me | Mum In The Madhouse

me

When not to behave like an 8 year old…

So we carried on with the holiday and I tried to manage the pain with over the counter painkillers and some delicious pink fizz.

The journey home on Saturday was interesting to say the least and Sunday morning saw me at A&E having finally admitted that I was struggling to cope with the pain.

So a CAT scan and a couple of x-rays later I have decided that it is time to start acting more my age than shoe size. I can tell you that broken ribs HURT like nothing else and mean sleep is pretty none existent in The Mad House currently. I also have a shadow on my lung, so am off for another x ray tomorrow to rule out scary stuff.

But even though lack of sleep and pain is meaning I am a grumpy bean at the moment. France was amazing and we had a super time.

When not to behave like an 8 year old… Read More »

My smile is the mask I wear every day

In the past I have struggled with depression and I still have numerous health issues, but I do not want these to define me. I worked hard to overcome my depression and it is not something that I often dwell on. Most of the time I am a pretty positive person.

Recently I made an error and I fear that I have lost one of the people that I used to call a good friend. This fills me with deep sadness and I do not know how to make things better, in fact I do not think there is anything I can do to make it better. Hopefully time will heal things , either that or I will just have to let go and mourn the loss of a good friend from my own stupidity.

I am at my happiest when I am with my family. When I am surrounded with MadDad and the boys on a weekend. I love having them around and I love doing things together with them. I am putting myself out a little bit more and have been enjoying my weekly sewing class, even if I am the youngest by two generations!

I am currently trying to pluck up the courage to go to the local WI group tonight, but worry that I will be the only one under 50! I have left four messages for them, but they have not got back to me, so wondering if I should just go.

Sometimes I just wonder if it is me that feels this way or if I am just feeling a little down in the dumps?

My smile is the mask I wear every day Read More »

Laser Surgery – The Small Stuff

Not wishing that my glasses had windscreen wipers in the rain
Being able to see my eyes more clearly and therefore, the bags underneath them.
The joy of trying to find sunglasses in the winter and those sunglasses not having to be special prescription ones.
Knowing that I will not have to wear bifocals or varifocals
My glasses not steaming up when I open the oven door
Not having to remove my glasses at the hairdressers, which means I can see my hair being cut
Being able to straighten my hair without having to remove my specs and being able to see myself in the mirror and therefore, not burning my ear all the time.
Being able to go on roller coasters without worrying I will lose my glasses.
Not falling asleep in specs and waking up with them bent as I have been laid on them.
No more costs associated with new glasses each year and the horror of finding frames that suit me.
Did I say that swimming is fun again……
So would I do it again? Yes I would. I am still having a few issues with dry eyes and night time halos round lights when driving, but that is getting better and better each week.

Laser Surgery – The Small Stuff Read More »

I am having Eye Surgery

A couple of weeks ago I made my way to our nearest (well over an hour away, as yes I live in the middle of nowhere) store to have my initial consultation with the Optical Express Team. Before I tell you more about my consultant, let me tell you I am short sighted and have worn either glasses or contact lenses since I was 20 years old. I had considered Laser surgery in the past and often do every time I take the boys swimming.
I was given an appointment at Optical Express and advised that my consultant would take anything from an hour to two hours and that I would have to have drops put in my eyes, which meant that I would be unable to drive for the rest of the day and might find it harder to focus too. MadDad came with me, but rather than come in to the consultation he took the boys away to keep them occupied.

Initially I had a chat with one of the team and we talked through what happened during surgery and I watched a short (7 minute) video about Optical Express and the surgery types they offered. I then had a couple of tests including the “pressure test” were a puff of air is blown into each pupil and also a focus test just like I get when I go to the opticians.

I was then transferred to another room to have an optical technician go through an eye test with me. If you have had a test at an optician then it is very similar and very though. It was during this point that I had the drops put in my eyes. Now Mini had already told me that this was a little like having vinegar put in your eyes and will sting and boy he was right. I also had a yellow dye popped in my eyes. This was the most uncomfortable part, but the sting was very short and it didn’t last at all. I then discussed if I was eligible for surgery what type I would need and asked if I had any questions.

To be honest I had lots of questions and the technician answered them all as fully as he could.

And that was my consultation over. I was not pressured in to making a decision there and them and told them that I would go home and make my decision.

Once I was at home, I decided to ring my friend and optician and ask her advice. After talking to her, I had more questions, but the team at Optical Express were excellent and rang me back with the answers and put my mind at rest.

So I am going to have Lasik Wavefront surgery to correct my vision and yes I am a little anxious, but more than that I am very excited.

I am having Eye Surgery Read More »

My Small Stuff

The hollow sound you get when you tap a perfectly baked loaf of bread. Eating that bread in thick slices with butter and homemade jam. Plotting what vegetables to plant in the garden. The sweet anticipation of the garden harvest. The sea on a wild day. Walking barefoot on damp grass. Hanging out laundry to dry.

My Small Stuff Read More »

Conflicted

I am feeling miserable at the moment, down, blue, grumpy and just plain not happy.  I feel as though I am being torn in two directions.  I have the boys who are so happy that Christmas is coming and that Father Christmas will be on his way and the thing is as much as I love Christmas

Conflicted Read More »

I am lonely

I miss my mum.  The thing is over the last four years she has slowly become more than just my mother, she had become my friend and we spent a lot of our time together. One of the reasons we returned back to our native North East of England when I was pregnant with Mini

I am lonely Read More »