I have made it out of bed every day for 7 days
I feel proud just to say it and trust me this is no easy feat. For example, this morning, the only way I could get up was to take a mixture of NSAID’s and some co-codamol – the recommended amount people before you all reach for the tablets! I had no choice this morning I was in sheer agony with my feet, ankle, knees and hips. However I still did it.
So every day for the past 7 days I have managed to stand up, walk around, get showered, get dressed and then get to work. All of this has been done whilst having a peripheral nerve inflammation, a mini flare up at the beginning of this week and the worst case of brain fog I have ever encountered. If that isn't an achievement then I don’t know what is.
I have started to eat 3 meals a day again
I have been struggling with my appetite for a couple of months now. Some of this has been down to side effects from medications and some of it has been down to the diseases themselves. I have noticed a weight drop and so have others, even though I have bee wanting to lose a little weight this is not how I wanted to do it. The issue with a loss of appetite is that you eventually become used to eating at irregular times, your stomach shrinks and it becomes the norm to only eat minute amounts.
So I have made it my mission this week to try and change this in order to become healthier again. I have so far managed almost 7 days of eating 3 meals a day. Some of these meals have not been big, they probably wouldn't be considered meals to others, but to me this is a huge achievement. I have felt the benefits of this already; I have a lot more energy throughout the day, my skin looks brighter and I am able to concentrate for longer periods of time.
I have managed to combat the brain fog anger 3 times this week
Now I know that each of us that has brain fog has differing symptoms, some are very extreme and others are not, but either way this is one of the most upsetting symptoms. I have been through a really tough week with brain fog mainly as a result of treatment side effects. I went through a few days last week where I honestly cannot remember going to work, I cannot remember conversations with people and my fog anger has been so bad I felt I was losing my mind. When I am foggy I get angry, very very angry. This is mainly towards loved ones as I suppress the anger at work or when I am generally out and about, however last week I simply couldn't do this.
So towards the end of the week I realised I couldn't live like this anymore, change of medications and a fresh start. Now I am slightly clearer in my mind I can begin to tackle the fog when it comes. There have so far been 3 occasions where the fog has come down and I have had the strength to tell people I a foggy, not swear or shout and ride it out until it has gone. The same goes for my terrible memory. I have been able to get myself back on track with remembering things, making lists and taking my time to plan what I will need for the week – something I couldn't do last week at all.
I have been able to enjoy some fun activities again
I have gone a couple of weeks, well since my birthday really, where I have been I too much pain to enjoy anything or even concentrate on anything. The pain is still with me, but the sadness has lifted enough for me to have some lovely days doing things I want to do. From a lovely breakfast out with loved ones through to a day spent in the garden with family, I managed them all and found my smile again. Although there hasn’t been a dramatic amount I have had going on, simply enjoying a couple of things is a huge mood booster and reminds me that life doesn't have to end just because the pain has got to me.
So what are your achievements this week?
