Thursday 30 June 2016

The curse strikes again

30/6/2016

I had  a lovely session with my counsellor yesterday and took my husband's digital recorder in to record it.  Got home and there was nothing on it.  The only explanation we could think of was that I  put the mic into the wrong socket.  The saga continues. But as my counsellor said maybe I could do it from my memory which kind of ties in with my last post of healing from within. I did a body scan and focussed on the breathe and then on a colour to represent the essence of me swirling around inside, giving me strength and growing to every part of my body.  Then we did the healing cone of light again reaching every part of my body, strengthening it and building confidence.

I was reminded of 'The incredible hulk', a series I used to watch years ago and he tried meditating (visualisation) of the good cells overcoming the bad ones that turn him into the hulk and for a while it seemed to work to an extent.  I was also reminded of the biblical verse from Romans 12 verse one Be not transformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  I guess it's very similar.

I just watched 'The Railway man' with Colin Firth.  that's about forgiveness.  He was a Japanese prisoner of war.  They didn't go into too much detail of the horror that the prisoners were subjected too, but just enough to know that it was pretty horrific. In the end (no I don't want to give away any spoilers), but I do recommend it as a great film to see if you get the chance.  Well it's like Tom Hanks; have you ever seen a bad movie with Tom Hanks in? I think the remake of 'The Ladykillers' is the only one I can think of at the moment.  Well I think Colin Firth is the British Tom Hanks.

By the way I'm still a bit shaky about my E.N.T. appointment.  My counsellor is away for two weeks now, but he's giving me a session of the morning of my appointment. I'll probably still take diazepam out of habit.

bye for now

Tuesday 28 June 2016

Forgiveness not bitterness

Tuesday 28/6/2016

Despite my constant, frequent visits to the doctor and my addiction to diazepam, and all the medication I take; I still believe that real healing should come from within.  Healing of emotional wounds takes time and  it can't be rushed.  We still have to bare the scars for a while, but they do eventually diminish in impact.  It takes a long time to forgive, but till we do, we aren't truly free.  How do we forgive? I tell you that it's not easy. It's easy to say sometimes depending on the situation, but not always easy to really mean it in your heart.  It helps to remember how fleeting life is and that we all die in the end, so why cause yourself unnecessary suffering. Unforgiveness eats at our bones, and makes us all twisted inside. This leads to tension and innumerable illnesses, all avoidable if we could truly forgive.
I'm still a bit shaky about my E.N.T. appointment, but this thought came to me today anyway and loosens me up a bit to laugh and see the funny side of things.
I had a good title for this post but it's gone from my head for now.
Off to see my counsellor Ha!

Bye

Monday 27 June 2016

About panicking

27/6/2016

I managed to get to the 9 O clock communion service in Church yesterday and the preacher said that as Christians we should be examples of calm in this difficult time now of change.  I thought about my blog yesterday and also my constant state of panic and  felt a little guilty I must admit.  I have prayed to put the matter of my E.N.T test into God's hands.  It doesn't stop me from shaking at the thought of it, but I am going ahead with it anyway.  I phoned to see if it could be in Hayward's Heath and was told that I was down as an emergency so I guess I better not delay it now. I'm off to the surgery to be shown how to sign in on the surgery register, which will make my appointment making and re-prescription   ordering easier.

Computers make me nervous too!

bye (wish me luck)

Saturday 25 June 2016

Boy did I get it wrong

Sat 25th June 2016

Well it was a 72% turnout for the referendum voting which I'm told is quite good but I got the prediction wrong that we would vote to remain and everything's in chaos now.  If like me you tend to be a worrier, then this might not be helping your situation, but I am panicking about another thing at the moment.  I finally got the letter today to go to the E.N.T. appointment AAAAAAHHHHHH. panic, panic, panic, panic.  Also it'd in Brighton and Haywards Heath is closer (and cheaper).  I'm not seeing my doctor again till a week Tuesday, but I do see the counsellor next Tuesday,  so I'll definitely be bringing it up then.  My first immediate reaction was to take a diazepam.  I'm still shaking inside (and out a little). 
Wales are playing football at the moment and although I am not a football fan, I am Welsh, so I'm going to check how they're doing. just enjoyed watching the Eastbourne Ladies Tennis final.
Still got puffy feet and feel bloated.

Bye for now, time to eat tea. (Scrambled egg and toast again)

Thursday 23 June 2016

Two steps forward and one step back

Thursday 23/6/16

Please excuse the last entries about the internet; obviously I have no idea what I'm talking about.  I'm a bit of a technophobe.  It's a totally different world to me.  I have no idea who is reading these blogs and what is thought of them.  Why did I say two steps forward and one step back?  Last night I found myself slipping lightly back into my old habits about swallowing. I find myself in a bit of a dilemma.  As I put on weight I feel as if I was healthier before than I am now with this extra weight.  My stomach and feet feel fat and bloated.  I am at odds with myself. A thought occurred to me that my swelling feet coincided with my retaking of Amitriptyline, which had been prescribed for me when I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia before the M.S. diagnosis.  So I didn't take any last night, consequently I took another 5mg Diazepam because I couldn't sleep.  It was a hot sticky night and full of thunder and lightening for most of the time.  I was really tired in the morning and got up very late for me;  Dreaming about being at a beach.  I think I had got there with my married couple friends.  I was marvelling at the sight of dolphins and a whale and numerous birds.  I was a little concerned that I had lost my lift home although I saw the husband at one time but then I walked on (this must have been a dream as I would never have walked that far).  Then I saw my husband and then I was in another dream where I was in an Art Class trying to draw a circle.I had a ruler and we had to draw a diameter marking a 5 inch spot and another 3 inches but it had to add up to ten.  I got really confused and frustrated and gave up.

I also have a return of my former bowel problem of wanting to go all the time and being constipated.  Still I'm seeing the bladder and bowel clinic on the first of July; next Friday.  I wonder if me feeling so fat and bloated has anything to do with me watching the third part of the Twilight saga yesterday.  You know when something is bad for you and you probably shouldn't do it but you do anyway; something drew me to this when I watched the first few minutes of it.  I'll have to see it to the end now to find out what happens, but I bet it will have a negative emotional impact on me.

Well I and my husband  have done our voting on whether to be in or out of the European common market. My husband voted one way and I the other so I guess we kind of cancelled each other out.  My prediction is that it will be the biggest turnout for a vote ever and that it will ultimately end up with us remaining in because people don't like change and are afraid of opting out.  We'll see tomorrow morning.

Still got puffy feet and a bloaty stomach.

Bye for now

Tuesday 21 June 2016

Good news

21/6/2016

I weighed myself this morning and at the doctors and I have reached 6 stone 7 pounds, so everyone is pleased I am eating more quickly and drinking , so I can eat and drink more. I believe it has to do with a number of factors.  the main one I think being my counselling.  Yesterday we went through a hypnotherapy session including confidence building.  He said I don't need to do anything just let it live in the subconscious and this morning in my shower I found myself singing 'I have confidence ' from The sound of music film. And I do feel that I've turned a corner.  We tried to record the session, but I couldn't find my new tape recorder (well I have two which I couldn't find actually) which frustrated me no end.  I finally gave in to taking my old tape recorder that I used when I was in college about 40 years ago; it doesn't fast forward or rewind and the recording was very quiet.  I tell you that I am jinxed when it comes to recording.  I used to write songs and play the guitar to accompany myself. I bought a porta studio (a long time ago) to record and I wanted a friend to put a slide guitar track on it.  It had taken ages to get him to come round to my flat and the minute he was about to play, literally ; I tell no lie ; the power went out and we ended going to the pub for a drink.  The very first recording I did of 11 songs called 'Walking to the Son' (religious one) was recorded at a friends house on a reel to reel. I took it down to Cardiff to be played on Red Dragon Radio as it was called then.  The presenter offered to make a copy of the reel for me in their machine and the tape got mangled in the machine so I had to redo it all again. There are more stories of the like but I won't bore you with them now; I'm just celebrating on getting to half way to 7 stone or 98 pounds as you would say in America.

I think another factor is shear doggedness about eating even when I don't feel hungry.  Sticking with the Fortecremes and Fortisip which I am drinking all of every day now.

I am told if you go through Google it's a bit of a hassle trying to leave any comments so try problemswallower@blogger.com or problemswallower@BlogSpot. I don't  know which works best.

 No I tried that and the best way is to go to https://www.blogger.com/problemswallower.

 Well it's time for another Fortecreme so

bye for now

Wednesday 15 June 2016

Busy crazy time

15/6/2016

Hi again.  It's been a busy crazy time since my last entry (I feel like I'm on Star Trek saying that ; 'This is The captains log of the star ship problem swallower 15th Jun 2016'.  Anyway I divert. Saturday was the Nursing home's  BarBQ. I only went along to take pictures for the newsletter but still got roped into folding raffle tickets; a job I have always done in the past but find it too tiring to do right now.  Still, I could sit down to do it and some of the care workers children helped too. I didn't stay for food as I had my own to eat at home. I felt a bit out of things as everyone had lovely blue and white flower necklaces with red ribbon in between and a red cord holding them together.  This put my dismal efforts of making flowers to shame and the manager had made much more professional posters for the occasion, making my posters look very amateurish.

Still Sunday I was in a good mood and managed to eat my porridge and go to the toilet in good enough time to make the 9 o'clock service in church. One of the congregation said she'd found my blog and wasn't sure whether to comment or not as no-one else had.  So I ask you to please comment if you like and we can get more people involved.  If you have dysphagia or know of someone with the problem; it could be a source of comfort and hopefully a little help.

Monday I went to an emergency service with the doctor's down town surgery regarding my puffy feet. I saw a woman who told me to put my feet up and if that doesn't work in a few days to come back. Because I came a different way back home, I was passed the old building where I used to teach exercises before this problem swallowing started and it happened to be the time my class was in session; so I got to see them with my Bronzed young energetic replacement teacher, who made me feel redundant too.  I was encouraged to do a free course by the supervisor as I am still down as a teacher and felt that I was still too weak to do what they were doing in my class.  Maybe in September I'll be able to join my own class. Wouldn't that be crazy?  The class is exercises for over 60's and the less able of which I now seem to be.

I did it again what I said I wouldn't do and weighed myself 2 days in a row; yesterday I was rejoicing at reaching 6 stone 4 pounds and today I was back down to 6 stone and 2 and 3/4 pounds.  So I'm a bit down, confused and am crazily trying to eat and drink faster to get better so that I won't have to have the E,N.T exam; hoping I'll be healed before.  It's funny what blind terror will do to you.  So I even tried a ready meal; mushroom risotto yesterday, and it went down a treat; I cleared the plate ;only problem was I didn't have my veg.Over and out from captain problemswallower

Bye for now

Saturday 11 June 2016

Puffy feet

10/6/16

Hi everybody, I'm back.  I haven't done an entry for a few days because not much has changed.  My weight has now gone up to 6Stone and 2 pounds. I am eating a little faster and therefor able to eat more.  I am feeling a little calmer from the meditation exercises. I am a little annoyed however that I cant find two tape recorders that I could use to record my counsellors meditation next time I see him.
The Nursing home where I work one hour a week is having their summer Barbq today inline with the Queen's celebrations.  My only concern about that is what am I going to wear on my feet, because they have swollen up a bit.  Still someone else is doing the raffle, I'm just going to take photos and video for the Newsletter and the next time I go in.

Thought for the day

What if Adam and Eve had not eaten the apple would we all be vegetarians today and would there be no food chain. Would all the animals be vegetarians too, or would they be totally different species?

Ponder on that one

Bye for now

Tuesday 7 June 2016

Doctors today

7/6/16

Just saw the doctor for a weigh and was a little underwhelmed by his reaction.  I thought he'd be chuffed that I am now over the 6 stone barrier but he just said 'maintaining weight' and he wants to see me get to 7 stone; I could have done with a little more encouragement anyway, onwards and upwards (or should I say outwards).

I tried my meditation with the cone of healing light this morning and I did feel more relaxed and a little healthier. I think I drank a bit more too but still not drinking properly.

Bye for now

Monday 6 June 2016

Six stone yeah

6/1/16

Six seems to be the number today I weighed myself and I have reached the golden mark I craved of 6 stone.  I hope my doctor sill be pleased with that result and it will keep going.  Although it's a little boring, I believe that one thing that has helped is to be consistent with eating.  I have the same diet everyday, but it seems to be working.  Porridge made with whole milk, with honey and a squirt of pureed apple.  I have 3 Fortecremes a day one mid morning and a Forcival and start a Fortisip.  I have roast Chicken for dinner on Sunday with carrots, cauliflower and broccoli or cabbage, made with new potatoes and granule gravy.  Every Tea time I have scrambled egg on toast and I had a Frotecreme mid afternoon and another  about 7pm, followed by more fortisip.  I still can't swallow properly so this takes me nearly all day, but by persisting it seems to be paying off.  I'm still dreading the E.N.T. but I had a session with the counsellor this morning where I practised mindfulness mostly concentrating on the breath and a cone of light surrounding me offering protection and calm.
My curate helped me out a bit with Facebook and this blog, so I hope to get to more people and start having comments soon.

Friday 3 June 2016

Mixing things up

3/6/16

Despite saying not to weigh every day, I just did two days in a row and I'm now up to 5 stone and 13 pounds.  Only one more pound to go and I'm up to 6 stone.  I wonder if I can reach it by the time I see the doctor next week for my weigh in.  Wouldn't that be great?

I've been mixing things up a bit by cleaning my teeth in a different order for starters.  It was a bit strange at first. I also left some bible readings out but that meant that I paid more attention to the ones I read.  I found it to be quite a freeing experience. I actually feel more relaxed from breaking free from the old habits, or order of things.  Of course there are some things you have to do in a specific order like putting your bra on before your T shirt unless you want to look like Lady Gaga in concert or the scene from The Vicar of Dibley when Geraldine is nervous about doing the animal service and puts her bra on over her cassock. I also took myself more lightly most of the day.  That's going to be a difficult habit to break.  I always think that the best thing in the world is to be able to make people laugh. I can certainly make people cry, but I wish I could make them laugh and see the funny side of things myself.  I'll keep working on it

Bye for now