Winter is here!

To Embrace, or Fight the Cold?

Hey there, sorry it’s been a while. Can you believe it’s nearly 2016 already!

It’s been a hectic few months for me since being back in the UK, keeping busy with follow up appointments, university and allowing my body to adjust to non-sushi life. Priorities are hard to get straight when everything comes at once, unfortunately this blog has been at the end of my to do list. 

Updates: Finally, I have answers regarding my foot issue (or rather feet now that both are feeling the effects). Following the MRI scan, results have shown inflammation in the joints of my feet that is most likely caused by my good friend Lupus. Being back in the UK has helped with this as the cold weather reduces swelling, my foot was especially bad from beginning to end in Hong Kong. Though I was prepared (with plenty of Celebrex!) as I knew what I would be up against as the swelling would only get worse in the heat like it did in Barcelona. My only option was to soldier through as best I could, I cannot thank enough those who helped me on the days I really couldn’t walk, you know who you are!

There has been a tug of war going on for me with the cold weather, while it helps with inflammation it is an annoyance in other ways. Since it’s winter now, I thought I’d share with you what Reynolds actually looks like, it’s quite crazy looking and affects my toes as well as my fingers. For those who are unsure, Reynolds phenomena is a condition that affects the blood supply to certain parts of the body and is triggered by cold weather, anxiety and stress. I have secondary type Reynolds, meaning that it is caused by an underlying condition i.e. my Lupus, with no symptoms of Reynolds until probably 1-2 years after my diagnosis, at first I thought it was something that would go away over time but I guess it’s here to stay! It takes about 30 minutes once back in the warmth for the blood to return fully and my hands to look normal again. Crazy right, that your fingers and toes can go so long without blood, then return back completely normal like nothing happened. The first time it happened to me I was freaked out, I thought I would have lost feeling or damaged some nerves but to my relief it was fine. 

Honestly, recently I’ve been feeling the effects of my condition more. After reflecting back on the year from Pericarditis, to limping around the whole year and waking up stiff almost every morning, I don’t remember feeling this bad in the past. I decided to raise concerns with my specialist who agreed as my bloods have been on a rollercoaster this year. Mycophenolate does not seem to be cooperating very well with me, so I will be changing one of my medications to Methotrexate which will hopefully be better.

2015 has presented me with an abundance of memories and experiences that I am truly grateful for as it has taught me a lot. Blogging is becoming a peaceful way for me to sit down, relax and let myself out, I enjoy writing and I hope you enjoy reading. My ideas for 2016 are ambitious and I have exciting plans which I hope to carry through, I will try to post more frequently but I hope you understand - final year is not easy haha! I wish you all well and have an awesome new year, spread the positivity, love and festivities, put that phone down and cherish these moments with your loved ones,  I know I will be.

Much love xX

Travelling Alone!

Travelling with Lupus

Hey there :-) ! I’ve been trying to find inspiration for something to write about, and since I’m currently abroad I thought this would be a perfect opportunity for me to share my thoughts, worries and struggles along the way. 

Having a chronic condition like Lupus is definitely a tough journey, even when at home surrounded by your family & friends. So can you imagine the decisions that needed to be made, whether or not it is the right choice to then leave your comfort zone and travel 6000 miles across the globe, alone to work in a city where you’re not even sure what your condition is called in that language. If anything were to happen within the two months of being here, there could be insane consequences. As with Lupus, anything could happen. The thoughts and worries that crossed my mind almost made me reject this amazing opportunity.

I am currently in the beautiful city of Hong Kong, a place where the sun shines so bright and the heat could just melt me. My first and foremost biggest worry was the sun, now I absolutely love being outside and getting a tan, but when you’re supposed to avoid sun light - it’s a bit hard to enjoy. Sunlight is one of the most common triggers of a flare up, meaning I must wear SPF50 and carry about an umbrella! In a place like Hong Kong that’s pretty acceptable so it’s not so bad….but I couldn’t imagine carrying around an umbrella anywhere else (outside of Asia), when the sun is beating down.

In the past 5 years of having Lupus, I’ve not really had any flares until this year (2015). For some reason, this year I’ve had a few (pretty serious) incidents happen to me, rendering me unable to walk, lie down, breath, straighten my arm and so on. If this is the year for my Lupus to play up, it is probably the most risky time for me to leave the UK and travel somewhere so far away for an extended period. I would say I am a very optimistic person and am full of positive energy, that is what keeps me going through all of this. So far everything has been fine, apart from this weekend just past my foot became swollen again and I couldn’t walk at all. There was a throbbing pain bursting through the veins in my foot, just like how it was in Barcelona - damn it happened again. The pain was so bad that I ended up having to hop around as any pressure or movement of my right foot was unbearable. Thankfully I was with my lovely aunt this weekend and she kindly took me to see an acupuncturist the next day since I’ve been limping around the past month or two. However I was actually too weak on that day to have it done, so I am due for my first session this Wednesday (05/08/2015) - I’m so scarred!

There are a lot of other worries that have gone / are still going through my mind, but there’s nothing that can be done. Lupus is so undetectable and so unpredictable that you just have to be prepared and accept when something happens, making the best of what you have got.

So far, the experience at work and in Hong Kong has been awesome, I do not regret one bit about coming here. It has been well worth the risk so far and if anything were to happen, I am ready for it and have accepted that something may well happen no matter how many precautions I take. No matter how difficult it is, I'm sure I will survive through it. Pain is only for the moment, you just have to live with it as best you can and not let it tear you down. I am actually scared of a lot of things, but that fear makes me want to do it even more, enabling me to face things head on.

Returning back to the focus of my blog; staying positive is definitely the best way to live your life, although it may be hard to do so, try your best. It will lift your spirit, and in turn have a positive effect on your health. This is truly what I believe and it will help you stay sane & happy! Be enthusiastic about life, face your worries & fears and you will go far.

I will be updating you soon on my acupuncture experience! Speak to you all soon. 

Much Love xX