Surprisingly good!

Being a nurse and having worked in a GP's surgery before I qualified I have certain expectations of Doctors but I certainly learned not to judge a book by its cover on my recent visit!

Half an hour late and you're already a little bit disgruntled, to be greeted by a doctor who was probably half my age, whose hair had not seen a brush in days and was sat chewing gum, and continued to do so throughout the whole consultation...is it just me or is that a tad unprofessional?

Anyway, I had 2 points for discussion, one required further action on GPs side, a letter to a specialist which I'm not convinced she'll remember to do as she'd forgotten by the time she did a recap at the end! And then we moved on to the second point, and it was here that I was surprised!

I had discussed my issue with a colleague and had then, obviously, gleaned the internet for further
information and, as all good nurses do, had self-diagnosed, I wanted to see if she agreed! I reeled off my symptoms, to which she listened to, considered carefully and then offered her diagnosis...it matched...hurrah! Maybe she was ok after all! After a brief discussion, 10 minutes is never enough is it?, she not only made me feel like I wasn't going mad but she actually offered me medications to try and help straight away...finally I was getting somewhere!

So, I'm 6 days into my new medicine, felt like rubbish up until this morning, burst into tears on a colleague on Sunday, slept most of Monday and am still in some pain but I'm feeling hopeful! Positive action is required so I'm off to my first yoga class today and have got a 1-2-1 session booked when I'm off in 2 weeks time...this could be the start of something wonderful

Hoping to be able to report brilliant things next week, until then...

Lx

Do more of what makes you happy!

Source - Kikki-k Collaborative Happiness Project


This year my first resolution is to keep my blog going!

I am determined to endeavour to actually stick to my resolutions this year. Some are the same old, same old but others I have taken up due to the wonder of social media and the virtual 'friends' I have had the pleasure of 'meeting'!

Quite obviously the first resolution is the title for this post! We all get so embroiled in 'doing stuff' that we lose sight of what is important! Work enables us to do so much yet leaves us drained, distracted and sometimes disillusioned with the world around us! My work, Paediatric Intensive Care, always makes me realise how simple my life is and how complicated some others lives are, I am truly grateful to be on the side of the bed I'm on.

However that does not mean my life is without frustrations, my youngest, H, is rapidly approaching teenage-dom and is challenging to say the least, delighting in playing one off against the other (we are a step-family so 'Dad' is texted over every event that does not meet with H's approval) and generally being a normal pre-teen, by that I mean untidy, argumentative, idle and prone to being a little smelly every so often!! I will save more detail for future posts.

K, now 14,  works hard, studies lots and has settled down a lot. This age is interesting, she is definitely becoming her own person, dealing with changing friendship groups (girls can be so awkward), admiring glances and approaches from the opposite sex (including a 4 month boyfriend)
and, to my complete joy, discovering the films I watched at her age, starting with 'The Breakfast Club' so I get to watch them all over again (my brother will love this)!!

L and K, the eldest and boyfriend, have both got new jobs, interests (L is into knitting and crochet - another resolution of mine is to get her to teach me) and are busy planning a trip away to. New York! We went for my 40th, report to follow, and I hope they have the most amazing time, I cannot wait to go back!!

E has settled down with her boyfriend J, they both have new jobs too and J seems to be doing really well and climbing the ladder already and they are planning a future together, flat/house discussions and the like. J is lovely and I think he will fit in perfectly with our madness. We will soon find out as we're all off to CentreParcs later this year...cannot wait!

Mr W continues to be my rock, better half and steadying influence! I am prone to a vivid imagination and can be slightly melodramatic (sometimes) but he brings reason into my life and reassures me that he will always be there for me and I love him!!

Just a brief(ish) update and more resolutions to follow as 2015 is the year of  'sticking to it'

Lx














*well I promise to try my hardest!

Running to 40...

Today saw the real start of my 'Running to 40' challenge, for those of you who follow me on Twitter, are friends on Facebook or have read my blog before I hope you know what I am talking about!

My 'Running to 40' challenge is my midlife crisis in slightly different wrapping! It is a series of activities on the lead up to my birthday and beyond and will probably continue until I come to my senses! My intention is to raise money for, and awareness of, The Joshua Tree.

So, the beginning, I signed up for the national event that is 'Park Run', my local one is held in Delamere Forest, the most beautiful of settings. These 'runs' go on all over the country, at various parks, at 9am every Saturday. They are incredibly well organises, by an army of volunteers, and provide the opportunity for a timed 5k race. Later on the same day you receive an email informing you of your time and on the website, www.parkrun.org.uk/delamere/, there is a results table.  My aim today was to a) get round the whole course b) not to fall over (tree roots and mud are very hazardous and plentiful at Delamere and c) not to be last!! I am very pleased to report that I fulfilled my aims...all of them!! My time, 35 minutes 43 seconds, was not outstanding but I now have a benchmark which I aim to improve on week-on-week and I was 148/154 but that is still an achievement I am proud of!! 

In celebration of this achievement I then went clothes shopping, no longer am I browsing around shopping centres looking at clothes for going out/staying in/study days/meeting friends, no I went to a well known sports outlet to purchase some new running gear...and purchase I did!! Two pairs of Capri length shorts, two tops and a wind/weatherproof jacket later we left, not too light of pocket as the store is very reasonably priced  and without a compromise on girliness!! I also bought an exercise mat, which leads me to...

Tomorrow!! Tomorrow sees the start of my Major Series training!! I will keep you posted...

Lx

For anyone interested my fundraising page can be found at www.justgiving.com/Lisa-West3/?ut...

Slow progress...for the fruit loop!!

Our summer holidays have not turned out quite how we expected (see Accidents will happen) but they have given us, well me, K and H, an opportunity to kickback and do very little!! Well, except the fact that I keep planning...everything, so far I'm up to 2015, holidays, races, anything that could possibly be planned!!

First things first, H is doing very well, movement nearly back to normal, he wanted to go out on his bike yesterday, only thwarted by the fact that he had a flat tyre...I must admit, I did breathe a little sigh of relief, he might be ready but I'm not sure I am.

K, unfortunately, is still fighting a "virus" which is making her thoroughly miserable, although still manage to shop effectively on Monday!!

My 'progress' is, disappointingly, very slow!! Unfortunately, as Mr W consistently points out, patience is not one of my virtues...once I've set my heart on something I'd quite like it to happen, right away, we all have our faults!!

The area in which I'm struggling is running *coughs quietly - I think it's more of a gentle jog! I need to get back to work to stop myself signing up for races...slight change of tactic due to the fact that the more people I speak/tweet/Facebook with the more plans I make. I have now committed to do The Tatton Yule Yomp (December oddly enough) swiftly followed by The Island Race - Angelsey's scenic/undulating) Half Marathon on my 40th Birthday, the actual day... I know, positively certifiable!! I have also purchased, with K, our Race for Life Early bird Voucher for 2014, hopefully to do the new Pretty Muddy Race with AW and MW!! I have pre-registered for Mudderalla (the girlie version of Tough Mudder) and also Tough Mudder, challenges both!! The biggest positive is that I plan on doing all this nuttiness for charity, with exception of R4L, I shall be participating for The Joshua Tree/ @joshuatreekids, hopefully helping them to achieve their ambitions. I am actively as a volunteer for this charity, please take a look at their website...it's amazing! 

This all serves to confirm the midlife crisis theory I think, and in discussion with Mumsontherunuk and on Twitter, I find it a little reassuring that I'm not the only one!!

On the up side, I'm the fittest, strongest, healthiest and most positive I think I've ever been, so it's win - win for the fruit loop!! 

Lx

Accidents will happen!!

Hmmmm! Sadly not quite the summer holidays we had planned this year!!

At 7ish o'clock on Saturday 20th July I received the worst phone call I've ever had. K, now 13, frantically informing me that H had had an accident! My freshly poured Pimms was quickly abandoned...all I knew was that he had a big cut after falling off his bike, there was lots of blood and that my Ex had called an ambulance and that she was obviously very distressed by it all!!

There are many times that I have cursed that my ex and I only live in the next village to each other but that night I was truly grateful, the fact that they were on they're way to the pub we were in made it even better!!

The time it took to get to H's side felt like an eternity, a lot of what happened is still hazy but I could not of imagined the feelings that go through your head whilst waiting for the Paramedics to arrive...hurry the f*** up being top of the list!!

To cut a long story short H is one very lucky boy, after 2.5 hours surgery he was back on the ward, having, amazingly, done no lasting damage (his wound missed all manner of things that would have been life changing)!!

After an eventful week in hospital, severe drug reaction included, we came home, just the car journey wore him out and he still had to face the stairs!! 

The whole experience has been a massive lesson to me and my family! Mr W was an absolute rock, he was everything I needed him to be, strong, sensitive and organised enough to take over the things that were beyond my control-freakish ways whilst confined to a cubicle!! (He even gave the ex a lift home after H was out of surgery...). K very quickly accepted that she would not be going away, and without any drama, changed her countdown on her iPhone to Lanzarote in October! She mother-hens H in my absence, confirming that she does really care about him and has actually been remarkably pleasant through the whole thing! H, being forced to abandon his dog-like approach to life (see previous blog) was a star in hospital and although quite obviously bored and frustrated by everything remains up beat and cheerful (until the end of the day when it all becomes too much for him). I have learnt that I do NOT like being the other side of the hospital bed, that life is incredibly precious, that I need to work out how to move forward now, flashbacks and what-ifs still haunt me, that its true what they say about finding out who your real friends are in times of crisis and that the ordeal has strengthened my love for my children and husband!!

Each day sees H a little stronger and we are hoping he will be right as rain to start high school in September!!

Lx

Mid-life Crisis ahead....

I bet you all thought I'd disappeared off the face of the planet? Not entirely sure where I've been but I am going to try and make a more consistent approach to my blog from now on!!

I have been considering a rebranding due to the changes that have gone on since my last post but first let me explain where I'm coming from.

Last year, probably about October time, I developed a tremor, it wasn't particularly noticeable but at times I felt like my arms and legs were out of control. This, understandably, was quite worrying for me and my family. Thankfully I kept it hidden from K and H and only a few, very discreet colleagues (thank you KH in particular) knew what was happening. I ended up seeing a Neurologist who identified my symptoms as stress related, he suggested I went away, figured out what was causing the stress and remove it or learn to deal with it more effectively!! A huge relief I can tell you.

The problem was that I couldn't I identify anything in particular, we had moved house a month or so before, I had been unsuccessful at interview and the normal everyday rubbish that comes with me and Mr W both having Exes, but nothing overly remarkable or that I felt like I was particularly stressed out about.

Anyway then it was Christmas, New Year, busy times, my birthday (March) and hurtling towards Easter. By this point I was still having frequent tremor episodes and still hadn't really changed my lifestyle. Why? Who knows!!

Change of focus. Over the Easter break Mr W and I decided that we needed to lose some weight. We both, independently of each other, discovered the MyFitnessPal app..what a fabulous find this was!!! And it's FREE!! The app is basically a calorie counter, it has pretty much every food, ever, in it's memory and a facility to add should you find somthing it doesn't recognise, it also allows you to earn more calories through exercise. In two and a half months Mr W has lost over two stone and I have lost 20lbs, and both feeling pretty good about it!!

Now, I know that you know (BLOG POST) that I've lost weight before with a well known diet company so what's different this time? I think the fact that I am rapidly approaching 40 has unleashed something in me!! I am determined to lose the weight and get fit this time, not just slim down!! It started with K asking to join me in this years Race for Life on the condition that I ran it all and has snowballed from there, raising concern for whether I'm having a Mid-Life Crisis...I think not!!

I am now lighter and feel fitter and healthier than I have done in a long time. I have become a little obsessed but devloping good habits and healthy eating can't hurt if you do it properly. I have rediscovered an old friendship (SMS - that's you), I have many plans reaching upto 2015 which I shall fill you in on next time and most importantly in the last two weeks I have not noticed any Tremor!!

Look out for the new blog name (if I figure out how to do it) and I'll reveal what lies ahead

Be Happy and Healthy

L x

A sobering thought

Happy New Year to all my followers! I hope you all had a lovely, peaceful Christmas and are raring to go for the year ahead?

January is officially depressing and I have made mine somewhat worse by joining in with both Dry January and New Year, New Body at the same time...glutton for punishment!!

Dry January is going well, although I am not feeling it as much as I hoped! I have found it increasingly difficult to get to sleep, am having the most bizarre dreams and still feel groggy in the mornings. Scarily I didn't think I drank that much for it to have a massive impact on me either physically or mentally, I only did it to try to boost the New Body thing!! A wake up call for sure.

The New Year,  New Body thing is really the same resolution I make every year, only phrased slightly differently. I would really like NOT to make it next year! I have plenty to aim for this year, two of my best friends turn 40 and both are having parties, we have two holidays booked and one, Lanzarote, will require revealing flesh and I promised myself and my best friend that when I do the Race for Life this year I would do the 10k, instead of the 5k, as I want to do it before I turn 40 (looming) I really need to pull my finger out!!

So, what to do you do when you have plenty of motivating factors but no actual motivation...blog about it!

I have made other resolutions too, some of which depend on other things falling into place and others which are solely down to me. The most important is to spend more time with my family, doing family things. K and H are growing up (far too) quickly and I know that in a blink of an eye we will just become a transport system and (even more of a) cash point and they won't want to be with us as much. I think the answer may help with another resolution too, Skiing! Mr W is a big fan, I, and the children have never done it, mainly due to my dyspraxic tendencies, but I have agreed to give it a go and have some lessons, maybe I will surprise myself and it will be my sport (I think this highly unlikely and comfort myself with the fact that there will be the apres ski to partake of!!)

So by next year I expect to report that I have the body I always wanted, have remained teetotal after being horrified by the side effects of one months abstinence and am a ski fiend! Watch this Space

L x