Saturday 22 October 2011

Diary October 2011

When I started this blog I never wanted it to be 'poor me......' but I wanted it to be upbeat and informative and to be honest and open.  But in being honest I have to say and I’m sure anybody living with Endometriosis, Vulvadynia or Vestibulitus would understand about having bad times and I have to open up and admit that this week was a bad one, as this time of the month always is for me.

Mrs Louis visited Sunday (anybody following this blog will know this is what I call my period) after having period pain for 9 days, I finally came on. I always end up in bed when I am bleeding for a week due to pain, relying on my partner for food and only getting up to go to the toilet. Unfortunately I don’t have any family nearby so we have to just manage. My partner makes me breakfast and lunch before he goes to work, then returns to make dinner and dish out the TLC.

For the first few hours I have unbearable pain that I find hard to deal with. During this time I find that my partner rubbing my hand seems to distract my brain a bit from the pain. It doesn't take it away but I think it confuses my nerves that send signals to the brain. Maybe worth trying. This level of pain  normally calms a little after a few hours when some of the drugs I take kick in, although it is really intense and at its worst for the first three days. The pain medication I take made me feel really sick this time and I couldn't get much food or fluids down which adds to the symphony of symptoms having to be endured.

After my week, it then takes me a few days to get up and about. So for about two and a half weeks of the month at least I'm unable to do much. Then I spend the next week pushing myself to get back to my walking/physio routine before the next month comes around.

During my time stuck in bed my little Compac notebook is a god send and I watch i-player or itv player. I got mine free when I got a new phone via Mobiles.co.uk, it has changed being stuck in bed. During a few days of taking certain medication I find it difficult to focus and read, my partner found me an audio book, Life and Laughing: My Story by Michael McIntyre, click on the link and opt for the
audio version. I love him anyway and think he is really funny and by just listening to him tell his story he kept me amused. That is saying something at this time!!


Being sick this time has meant that I missed the Endometriosis UK Awareness Day, it was being held in London, I’m gutted. I found it a great day the last time I went, I was so looking forward to it. I hope some of you managed to attend, I’d love to hear what you thought of it.

Anybody interested in raising some funds for Endometriosis UK, they currently have Christmas raffle tickets available in books of 10, priced at £1per ticket. Good time to see if your family and friends fancy winning some cash ready for Christmas as 1st prize is £1,000, 2nd prize is £500 and 3rd prize is £250. Look on their website http://www.endometriosis-uk.org/ and order some books if you fancy, it will be going to raise awareness and support women with Endometriosis. Good Luck!!

Anyway I’m now over the worst of Mrs Louis visiting and have to concentrate on some nicer things happening this month. We are celebrating our 15th year of being together at the end of this month, I want to show my gratitude for all of the support I get from my partner so hopefully it will be fun and illness may bugger off for a bit. One can live in hope eh?!!

Friday 14 October 2011

Useful physio tips when away and update on dilators

Ahoy me hearties!! I’ve been away with my other half on a cruise from Southampton to the canaries. We sailed on a Royal Caribbean Ship called the Independence of the seas. It’s the second biggest ship in the world.

During my first couple of days on board I needed to roll my gluteus and piriformus muscles as I was plagued with left leg pain and this is normally due to them.  I went to the gym to see if they had any foam rollers, they didn’t. One of the gym staff gave me a great idea to make a foam roller when travelling. She said get a thick magazine, roll it up, tape it to keep its shape and then wrap a towel around it. Ta da, one foam roller!! I didn’t have a thick magazine so in the end I got an apple, put it on a towel as I wasn’t sure if it was going to split, but it didn’t and I managed to roll out those muscles on it.

Following on from my dilator post and using my partners willy as my 5th dilator, I first tried when we were at home. I have to say I didn’t think of the human element too much, obviously a dilator is made of plastic and stays in shape but my partners willy unless stimulated doesn’t!  

When we were away we tried again and I had to do a bit of moving around to overcome this problem. Third time I would say was sex! Never thought we would get there.
Afterwards my skin on my vulva was hot and sore due to Vestibuldynia and Vulvadynia. I bought an eye mask along with me to keep in the fridge as there was no freezer so I couldn’t bring my beloved ice pack. The eye mask wasn’t cold enough so I ended up using a tip I learnt – I used a can of red bull wrapped in some tissue. I popped it on my vulva, it was colder than the eye mask and a good shape to use as it is long and thin.

I wanted to pass these ideas on as you have to improvise when you are away and I would never have thought of these tips, I hope you find them useful.
Going on a cruise was lovely, I normally carry a cushion around with me everywhere I go as I find sitting very uncomfortable. On the ship they had so many comfy seats that I didn’t have to carry it around with me. That was amazing! It was like a floating hotel, my room was never far away if I needed it. Also the beds are comfy as its an american company, the beds in the states always seem to be big and comfy in my experience.

I know everyone comes back from holiday and normally gets the holiday blues, my tummy started feeling periody a day before we got home, for me this is a sure sign my period is coming in the next 7-10 days. That really made me feel down in the dumps so I have been trying to take it day by day. I wish I was as regular as clockwork to the day or even the hour and if us Endometriosis sufferers had to have it, it would be made easier to bare if we only had pain during a period and not before or afterwards. 

Although I've been having a tough week, I know it did me good to get away, in fact only after being away for a few days I realised how good it was and felt more relaxed. Its good to get away from the four walls you get stuck in, very therapeutic!