such as a half filled bottle of water to build up my strength. My arm has been completely useless for so long that I need to build my muscles up to help regain the use. Physio is progressing quickly and I'm finding I can do more and more for myself each day.
Dressing myself is still difficult for me and I'm still requiring help in the mornings. I'm told that a shoulder resurfacing is a massive operation, far more invasive than any other operation I've ever had before. I was also told that it is a long operation so I suppose it takes longer to recover from.
I feel fine in myself, I've been back driving for about 7 weeks. I don't drive if I don't feel well enough so I must feel ok.
In other news my left elbow keeps swelling up. I've have had problems with it since last summer and the pain in it is pretty intense. I have to be careful how much I'm using my arm when using it so it doesn't swell up. I've been having a few problems with my hands too, they are swollen again and I'm struggling to use them. I'm trying to keep them moving with my knitting but I can't do too much of that either at the moment.
Anyway, it's not all bad news as I had my tocilizumab infusion last Friday and so my bones should be feeling better soon.
On Sunday I was turning to pick some knitting up and I felt my hip twist out of it's joint. It wasn't too painful but I knew that if I didn't do anything about it that it could be serious. I straightened myself up and heard a large click and felt my hip go back into place. It felt rather uncomfortable and the pain was quite bad over Sunday night and Monday. I decided, with a little push from my nurse friend, that I would ring the surgeons secretary and she gave me a an appointment for Wednesday morning.
My dad came to the hospital with me where I had an X-ray to check it was all ok and I'm very pleased to report that everything is fine. He said that it sounded like it had dislocated but that it's gone back in and that I haven't done any damage to it. My dad and I breathed a huge sigh of relief.
This just reminds me that I have to be really careful of my hip and that I must look after it as it has to last me quite a long time.
Wednesday, 7 March 2012
Feet, shoes and insoles
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| My new insoles. |
We then got on to talking about my feet and she asked me if they were painful, to which I replied 'they're fine'. She laughed and said that I would be surprised how many people with arthritis say that, but in reality they're not fine. I told her that I have pain in my ankle but that could be from my right knee which needs replacing and has done for quite some time now. She told me that my right ankle is leaning over to one side therefore I have a high instep which could be why it's painful and swollen.
So she wants me to try some insoles in my shoes but impressed upon me that the insoles could undo the good that my joint replacements have done. She also said that if they cause lots of pain then I can stop wearing them.
They arrived in the post last week. I haven't tried them yet but I will let you know how I get on over the next few weeks.
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