The Brave Babes Battle Bus - Blowing Away The Cobwebs, Brushing Up The Leaves, Whilst Travelling On The Battle Bus, To Our Own Sobrieties.

[Mouseface]

Hello I'm Mouse

Welcome to the Brave Babes Battle Bus, aka Gerald. It's a lovely place for drinkers, non-drinkers, wobblers and thinkers...... we're a really mixed bunch who all have one thing in common, alcohol.

Whether that be past or present, it can always be our future due to the nature of the beast.

Everyone can join this thread, the support is unconditional. And it is here for anyone who wants it, now or in a little while, there's always a spare seat or three!

Why not take a look at the journeys so far at the link below, it'll take you back through the last two (plus) years, and also I've posted a link to the very first thread....... the reason that we are all on the Bus in the first place

PREVIOUS THREAD

FIRST EVER THREAD

My word. Bits? Thankfully I have cats. I like the idea of a few stretches though, after having hunched over the laptop or scrunched into a chair in the evening. I might have a quick google to see what I can find.

[ I've just noticed the tiniest spider abseiling off one of the ceiling beams, in human terms he's just dropped about 600 feet in five seconds ]

[ not in harness or anything, just the usual silk/bum equipment ]

Is it anxiety that stops you from sleeping, Alias - are you usually OK once you've nodded off, or awake on and off all night?

Cheers, Ma. I think I'm feeling a little less... hysterical... already, but could probably do with a push in the right direction whether that be your aromatherapy whatsit, or pilates, or yoga, or... something, so that when my determination is no longer new and spangly, I'll have something else positive to keep going with.

I've always had trouble dropping off, but its got worse in the last year. thats why the gp switched me from seroxat to mirtazapine. The last few weeks have been awful - even early-morning waking which is NOT like me, usually I can sleep all morning. am going round in circles with anxiety and insomnia - and can't get another appt til week on tues.

the podcasts are from the mental health foundation, they're free, and one has a man with a sexy scottish accent.... very soothing...

pilates is very good for posture etc, apparently its what moulded Pippa Middletons bum
and yeah we wipe his bits! only twice a day, not every time. cats clean themselves, dogs are filthy beasts

sorry that somehow made Pippas bum sound like a sexy beast

alias you don't wipe the dogs bits do you? Seriously?

ummm yeah....

imagine if it was your kid going for a pee and then climbing on your bed! we only do it twice a day, the rest of the time he cleans himself (or not)

god you all thing I'm bonkers don't you. he doesn't shed, gets bathed twice a week and considering DDs aversion to soap is probably cleaner than her!

But...but... HOW?
With a wet wipe? Does he like it?
If that's what you have to do with dogs, I'll stick with cats, even when they do bring bloody live mice into the house!

Joey you are entirely sensible - DP wipes the Ddog's arse during the night when she goes out for a wee or poo, so she doesn't leave arse-juice stains on the sheets. Why on earth wouldn't you?

Good evening, tis me, Mouse

Well, where do I start? Nemo was doing fine in surgery, originally second on the list, moved to first once they saw his previous difficulties in his notes from his first op. He was in for about 3 hours and by that time I knew he was struggling.

I was called round to recovery where they showed me the extent of the 'damage' to his face and mouth etc..... he was bleeding out and they wanted it to stop of it's own accord, yep, cool with me, rather than another anaesthetic and more surgery, so off we went to PICU where he was kept 'dozy' so that he rested and got as we as he could.

His reflux is still bed so last night he almost puked his feeding tube out which is a HUGE ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH as passing another would damage the surgery, so the longer we can keep this one in, the better.

The next day (yesterday) they were looking for a bed in HDU/or on the ward but nothing came free so he stayed in PICU. Not ideal as it meant me or DH hanging off the side of a tiny bed to be with him all night, and basically, it would have been me! Anyway, he timed a puke fuelled by rage perfectly and they sedated him which meant DH and I got to lie flat together in separate beds but the same room until 6am, so we've had some sleep.

They managed to close all of the cleft which was unexpected and a huge YIPPFUCKINGEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE, so with a bit of luck it will stay like that and he'll be on roast turkey by Christmas Day

There were a few touch and go moments and as always I managed to be good and bad cop where his meds etc were concerned. He lost a lot of blood and for a while it wasn't looking great as he'd been bleeding for 6+ hours. They were worried and so was I

The great thing about PICU is they let YOU do a lot of the care so I did. I kept an eye on the clotting etc, cleaned the pooling blood away..... turned him when he struggled to breathe, got the suction ready..... I've been there before, too many times.

So, tonight, he's in with me, MIL is still here, DD is okay, DH in the guest cabin and all is well as I have a HUGE bag of maltesers! Fuck only knows how I didn't drink. It would have been possible...... oh yes.

I think that says an awful lot to me..... faced with my baby in PICU for the forth time in 3 years..... and I touched not a drop and still haven'!

Come on Babes, you CAN do this, if you want to. YOU CAN. xxxx

PS - hello and thank you to all of the new babes xx

I need to go does him up but will be back soon. So much thanks and love to you all, especially you Ma for shitting yourself about the new thread when you have enough on your plate.

Love you all lots, one very tired and emotional but home, Mouse xx

should I have posted this in AIBU?!

we use pet wipes. he's used to it now, he gets a treat for coming in when called. only twice a day, morning and evening, the rest of the time he drip-dries...

he sleeps on top of the bed not IN it, but still its nice to know he's clean... and before we get onto the bedbugs/fleas thing again, he is not allowed on DDs bed at all.

he is snuggled up between dh and I right now. god I sound really luffly doggy-woggy.

post it in AIBU Joey - go on. I want to see the responses!
mouse you rock, Babe. As dd2 would say, you are totesamazeballs.
have a great weekend all Babes. Am off to enjoy my last day of freedom before the menfolk come back...

I don't know! I'm away for just a day and I come back to talk of sex toys, Olympic sex, massages, sex with sporting teams and wiping dogs 'bits'! Tut tut Ladies! Lol!

Such fantastic news Mouse! Such life changing results! So, so pleased for you, Nemo and your DH. You must bee feeling in a bit of an unreal place right now?

Thank you Ma, Soma, Joey, Faire,Leucan and Baby for your support after my little tantrum yesterday morning. I have a feeling it had something to do with PMS but, as I'm pre-menopausal and my body clock is all over the place, I can never be sure. Anyway, I didn't hide away in bed (hoorah, must have changed a bit!). I got up, got loads of housework done before they turned the electrickery off then....went to the gym! Yay, got myself there and had a really good, productive time. After having a personal plan written for me and worked through with a PT (coped better than I thought!), I went for a delicious, unfettered (by mine or anyone else's children!) swim in a pool with only 2 other people in. After about 18 lengths I had a go in the steam room and the sauna! Had a pang of guilt about the money I'd spent but, then, it's only the same price as 3 and a half days plonk! Besides, I'm worth it! Bit stiff this morning - but in a good way!

As for the date, Soma, well....I ACTUALLY WENT (Shock! Horror!)! It was love at first sight! A real head-turner and sooo classy! (Well, his DB7 Convertible was!). The chap himself was nice, gentlemanly, (mostly) interesting and pretty good company. Own teeth and hair (a definite plus in dates in my age range!) and not bad looking. He was a bit boring by the end of the evening but that might just be a normal occurrence on dates and, as I'm normally 6 sheets to the wind by then and talking so much nobody else can get a word in, probably never noticed before. He really likes me and wants to meet again. I'll give it another go (and not just because of the Aston Martin or his Mercedes CLK!). I did like him but just can't envisage kissing him - or anything more energetic!!?? I did have several moments during the evening where I thought I could have just one glass of wine but didn't. It helped that he didn't either - but offered several times. Anyway, time will tell.

Joey Good luck at the talent 'do' tonight and fingers crossed for your DD. I understand your dilemma about 'to drink or not to drink'. Do you think you could try and get through the night on soft drinks just this once? You know what they say about first impressions? Did you get a good nights sleep? That makes such a difference to one's mood/attitude. I was late to bed, couldn't get to sleep and then woke up really early this morning.

Leucan Hope you are feeling better today?

Hi and have a fab day to all the Babes.

PS Boing! x

(To clarify - Membership per month is the same as three and a half days plonk )

Hi all. Been lurking for a day or two. Amazing news about Nemo ! So happy for you Mouse xxxxx. You are amazing. My dc was only in hospital a few days for heart op yet I was so stressed and that was relatively straightforward. Big hugs to you xxx

Keep feeling all the drama in my life is paltry in comparison, but anyway, am Day 5 now and doing a lot of thinking, which is very unsettling - old issues from years ago keep popping up where I fucked up due to drinking and its like the floodgates are unlocked, yet here I still am. Confused yet still functioning on the outside and no idea where to go from here.

Too much to share here and besides your posts are all far more fascinating - dates, dogs' bums, bedbugs and olympic sex ! What sort of crazy bus is this? Have a great weekend all x

Looking your problems/feelings are not too much to share here - that's what we're all here for - support and a listening 'ear' and maybe a few helpful words. Not just the silly/funny stuff but the nitty gritty too. You are in the first stage of giving up alcohol and you are bound to be up and down. Mood swings are natural - I certainly know I was in that state a lot in the first few weeks and still have them but to a lesser degree after 5 weeks. Yes, you may have made mistakes in the past due to alcohol but you are addressing the problem now. You can't change the past, look to the future. You need to forgive yourself, be kinder to yourself and have a bit of faith that it will get a little better with each passing day. You are doing great getting to day 5! Well done. Dig in and......POST! Hugs. x

Aw thanks Purple. And well done on the gym. Hope you keep enjoying it. I haven't been able to find the gym in the last week due to being up my own arse (!) and to be fair working ridiculous hours, but will head back on Monday. Gym membership is only expensive when you don't go !

Dogs' bits and arse-juice. Lovely :) Will have to get some pet wipes pronto. I must say that even though cats are supposed to be cleaner than dogs, my cat's arse can smell fearsome and the dog's arse doesn't seem to stink at all. I'm so happy for you Mouse and that the procedure was so successful; and that not a drop passed your lips throughout. Purple how fab is that? You had an enjoyable date with a man who was more than OK? And this was all possible without alcohol.

Hope, congrats on day 5 and hope your DC is making a good recovery from their op. Joey, have you decided on a strategy for tonight? As for me, I'll have the house to myself later (have had DB staying and DD's going to her dad's) so it'll be me and Alf on the sofa waiting to see James on Xfactor. Have we ever talked about music on this thread? What does everyone like? I was listening to my iPod in bed this morning before everyone got up and this was my playlist:
Beatles - Tomorrow Never Knows
Blondie - Rapture
Hawkwind - Master of the Universe
the Orb - Little Fluffy Clouds

oh my head. no shouting today pleece.

Why? Why why why why why why why why why why do I give up drinking entirely, and smoking, so no more shit going IN to my system, eat healthy stuff and yet still end up waking up every morning with a headache worse than the day before's? This one doesn't just ache, it hurts.

Any best guesses on when it will stop?

Mouse, I'm so pleased for you and Nemo, and the unexpected cleft bonus, and being able to be home and knackered so quickly, instead of in hospital and knackered.

Alias, yes please - post in AIBU. I have a feeling LOTS of dog owners will be making mumbly posts in agreement.

Purple, glad to hear you had a really good day, instead of the evil grey gloom you were threatening yourself with before you got up! Sorry the date was a bit 'meh' (the man, not the car) - what does 'mostly' gentlemanly mean?

Hi, Looking. I know what you mean about the thoughts. I'm where you are - Day 6! - and it does feel as though my brain has had orders to start at age 14 and work through every single instance I got drunk, or missed something, or made the wrong decision or stuffed something up. I don't know what's going here, but maybe it's because...

... oh dear, this might be longer than I thought, sorry...

... I'm a bit of a coward? All those nasty upsetting things that I drank to push to the back of my mind didn't go anywhere, they're just sitting in a big pile waiting to be processed - I see them pretending to be one of those old punched card data storage computers that used to take up a whole room. And now there isn't a wall of bottles between me and them, they all have to go through the machine... And I have to 'settle' each one. A lot of them I can just say 'yes, you were a twat, you drunk too much and you looked like a moron. don't do it again'. But there are some rather more serious things.

Trouble is, thinking about it, I've always been a bit of a coward. Before I was too young to drink it was books. Always had my head in a book. Even at primary school when the rest of the class were learning to read, I'd be put in a corner with my own book. Not that good at making friends at school, but boy did I get through every book in the library. Read some most unsuitable things . And then I discovered booze at about 14. And bingo. It's been booze and books ever since. So I'm a little worried about what's going to come out of the woodwork and if I'm equipped to deal with it. But it's not ALL going to happen today, so today I just have to not have a drink, not smoke, and GET RID OF THIS FECKIN' HEADAPOCALYPSE.

purple I meant if anyone still thought it was fleas instead of bedbugs, the dog doesnt really go in DDs room, and isn't allowed on her bed.

mouse so good to hear about nemo - how long is the recovery time?

I don't know if I could- or want to - stay completely sober tonight. I want to be able to drink socially like most people (I won't say normally, because we all know there is no such thing as normal drinking). The plan is to drink J20s until after DDs act at least and then see how we go. I'm hoping she will be on early, its unfair to make a 10yo wait till 9pm...

anyway I still feel totally washed out, I wouldnt be able to drink much. DH just came in and glared at me cause I said I was so tired and am still in pjs

I'm still in my dressing gown, Alias, that's no bad thing!

I don't really want to comment on your plan, because I don't know what you've been doing or are trying to do. But could you firm it up a bit? Would have thought it was totally legitimate to ring an organiser and just enquire about timing, for example, because it's natural to want to know roughly when your daughter will be on? So then you would have a definite idea of x number of drinks until x time in the evening - better than just going for it?

Same with me Leucan. I discovered booze at 14 and was a bookworm from very early on. They do say the earlier you start drinking the more likely you are to end up with problems. Blindingly obvious in hindsight

I didn't start drinking til I got to university, and even then it was just 'normal' social drinking. It all seemed to go wrong just before I hit 30...