Showing posts with label retail therapy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label retail therapy. Show all posts

Friday, 27 February 2015

Retail Therapy

When you have a long term chronic illness, sometimes it feels like there is no light at the end of the tunnel.  I have days where I feel like I'm imprisoned inside this broken body and there's nothing I can do about it.

Today, I was in a considerable amount of pain.  I haven't yet decided whether I was being brave or stupid, but I packed my handbag with snacks and pain killers and went off for a little retail therapy.

I don't treat myself very often, but occasionally I realise just how much I've put up with over the last 15 months.  So today I decided it was a treat day.

My energy levels (or lack thereof) mean that I can only really manage going to one shop, but one shop was all I needed.

Smoove Reworked Vintage is an absolute gem of a store and if you haven't been, you really should.  They were in little High Street but are moving to Ponsonby over the next couple of weeks.

Friday, 28 November 2014

My date with Dr V

So, today was the day.

After waiting 3 months to go back and see my Gynaecologist, I met with her today.

Funnily enough, there I was sitting in the waiting room when someone tapped me on the shoulder.   I turned around and who should I see smiling at me but N, who I spent some time in the bed next to on one of my hospital admissions this year!  Generous hugs and hello, how are you's followed.  It was lovely to see her and nice to catch up as you always wonder how the people you meet and get to know in hospital are doing.  By coincidence, N is also a patient of Dr V, so that's why we were at clinic on the same day.

After N left and a bit more waiting, it was time to catch up with Dr V.

Dr V is unsure of the cause of my ongoing abdominal pain, but has decided to put me on a contraceptive pill continuously for a couple of months to see if it helps relieve the daily pain I am experiencing, or at least improve the severe pain during my periods. 

From the ultrasound that I had done recently, Dr V says she can see that I definitely have Adenomyosis as well as Endometriosis.  I don't know a lot about that at this point, but that's another conversation I need to have with Dr V.

She also told me that it looks like my right ovary could be turning polycistic, which isn't great, so we have to do something about that now before it gets any worse.

Dr V also sent me for more blood tests this afternoon.  I will be having another ultrasound scan done to see how things look before I go back to see her again in 8 weeks so she can monitor me.

It's hard for me in some ways, after the Endometriosis diagnosis and associated surgeries, to still have ongoing pain with no clear cause.  I know that Dr V is doing her best for me though, and she told me today that she will keep trying different things and persevere to help me feel better.  It's really good for me, especially as a young woman, to have that support from a Doctor and know that I can be open with her and talk to her about anything that's happening.  Think I have a really good relationship with her, so hopefully between her and me there will be some improvement soon.

On the way out of clinic today, I dropped into the Hospital Market with Mum for a look around.  Found this gorgeous turquoise cross necklace, so bought it to cheer myself up.  I'm sure there must be a study on how retail therapy is beneficial for chronic illness somewhere in the world :-)