Hello, my name is Pain!

After being off work for 17 days and going back into one mad week, I can tell you that I'm not feeling great right now.

So I work in Tesco in one of the largest stores in the UK, I am a Team Leader on the Checkout and I deal with over 100 staff and thousands of customers in a week. Short of running around for both, I barely get a moment to sit down or take any stock. Our store which was expected to have calmed down now is taking on a mind of its own (fueled by the customers who visit it) and is increasingly getting more and more busy. I love my job and the challenges it brings, I do not however, love the impact it has on my body.

I am a large girl (that is not my jobs fault), I like my food. If anyone calls me fat I fully admit to being the only one in control of my body. I do however have a few health issues that may be exagerated by my weight but not created by it. A few weeks before Christmas I pulled my shoulder in work, Its still hurting and has even increased in pain. it has been almost 4 months since the initial cause and I now have cream that I have been rubbing in for a week with no difference made. My next possible move is an injection into the muscle that only has a 1 in 3 chance on improving it.

I have weak ankles, created from a injury when I was 13, my ankle could give way at any time or I may twist one at any time. This has led me to pull the ligament in my left ankle and twist it so hard it even dislocated. I have never broken either ankle and this is due to the high arch on my feet which makes it really hard for me to break them. This problem has not been helped by my weight, but once again its not the cause either and even if I was normal, I could still easily twist my ankle and when I was a normal size, I still did so frequently.

I fell on my knee onto solid concrete 10 years ago and it has never been right since, it frequently seizes up and causes me so much pain to unseize it that I end up crying. After a long day in work it hurts (and teamed with my ankle this is no picnic). I went to the doctors once and was told it was a genetic condition and was given some anti-inflamitory pills, which did nothing. It also took them 10 years to send me to physio for my ankles and with my shoulder now, I'm not really in any high hopes for a solution any time this decade.

My back is always in pain, even when I don't do anything, its all just varying degrees of pain. I suffer from asthma, which running around all day does not help, but it gets worse in the summer as the heat really gets to my breathing. I suffer from migraines which can lay me up for a day. Constant sleep issues to which I have now (after 15 year) been diagnosed with insomnia, but given nothing to help it. Due to the running around in my job I have developed plantar fasciitis, which is pain in the heel. I tend to have aches and pains, clicks and creaks in most of my joints and I probably have some form of arthritis, but I'm not expecting a diagnosis of any of my problems anytime soon.

So this is me, I live eveyday in pain, some days are easier than others and though I don't have any serious illness that is causing the pain, I wanted to let people out there know that no matter what has caused you pain, if you have any, you should not be afraid to say. I have friends with Fibromyalgia, lupus, early onset arthritis and many other difficulties. Their day to day life is 10times harder than me, but my pain is also 10times worse than others. Also don't be like me, I only go to my doctors when I can't take it any more, because they are inept and nothing ever gets done or I get fobbed off, don't wait or loose faith, your pain could be fixed with the right doctor!

How to Try and Beat a Cold!

It's that time of the year again and as the temperature has dropped the bugs seem to hang on for dear life and make you feel miserable.

For as long as I can remember I have been susceptible to cold and flu, where a normal person may have 2 or 3 illnesses a year I tend to get at least 7.

I was born with a hole in my heart due to a premature birth, I believe this has weekend my immune system a little bit, either that or my immune system is just crap at it's job, either way I get ill a lot.

When I am ill, whether it is cold or flu (preferable the first one) there are a few things I do without fail. I don't really know if they even work anymore as I have been doing them for so long.

1) Lots of fluids including orange juice or dissolvable vitamin c tablets, I tend to stay away from fizzy drinks and tea. However I have drunk a lot of Honey tea, just put some Honey into hot water as honey has a natural ingredient that kills off bacteria.
2) Tissues, lots and lots of tissues, my nose tend to work overtime on cold duty and I go through so much.
3) Vaseline, for if my nose does get sore its the least painful thing to use to sooth the area.
4) Vicks Vapo rub or Olbas Oil inhaler. for the chest these are really helpful, they may not be the nicest smelling things in the world and even if you don't think they are working they are usually doing lots of good and helping you.
5) Tablets, cold and Flu ones that help reduce temperature or just normal paracetamol, either way I can't get through a illness without a few, even if its just to ease the banging head that comes with any cold!
6) Wrap up, and use a hot water bottle at night. I tend to try and sweat the cold out , but as I cant deal with too much heat this doesn't really work too well, but it makes you feel cwtchy.
7) Try and get as much sleep as I can, I would sleep through the hole thing if my body would allow it!
8) Eat, even if I don't really want to, I will have 2 pieces of toast, just to keep my energies up and fuel the fight with the cold!
9) Hot baths. not only is the vapor from the bath good for clearing away your runny nose for a while it gives you a boost and relaxes your sore muscles.

There is a lot of advice out there to help you with your cold/flu but as everyone is different, what may work for me may not work for you, Trial and Error is the key