Get ready with me: Birthday edition

I really enjoyed putting together my last get ready with me post and have been wanting to do more ever since. However as a lot of you know I don't often get to leave the house but who says you have to leave the house to get glammed up? Especially when it's your birthday. My birthday plans were pretty low key, but high key for me. I asked if we could have a family get together at ours and I ended up having the best birthday I have had in years. Plus the fact that I got to make myself look pretty was a bonus. So here goes a step by step guide on how a chronically ill person can make themselves look a bit more presentable on their big day.

 

Just as I adviced in my first post do as much preperation as you can the day(s) before. Paint your nails (I used Barry M Majesty, a gold glitter colour) get your outfit ready and your make up planned. Here is the make up I decided to use and got ready the night before. I like to put all the products I'm going to use onto a tray as you will see below. As you will see in the photo below I also plaited my hair the night before, to give my hair some natural waves. I find this such a great and low energy way to get pretty hair. 

 

Max Factor Face Finity Foundation

Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder

Sleek Face Form in light

Makeup Revolution Iconic 3 Eyeshadow Pallette

Maybelline The Falsies Mascara in black

Barry M Blink waterproof precision eyeliner

Makeup Revolution Lipstick in Dazzle

Also pictured: Benefit porefessional primer but I completely forgot to use it.

 

 

Of course when it's your birthday starting your day opening presents needs to be factored in. But remember to  pace yourself. Two presents and I needed a rest, to save my energy for the rest of the day. A side note for my spoonie friends make sure you have scissors handy to help you open your presents, they come in handy when you don't have much strength.

 

 

After a rest it's time to start getting ready. First off clean your face and then moisturize. If I'm wearing more make up I like to use Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing lotion. I also used the simple eye roller ball which is great for helping your eyes feel less puffy. This time around I put my outfit on first. You will see what I wore at the end of this post but as it's your birthday what better time to dress up. Who cares if you're not leaving the house. Dress up and make yourself feel special. What I would say is if you do get dressed first then put on something to cover yourself up so you don't spill anything onto your party frock.

 

Start with your base. For extra coverage use a brush to apply your foundation with a brush. Then cover any red areas or blemishes with concealer (Collection lasting perfection.) 

 

 

Moving on to a bit of contouring with a little help from Vivianna's makeup YouTube channel. Thank you thank you Anna. Very well timed contouring 101video. In which she suggests contouring with a more tawny shade rather than the standard bronzey shades. Following her advice I first used some Rimmel Stay Matte powder where I would apply the contour and then using an angled fluffy brush I used the highlighter shade from my Sleek pallette to contour my cheek bones. 

 

 

Using my iconic 3 pallette I created a bronzey eye by first using the 2nd shade, which is like a shimmery light rose colour. I put this all over my lid. Then I used the 5th shade along, a darker rose colour and used this on the outer third of my eye and in the crease. Blending it all together with a fluffy brush. On my brow bone and inner corners I used the 1st shade to highlight and make my eyes appear brighter. I then had a moment of madness where I thought if I shut both eye lids I'd be able to see if the eye shadow matched. Such a classic brain fog moment. Oh why can't I see?! After chuckling to myself I lined my upper lashes with a felt tip style liner. I did try winging it out but as I have eye bags it just all bunched up and looked like a big blob. Then to finish off my eyes I used a couple of coats of Maybelline The Falsies Mascara, which I think I might have inspired a few of my family to try after all their compliments.

 

I've recently discovered it's best to do your undereye concealer and powder after doing your eye make up so that if you get any spillage you're not then taking your concealer off and can cover up any marks. So after doing my eyes I used the Rimmel wake me up concealer under my eyes blending it in with a concealer brush and setting it with the stay matte powder. I also applied the powder over my t zone.

 

 

Then give your plaits and roots a spray with some dry shampoo. I was going to use Herbal Essences but the top is stuckso I used Co Lab in the scent Rio. These are both great dry shampoos. And there is no white resindue which is just fabulous. Rub it into your roots and let your plaits out, massaging the dry shampoo into the waves. Try not to brush your hair too much but just give it a bit of a tidy.

Then put on your lippy, blotting it with tissue to give it more staying power and then add an extra layer. 

 

Lastly put on your jewellery. This necklace was a gift. Put on your crown (if you have one) which was also a gift, I have some pretty awesome friends. And put on your shoes.

 

 

Next pose for full length photos. This is a very important step. Not just for blogging purposes but to look back on and think "oo didn't I look nice." Note I only wore those heels for posing. My legs were shaking so much as I no longer have the muscle tone for them, so they are wheelchair only shoes. The shoes were customised by Glam it up Laurna. I changed into a pair of black flats with a bow and gold studs. My dress is from Forever 21.

 

Then go enjoy your day. I had such a lovely day spent with family, and lots of cuddles with my 3 week old twin niece and nephew. And was totally overwhelmed by all the cards and gifts my spoonie friends had sent. As well as enjoying yummy food and yummier cake. 

 

 

 

And this was me by the end of the day. Tired but very happy.

Hope you've enjoyed this post. I'm really enjoying writing these kind of posts so hopefully I will document some more in the future. 

 

Sian x

November means: Movember

 

Last month I wrote a post about breast cancer awareness in which I wanted to  highlight the importance of self examination for both women and men, read that post here. Educating ourselves about our bodies is our front line defence for early detection. After I wrote the post I engaged in some great conversations about the issues I had raised in my post. Furthermore I was asked if I would do a post for Movember. Admittedley it had not crossed my mind. I'm not a big fan of the mo. However having wrote the post on breast cancer I thought why not?  And I know that most my readers are women but I'm sure everyone can takeaway something from this post on how to look out for themselves or the men in their lives.

 Movember is a charity event initiated by the Movember Foundation, which started in Melbourne in 2003 and has since grown worldwide. With the moustache becoming a symbol of men's health awareness. Males sign up to grow a moustache throughout the month of November, without shaving and are often termed Mo Bro's. I always thought that Movember was to raise money for testicular cancer, however it actually is to raise money for testicular cancer, prostate cancer and issues affecting men's mental health. They help to fund projects and schemes put in place to tackle these areas of male health.Often workplaces will hold competitions to see who can grow the best moustache whilst raising money through sponsors. So if you have seen a lot of men walking around looking like they have teleported from the 70s this might be why. 

Thinking Movember was just about raising awareness of testicular cancer I was originally only going to talk about that but now that I am more clued up I'll include both cancers. With regards to mental health I have a whole month of posts planned in the month of January so stay tuned for them.

  

Novemember is actually the awareness month for prostate cancer, which is the most common cancer amongst males in the UK. Statistics show 1 in 8 men may get prostate cancer. It occurs when abnormal cells appear on the prostate gland, which is the gland that helps produce semen. The gland also surrounds the tube through which urine leaves the body, hence why prostate cancer sufferers or those who have an enlarged prostate may have difficulty with their waterworks. For example, needing to go more often, problems initiating urinating, poor flow or still feeling full once you have finished. This seems to be the most common symptom to look out for although often there might not be any symptoms as only when something is constricting the tube will these problems occur.

It is often (but not always) slow progressing and often contained only in the prostate without spreading to other parts of the body. However there are other types of prostate cancer that spread much quicker. It is most common in men over the age of 50 with the average age being between 70 and 74.

So what should men look out for? As the prostate is internal it is obviously difficult to know whether or not there is a problem. However any symptoms regarding problems with the waterworks then always go and see your doctor. 

 

Whereas prostate cancer predominantly affects older men, testicular cancer mostly affects younger males. Most commonly between the ages of 15 (yes 15) and 35. Not long ago Channel 4 presented a stand up comedy show presented by Jack Whitehall called 'feeling nuts'. Although the comedy wasn't particularly great (although Simon Callow listing lots of slang names for testies was rather amusing) the show did fulfil it's purpose in raising awareness of testicular cancer and encouraging men to check their balls. It made a change on the normal televised charity drives in that the purpose here was not to raise money but to raise awareness, educate men with all they need to know about examining themselves and what to look out for, inform them where to go if they suspect anything and ultimately to save lives. 

 By arming men with this knowledge they are giving men, especially young men the best chance of beating testicular cancer. 95% in fact. Testicular cancer is one of the most treatable cancers but only if caught in time. Therefore education and self awareness really are key issues that cannot be stressed enough. If you notice anything irregular and act on it as soon as possible then you are giving yourself the best chance. They even used the hashtag #feelingnuts to spread the message even further and especially to engage younger males who may think they are immune. 

They even provided information on how to check and what exactly you should be checking for. For more info I've included a step my step poster from pinterest, below. 

 

 

I think one of the important messages is to let young men know that they don't need to be embarrassed. And this is where programmes like 'feeling nuts' can help. But also there are charity organisations that are going to schools and colleges to talk to young men. I was also impressed to know that some work organisations were raising awareness. Even showing their male employees educational videos on self examination. You can watch the show on 4od.

The over all message here is to be aware of our bodies and to take not of any changes. As a chronically ill person I know the value of good health and I know how easy it is to be dismissive of it. So I salute the Movember Foundation and all they are doing to promote men's health. 

 

Sian x

 

Information for research for this post was gained from the following websites. Please use the links below if you would like to find out more information.

 

Www.movember.com

Www.prostratecanceruk.org

Www.nhs.uk

Www.cancerresearch.org

 

Images sourced from Pinterest

Dreamland Heat Pad

 

Since the age of 14 I have pretty much had a hot water bottle strapped to me. So much so that I have had some pretty interesting markings going on. Almost a leopard print design on my tummy and lower back. Luckily animal print is in fashion. I have had trainee doctors (and some trained ones) almost reaching for the quarantine forms suspecting some tropical disease. But those with plenty of experience, especially gastro doctors, on seeing this will ask;

                                             "Do you use a hot water bottle a lot?"

 

I have had one registrar tell his students (after calling all 20 of them on the ward to come look, yeah thanks) that these markings are caused by prolonged use of hot water bottles and that it can therefore be an indicator of the amount of discomfort the patient has been in. As I mentioned gastroenterologists tend to pick up on this as they see a lot of patients with tummy troubles that have been using hot water bottles to ease the pain.

 

 

As an M.E sufferer again my hot water bottle has been a constant friend to help ease aching muscles, sore back, tummy troubles, neck pain, shoulder pain. Even just to keep me warm when I'm feeling really cold especially my ice block feet. The problem though was I couldn't fill it myself. So every few hours, even through the night my parents were having to fill it up again.

 

Then not long ago a close friend told me about Dreamlands heat pad. She had just got one and was loving using it. Especially as she suffers a lot with back and leg pain. So she was straight away recommending them to all her spoonie friends and being the hot water bottle fiend that I am I just had to investigate. And ever since it has become my new best friend. Sorry old faithful hot water bottle I have moved on. I just love it. 

 

I have it on for the majority of the day if I'm having a bed day and also use it if I'm downstairs on the couch. I find heat is incredibley soothing for my aching muscles. And what's more unlike a hot water bottle I can lie on the heat pad to target my lower back or neck and shoulders, which you can't do with a hot water bottles. Because it has 5 different heat settings you can also control the temperature to find what suits you best at different times. If I need it on whilst I'm asleep then I put it on a lower temperature so that I am still getting the benefit of the heat but not waking up in a sweat. 

My Mum is also a big fan because she is not getting texts every few hours to make a new hot water bottle. Especially during the night. I can simply switch the heat pad on as and when I need it (pretty much ALL the time). All that's needed is a power socket nearby. I even take mine abroad with me. It might be 35°c but I still need direct heat to sooth my aches and pains at times. Especially if I am stuck in bed. But that's where being able to control the temperature helps. The only times it can't be used is obviously when you are not close to a power socket. The cable is quite long though so you have a little bit of leeway. But curse you Premier Inn not having a power socket by the bed. So there are still occasions when the hot water bottle comes in handy. If I'm visiting someone for example. 

 

I think that the biggest concern that a few people raised was "are they safe?" Of course you do hear stories about electric blankets causing fires. What makes the heat pad safe is that it automatically switches off after 3 hours. Honestly this product has really been such a big help. To someone who spends most their time in some amount of pain it certainly helps take the edge off the pain. Especially when the hours between pain killer doses seem to be dragging. Based on my recommendation my sister and Nanna have since purchased one and my occupational therapist is considering getting one, as well as suggesting them to her other patients.

 

So if like me you are in constant need of a hot water bottle or experience chronic pain I could not recommemd the Dreamland heat pad enough. They are available from Amazon, Boots, Argos and John Lewis and priced £29.99.

 

Do you own one? If so what do you think? Or are you now considering getting one? Let me know what you think if you do.

Sian x

 

Product images from www.johnlewis.com (Other than the one of my pins)

October means: Dysautonomia Awareness Month

So I've talked about the two more well known things associated with October but today it's time to mention another thing associated with October that is a lot less common knowledge. And will mark the first post of my making the invisible visible series, in which I hope to raise awareness of a number of invisible illnesses. And that is dysautonomia. Have you heard of this? Perhaps some people have. Can you pronounce it? I can't. But despite my struggle in saying it today as part of Dysautonomia Awareness Month I hope to at least ensure a few more people have heard of it and know what it is.

Dysautonomia is a term that means a disorder of the automatic nervous system function. Already sounding confusing? Our automatic nervous system is responsible for telling our bodies to do the things that we do in a way without thinking. Our brains just tell certain thinks to happen and they do, unlike say brushing our teeth where we have to exercise some thought and actually be taught this behaviour. Whereas automatic responses are part of our natural chemistry. So to give you some examples of the automatic nervous system in action; our hearts pumping blood around our bodies, breathing, food digestion and even blinking.

Dysautonomia is a broad term for the many different illnesses and conditions that effect the automatic nervous systemss in some way. Some are sole illnesses/conditions such as high blood pressure. Whilst others may be effected or symptomatic of other illnesses. For example Diabetes, which effects the automatic system of being able to produce insulin and therefore treatment needs to be taken to assist that response. During medical investigations  unnderlying causes should be investigated when reaching a diagnosis.

 There are two types, ones in which there is a failing in the automatic nervous system, meaning that certain functions are not working as they should. For example orthostatic hypotension, the dropping of blood pressure upon standing as can be seen in POTS patients. The next type is where the automatic nervous system  might be working to excess. For example hypertension or rapid pulse rate.

There is also a condition called familial dysautonomia which is a genetic problem that affects people from birth. It is a rare condition but it can cause life threatening symptoms.

Dysautonomia is what is considered an 'invisible' illness, in that symptoms are not apparent to others. They would likely think there is nothing wrong with the sufferer, given that symptoms are mostly  internal.

Symptoms can include:

* Light headedness

* Fainting

* malnutrition

* digestive system problems

* frequent vomitting

* unstable blood pressure

* unstable heart rate

* Poor kidney function

Over 25 million people suffer with some form of dysautonomia. Yet there is no cure for most. Only management treatments. However ongoing research is being undertaken into the many illnesses that fall into the dysautonomia bracket. And fortunately the mortality rate for children with familial dysautonomia is improving with the help of this research.

It's likely I will soon write more posts on dysautinomia with more specific details of different conditions. Below I've included the sites I used to help research  this post. Do take a look if you would like to learn more. Also go visit Sophia's blog. She suffers from POTS and has done a few posts for dysautonomia awareness week.

National Institute of Health
Dysautonomia International
Dysautonomia Foundation

Sian x

Ageism and disability: The Zimmer Frame

 

 

Recently my house has been looking more and more like a care home. I'm lucky to have been referred to an occupational therapist who works for the reablement team. Together we've been addressing areas where I struggle around the home and on getting me the right equipment to help me and my family (who are my carers). We already had a commode for use downstairs (as we don't have a downstairs loo) and during bed bound times. We also had a bath board to help me get into the bath, as I can't stand up for long enough to have showers (sigh). However I was finding getting in and out increasingly difficult and was putting too much strain on my wrists as well as on my Mum's back. So cue a request to my gp for a referral to the occupational therapy team and I am now kitted out for disabled life.

 

 

There is one item inparticular though that conjures up all those misconceptions and misunderstandings about disability. And that is of course THE ZIMMER FRAME. Zimmer frames in todays society are associated with old age. It's almost a symbol for old age. So as a young person to be using a zimmer frame of course goes against all stereotype. At the moment I won't be using it too much outside of the house because I need my wheelchair but when I can use it outside I think I will be more appreciative of the fact that I can use the zimmer rather than my chair. Liberating almost. But in doing so I will be putting myself in the vulnerable position of not being someone others would expect to be using one and perhaps facing strange looks or comments about it. Luckily I have learned to develop a tough skin when it comes to challenging peoples perceptions of disability. I used to get paranoid just getting out of the car and walking into my chair. Or if I needed to stand up in a shop to look at something that was too high up for me to see in my chair. I felt like I was being judged. But now I have learned to shrug off that feeling. I know how bad my condition is and having accepted that I need these aids to help me. But it will be interesting to see how I fare when using the zimmer in public.

 

 

Therefore I would say that the zimmer frame is more a symbol of disability rather than old age. Or those whom old age is disabling them in some way. Because let's face it not all elderly people need a zimmer frame or even a walking stick. In the same way that not all disabled people are in wheelchairs. My Nanna is 88 and is still doing the garden and walking up and down the highstreet unaided. One day she was sat next to me on the sofa doing leg excercises while I needed help to stand up. Talk about rubbing it in. And also Granny and Grandads in a lot of cases nowadays you wouldn't even class as elderly. Remember when people in their 60s seemed really old?

I was in a cafe the other day and two women were talking about getting old and the how it can disable some of us. Needing walking aids (zimmers included of course), stair lifts and sometimes different equipmenr to help them in the home. They were saying how because of it getting old is a horrible thought. As a disabled person listening to this and actually being in the process of getting more aids it made me feel a bit melancholy. It just struck home those perceptions of young and old and as some would say being old before my time.

 

 

But by having all these aids it'd actually helping me have more independance and able to live life more when I can. It's a way of keeping in touch with my 'youth.'  I'm thankful for my wheelchair for physically letting me get out of the house. And one day I'll be exctatic about using my zimmer rather than my chair.

 

If you are struggling to do simple things about your home or are not able to do things at all due to disability then I advice you to speak to your gp. Tell them how you're struggling and ask to be seen by an occupational therapist. What they can provide varies from council to council but it is covered by the NHS so won't cost you a penny. Plus you will be taught how to use the equipment and your carer (non professional) can be assessed too, to ensure they are helping you in a way that's safe fod them. You can buy things privately and may need to do so for items the council doesn't provide but I would say do make use of this service. I only wish I'd have known a bit sooner. Now off to buy my Mum a tabbard.

 

Sian x