Busy Days and the Morning After

Hey Guys!

A few days ago I came across this amazing film, released by badgut.com - the GI Society in Canada. It is a truly brilliant animation which explains IBD simply and perfectly. I urge you all to watch it and if you are an IBD sufferer to check out their site. Although it is based in Canada it is still full of very useful info! Canada has one of the highest rates of IBD in the world, so they are a great source for information and help.

www.badgut.com

& the AMAZING film


Now here is my Wednesday list for you all:

MY TOP 10 THINGS THAT MAKE ME FEEL BETTER

1/ Paint my nails
Even when you are stuck in pyjamas, your hair is dry and brittle and you have dark circles under your eyes, having your nails done is an instant pick me up. It is a flash of colour, that makes me feel like my old self. I also find it incredibly therapeutic, to make my nails all pretty again.

2/ Eating
I am not ashamed to say I am a bit of a foody. Food is very important to me and dictates my mood probably more than it should. If I am craving something specific or there is nothing that nice in the cupboards I am not a happy girl, I get so grumpy when I haven't eaten. I'm sure Matt will back this one up! If I am ever a bit snappy he always says, "Are you hungry?" - which of course makes me even moodier! Poor guy!

3/ A bath
As I have said before, I love my baths. They always relax me and make me feel better when everything is a bit rubbish!

4/ Bake

Baking always makes me feel good, and watching people love and eat my baked goods makes me very happy. It's shame that I can't do it from my bed, but when I'm feeling up to it it's a mood booster.

5/ A hot water bottle
I am sucker for a hot water bottle. It doesn't seem to matter what time of the year it is, I always love a hot water bottle. They not only ease pain and relax my tummy muscles but I also now associate them with comfort, so they always make me feel better.

6/ Box sets
When I am down, poorly or in pain I find a good box set invaluable. It is so easy to get lost in a box set and forget about your own world for an hour (or 10)...

7/ A hug
Nothing beats a hug.

8/ A walk
Now in recent times I haven't been able to walk very easily, and I wouldn't call myself an "out doorsy type" but I do like a nice stroll. Especially if there is a pub at the end of it! My Mum has always said, if I'm feeling down, "Get out of the house, go for a walk, get some fresh air" - and it definitely works.

9/ Magazines
I am a magazine lover! I often wait until I can buy a months lot in one go and read them all one after the other. I rip out pages I like and clothes I want and I have a file of shoots I love. The geek in my definitely comes out, as does my love of the fashion industry.

10/ Matt
No matter my mood, Matt makes me feel better. He makes me laugh every day, even if he is just being so frustrating! He doesn't let me wallow or feel sorry for myself, his fail safe answer is, "Oh babe, what are we gonna do with you, it'll be okay". He is my rock and my best friend. He doesn't let me take life too seriously, and reminds me that there is more to me than this disease.
He will chat away about his big plans or ideas and I am there to bring him back down to earth; we are a mighty fine team. I would say we bring out the best in each other and I am an incredibly lucky girl to have him in my life. He is very lucky too of course!!

Yesterday I had the busiest day in months! I had already arranged to see Harry and his lovely girlfriend, Phoebe. They picked me up and took me out of the house - which in itself was very exciting. We wandered through town, had a very cheeky McDonalds and sat outside a coffee shop in the sun. It was so lovely to feel like an actual human being, we barely spoke about the bag, Margaret or Crohn's which was so nice. I also had the best drink! An iced, strawberry lemonade. I am supposed to be drinking a ridiculous amount of fluids a day and have been doing so badly at it, but this would get a lot easier if I could have one of these every day!
I got home on a bit of an energy high, I blame the sugar in my wonder drink, Matt had some brilliant news about his work and was really keen to talk about it all. So I decided to go on a dog walk with him and my three gorgeous woofs. Initially my plan was to wander with him for the first 15 minutes then turn back and let him continue on his trek, but I felt good so kept on going. Half an hour in, Margaret was not very happy and was seriously aching, I was glad when we got home. Not that I had long to relax as an hour later I was out of the house again, for Matt and Hannah's Dads 50th birthday meal. It was a surprise at a lovely restaurant, the food was great and it was nice to dress up but I was exhausted. When you are feeling shattered it is so hard to put on a smile and chat with strangers who have no idea. I also had to sort Margaret out, out of the house for the first time. Which was nerve-wracking but went fine! Now that I have done it once, I think I will be a lot more confident in the future.

Matt and I ready to go out

It is safe to say I massively over did it yesterday, I am now so drained and achey. Last night my bag began peeling off, and my stomach became painful and bloated. Margaret was very sore, and I had to take pain killers to get to sleep. Today I have had to cancel on seeing one of my friends and I am having a bit of a bed day. I think that is my lesson learnt!! When you start to feel a bit better, it is very easy to get carried away! I now promise myself to take it a bit slower, even if I do feel okay. 

I also thought from now on I would stick to a schedule with my blog; as much as I can, I will be posting on Mondays, Wednesdays and Frida; with Wednesdays including my lists. That way all you lovely readers will know, roughly when the next post will be coming! If you are a regular reader I would really appreciate it if you could subscribe to my blog, that way my new posts will turn up in your inbox - you'll never miss a thing.

Thank you all again, for reading and your continued support! 

Lots of love

XXX