What are you up to today if you have a chronic illness? Thread 7

[MewithME]

Last thread 🧵

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5490534-thread-6-good-griefwhat-are-you-up-to-today-if-you-have-chronic-illness

Fill up last one first 😁

@TodayIsatrickyone Ds has exams (just end of year ones) I think he may have done about 45 mins revision in total! He's never revised before so this is progress but it's been stressful...I had Muuuuuuuum...how do you revise ? The other day. 🙈

I have to be in the mood for costume drama....I will probably watch The Other Bennett Sister at some point. I need to try Woman of Substance too. Forgot about that one.

Just checking in guys had a busy few days , doggo is better thankfully!

@Swanhilde hope your feeling better soon💐

some pottering doing chores planned today hoping to be able to do it without pushing myself to far 🤞

Glad doggo is better @Dozymoo42

Hope you feel better soon @Swanhilde

The TV discussion has reminded me of the other thing I got 'shouted at' on MN for - not having a TV licence! I gave it up when I moved house, had no TV and was on a tight budget, and there's just not been enough on the BBC that I want to watch to bother reinstating it.

Off out for a little wander and lunch with a friend shortly. Having been feeling alright the last few days, I'm annoyingly a bit wobbly today but I think its partly a loop of worrying about feeling ill while I'm out, making me feel worse 🙄

Sleepy today, and cold. Might have.to be a sofa afternoon.

So pleased to hear good news about @Dozymoo42 's doggo. 😀

@FuzzyPuffling with a very rare option, I am going to stay in bed all day. I don't even feel like being on the sofa. I've given myself permission to just do nothing. I don't even want to think. I'm not looking forward to being back to the grind on Monday. Going to do as much rest and recovery as I can manage this weekend. Keep warm and rest 💐

Glad doggo is doing better too @Dozymoo42 it's awful when they're poorly. I remember being in tears when my dear departed dog had an operation and he was so not himself afterwards. It's just passed his anniversary actually. Seven years since I lost him. 2019 was a pivotal year .. all downhill from then in some ways!

@martha79 people are just full of aggro these days. MN feels angrier and much more conservative/right wing/privileged I think. Imagine caring that someone you don't know chooses not to watch BBC television! Crackers! I do think it's got a lot better though and I love BBC sounds so I'm a happy license payer. I also have way too many streaming services but I don't care. I don't do much else ! 😊

Right I'll stop pestering everyone for a bit. Sorry if I'm posting too much. 🙈 It's nice having company though.

Went to the garden centre this morning and now i'm back in bed with my heat pad. I was looking bad over old photos when I was more well and I miss those days. I could do so much and my life was so much more varied! I'd love to get back to even a fraction of that but have also mostly accepted i probably won't. My health was at its best in 2020/2021 ironically!!
Dh and I are off to ikea tomorrow, I'm wondering if i should take my own (cheap manual) wheelchair or if I can hire one there. I'm worried there won't be many available.

I've also ordered a self help book for emetophobia. I hate having physical as well as mental health problems. It's also hard to get over my anxiety of getting ill when I know that being ill can be catastrophic. I wish I had just one less thing I had to deal with.

@Dozymoo42glad to hear your pup is doing better!

@martha79i also don't have a tv license, people can't seem to understand that I don't watch live tv so don't need one! I do watch a lot of YouTube though which we pay for the premium version of.

So glad doggo is better @Dozymoo42 always a worry whrn theyre ill.

@MewithME ahh revision… can be a bit stressful can’t it! I remember having those how do I revise conversations with my son ( no diagnosis but likely ADHD) and worrying that he wasn’t doing much revision at all or what he did do was ineffectual. It probably took til year 13 for him to get into better habits and work out what worked for him. He did get there in the end and was motivated by a good uni offer which seemed to give him the motivation to put more effort in when it mattered.

DD on the other hand is much better at organising herself without any input and last year worked pretty hard so I thought we’d be fine. This year however, ( year 13) she’s changed her mind re uni, well she has offers but seems unsure so most likely will take a gap year to work, maybe travel a bit and work out what she wants to do next. I think she’s just had enough of school/ studying now so finding it hard to motivate herself for this final push. There’s a revision timetable, books all over the dining room but a lot of procrastination going on! I’ll be so glad when exams/ school are over tbh. I had an almost 8 year gap between my kids so feel like we’ve been doing school forever!

I’m also having a rest day today.

My DD is at my mums this weekend so I’m going to probably spend a lot of time in bed.

Have felt really unwell some days last week. Fluey feeling, muscle pain and fatigue. And then other days not so bad. Gets me down at the moment.

I’ve had last week and this off work and it makes such a difference.

@Dozymoo42 glad little dog is better.

Take it easy everyone.

Thanks everyone just relieved it turned out to be a bad tummy bug and not anything more serious 😊

having a potter about day today doing a few loads of washing and that’s about it I think. DH is at work so just me and the doggos today so will be taking advantage of the quiet house to binge watch some good tv not sure what yet though!

The TV licence thing is so funny, I do find some people in 'real life' odd about it as well. It's not a big moral statement (I mean, I pay for Amazon and Netflix and I'm sure they're worse ethically than the BBC!), just something I stopped and don't miss.

Had a nice few hours out in park and cafe, although it was very windy and I can't seem to get warm now. Chatted with friend about getting away for a couple of days next month, just a quiet cottage somewhere fairly local for a change of scenery, so I'm now on AirBnB searching. I've decided my main criteria is that it has a bath because I've not had a bath for about a year 🤣

That sounds lovely @martha79 . I always book somewhere with a bath because Epsom salts really help me. I also book all on one level and parking right outside! I like the idea of a fairly local holiday. Not much driving but a change of scenery sounds great.

I get this feeling! Around December 2024 I was feeling so good. Had built my walking up and was walking at least an hour a day including lots of uphill elements. I had climbed Ben A’an and had plans to do longer climbs. I looked and felt very healthy and it was great for my mental health.

I then developed plantar fasciitis, so had to stop walking, then came a cough that wouldn’t go away, which turned out to be pneumonia, and here I am in 2026, unable to walk at all without feeling like I’m pushing my muscles through sinking sand.

sorry if Im being down spirited, I think the mental side is the hardest and I still haven’t accepted it.

I don't think you're being down spirited. I get it, I feel the same way. We moved to Scotland in 2022 and just after that i had some severe work stress. I haven't been the same since. Then I got covid in 2024 which further wrecked me. It feels so unfair and like you say, the mental part is the hardest to deal with. I sometimes think "why me?" But then equally, why not me? It's changed the entire trajectory of my life and taken things and opportunities away from me I took for granted.

I'm now better at crafting and gardening as a result though I suppose, and I've read way more books than if I spent more time out of the house

’why not me?’ makes sense. Of course it could be me, it could be anyone. I am reading the Chimp paradox and that’s been helping with the emotional side a bit. But it is difficult, some days I’m very low.

Funnily enough, before I got unwell I’d also had a period of work stress. it’s such a shame you got unwell after moving country (I’m also in Scotland) and presumed had planned a new start. But at least you can enjoy your garden.

yes to more reading. Would love to do something creative as well.

Scotland is a beautiful place @bedfrog @TheChicSnail

Oh yes, I've already rejected a couple where the bedrooms were up a metal spiral staircase or some sort of ladder!

I don’t blame you @martha79. I hate ladders and spiral staircases too. Also open plan stairs

Managed a couple of hours at my mums today and we actually had a breakthrough with our little rescue dog who I've mentioned before is reactive to people/ dogs she doesn’t know.
Any visitors to the house and she gets very vocal. The rescue seems to think it’s because she wasn’t socialised and advised us to just give it time but it’s 7 months since we took her as a foster now. We contacted a behaviourist early on who gave some advice which we've been following and she does settle eventually but always barks when visitors come in even people like my mum who I’d have hoped would be familiar by now. It’s a bit stressful but other than that she really is the sweetest girl when it’s just us and we all adore her so we've just accepted it is how she is and it’s something we’ll have to manage.
Anyway when I took her in to mums today, treats/ toys at the ready to distract her. Mum was sitting calmly in her chair and DDog just trotted past her with a waggy tail. I sat down waiting for the barking to begin but not a peep! She just started to play with the toys instead. Mum got up to make a cuppa which is always guaranteed to set off another reaction but she calmly followed us, had a drink and trotted off again. So finally some progress after 7 months! 👏 So pleased I had to share!

@TodayIsatrickyone that is such lovely progress!

Aww that's great news @TodayIsatrickyone

@JewelleryCat I've always disliked them, but seem to have got worse with things like that lately. Likewise my fear of heights is much worse over the last year or so (it was always there but manageable, now it's really bad) - I'm unsure if it's an age thing or an illness thing.

Felt a bit rough last night after the day out, but slept ok (dreams still weird, last night amongst other things my mobile turned into a sponge while I was trying to text someone 🤣). Planning a little bit of gardening today and some reading.

@TodayIsatrickyonefab news about your little dog! What a relief you can do a few more things with her.
@martha79the sponge phone made me laugh so much!

I had a migraine last night so ended up going to bed early. I can take medication but sometimes they don't work and all I can do is sleep it off. I do feel better today after a long, medicated sleep though. The pills really knock me out. Although I did wake up with period cramps which was annoying, but much more bearable now i'm on the pill than when I used to just ride out my endometriosis unmedicated. Ouch!!

Off to ikea today for some house bits. Looking forward to it, I love a nose around ikea!

Thanks guys, I was so absurdly proud of Diddy dog behaving like a normal dog I needed to tell everyone 😂

Oh migraines are the pits @bedfrog I haven’t found a medication yet that doesn’t make me feel zonked afterwards. Hope you can enjoy ikea and find some nice bits and bobs.

Lol at your sponge phone @martha79 enjoy a quiet day.

I’m also planning some reading and possibly a potter around the garden too, looks bright but sounds quite windy out so could be a bit chilly!

Hope you're feeling a bit better and enjoyed Ikea @bedfrog

I've had two massive naps but also finished a book, had a quick walk and planted a few things out in the garden. Narrowly dodged a hail storm though!

In momentous news... I have shaved my legs this evening. It's been at least six months - I just haven't had the inclination or energy. I really tried to embrace the furry legs but it does feel so much nicer now ☺️

Evening all,

Today has been a dog walk, click and collect food shop and some cleaning. My spare room is finally ready for my daughters online therapy starting on Tuesday. Chair is meant to be delivered tomorrow. It's been a slog decluttering the room of doom!

Yesterday was a 2 few hours at the museum and a sit in a lovely park which was beautiful.

All done with pain and fatigue but just about manageable.