Every day adventures, trials of a family of four, coping with a Atopic child ( eczema, asthma, hayfever, allergies) and joint hypermobility syndrome as well as all of other lifes problems!
Sunday, 31 July 2016
Summer holidays 2016!!
I'm in two minds, sometimes I want to see the back of it, and then at the same time i don't want to miss anything. I know things have been difficult. We are yes still coming to terms with things and it isn't always easy just to even talk about it. I have been told that really the blog isn't always a good idea, because it seems i'm trying to get validation for madams issues. And I can see what has been said, I feel I have to justify what she is going through to prove she really does have issues. I do this, ( i think ) because it is an invisible condition and for years i've had to watch and wait and try and find evidence that she was struggling that there really was something. Yes we had a diagnosis but we've still had issues with professionals dismissing it or putting down her pain.
So i'm trying to be good! trying not to bring it up often or as often, hard, because our day to day living has to cope, for example yesterday we were out and her ankles kept going over every few steps, she didn't always fall down, but stumbled and it was hurting her. What can we do?! Feel i need to look for new trainers esq but.. there are non to my liking that are actually supportive enough or high enough to support her ankle. :( Going to be interesting! neither do i have immediate funds either to get some even if i did find anything as..... we go on holiday a week today!!! ( well a week today fingers crossed we will be waiting for our Ferry!!) so all funds are trying desperately to be saved for that ( of course)
Makes it interesting for things to do however with the children whilst we wait for our holiday to get here! times on the park and time inside watching dvds/ playing games have been the order of the days. Also Madam.. learned how to ride her bike!!!
Now this might seem really late to some as she is 9 in October, but with her balance issues etc I never thought we would get her on a bike! having tried so hard in the past. This is a huge achievement! She still needs to get steering down and how to set off a bit more on her own ( she can do it sometimes and sometimes she can't) Also needs to get used to the weight of the bike.. it is a rather sturdy one but really good. We will be doing more practice today! I think she is also looking forward to her cousins coming and potentially bringing there's so they can ride with her! They are coming a couple days after we come back from our holiday for the Air Show! So can't wait!
A few exciting weeks ahead! trying to keep a positive outlook as much as possible before we start the new school year, madam into year 4 ( omg where has the time gone?!!) and little man is going into Reception where he will have his own journey and learning how to cope with his Hypermobility but that is another tale!
Will update upon our return from France!
Tuesday, 5 July 2016
Two years on from Manchester
Tuesday, 28 June 2016
3 year anniversary and reflections
Time as always has flown as it always does. I was just thinking there wasn't terribly much in change since the last entry but yet everything has changed! The UK voted out of the EU last week and I think less said about that the better, why? because ... I'm not sure how to take it. There is so much uncertainty, someone said are you afraid of change, a little but when waking up with the news that the pound had already dropped in strength and the markets were dropping. Are we not allowed to be afraid and upset? Half of our country decided to leave, sorry only slightly more then half. So yes the people decided but not by a huge margin. I am just very glad that we got quite a lot of our euros exchanged before the result as its dropped by quite a bit since! ( sometimes it works being a pessimist! )
We are getting excited now for our holiday to France, for a much needed break, though I am anxious how madam will cope, as the last few holidays we have had difficulties all generally because of madams pain issues. We have come to the end of the road, where we can get help for now, we have new insoles, which.. don't seem to have changed anything. Which is a bugger as I was hoping the new insoles would have started to help ease her knee and ankle issues.
I feel like I get up in the morning and it is the same thing time and again. Madam pain, pain sluggish to go, get ready for school take them come back, do whatever go get them, have madam complaining, hurting, do tea, put kids to bed, do whatever for an hour or two which normally means dealing with madam in the middle of it all again and then bed. .. I don't have a work life balance but mummy, hubby. children balance. Not easy to do. This is where some trouble lies, as i was discussing with who can only be said like a school counsellor, that I feel I've lost me along the way, the line between parent and carer is very blurred but sometimes i wonder if I ever knew the real me anyway. If I let myself come out, discussing friendships and I don't feel that I truly knew what a good friend was. Looking back for high school, primary.. I could say I had.. friends but I was the quiet silent one, If I ever let the "real" me come out the geek I felt shunned, stupid so it was better to be quiet. My online friends know the real me more because I can open up more, and found people who sorta understand more.
Always the grown up and now being grown up with children, I do have friends that understand more, maybe not always what we are going through but more those that can be there. Being down here I think has helped, I am a bit more of me. The geek and nerd and the one who talks about stuff I suppose it was a new leaf aspect. I don't mean to upset those that I have been friends with but only so many times i'll offer to chat, or go for a coffee. communication works both ways, always and i'm sick of chasing like a puppy. I have a million things I could talk about, politics (hahah) history, environment, books, music... ( erm.. well not modern) writing! something, anything. I am more then just my children and their health issues and yes this does seem to take alot of my life but, having children with extra health needs does kind of take over! It's something we have to live with every day, every single day. Being told to get on with it, seeing a child, your own flesh and blood, which you might not understand if you don't have any, crying in pain, being so exhausted they can't do anything but slump on the couch after school, ( sometimes before) is hard, we can't always do the normal things, when we can we do! Madams issue take up a huge part of our lives, from her eczema to her joints and food allergies, we have to be careful. I might seem ott. And maybe I am. But i need to be. If i don't have her best interests at heart then who does?
Little man may not be quite in the same league but I am having to deal with a very tired 4 yr old after school and then a grumpy 8 year old on top. Is mentally and physically draining!
The complaining on the blog hasn't changed in three years, and the fun activities that it started with .. have change,d all depending on who is dealing with what at the time. Madam has been having football session out of school and athletics but last week or two have been too much. Which i understand for her. She isn't lazy though if she could she would be able to do something anything. Its hard to read this i know, its not in normal conversation but it is hard being a parent sometimes. incredibly. I want to scream and shout, I also want a cuddle and a good cry but we'll leave that for another time?
Schools break up in 3 weeks.. ( well 3 tomorrow) and not long after holiday, for much needed family down time.
Tuesday, 24 May 2016
Moving on
Well over the last week some growing up is needed. Fully aware that I am now 30 and that growing up should have happened already and others could probably argue I was old for my age anyway.
Last week I went to see the hospital counsellor regarding madam. And came to the realisation as much as things are hard to cope with we are coping alot more then when we first went to see her. I am not sure if this is due to the parenting course I had to go on or just myself I general.
We had a good chat which is shocking as I am not her biggest fan to be quite honest as before now I was made to feel it was all on me or that it was made behaviour. Yes sh can be difficult but I can see why and I was completely honest with her that I do have some learning issues myself. I need specific info. As I felt so confused conflicted by what everyone is saying and like magic people understood.
We saw the physio yesterday who didn't dismiss madams pain.... She had done before and we managed to have a really good chat. We agreed madam is madam she will get pain she can't over do it we have to let her rest too. Yes sports good we need to keep her strong because if she stops she will deteriorate quickly. Okay I understand that they were not saying it was a cure though that was the impression I was getting especially from the gp too. Madams hips are severely hypermobile esp her right hip which has a knock on affect. Her calf muscles are extemely tight because everything is trying to compensate for her loose knees hips etc just to keep her upright. It's any wonder why she has pain and tired Her body is full out just to keep her mobile.
The hard thing is knowing this is it where we are there is nothing more we can do. Use ice and heat tubi grips and medicine. Just to keep her going. When she has her next big growth spurt /puberty she is going to be hit hard and probably going to cause issues and with her already tall she won't be longer before she starts (physio said this) I dread it my baby is 8...
Being an adult is hard sometimes. ..but if I am not strong who will be? How can I tell her it will be all ok if I'm upset.
Thursday, 7 April 2016
Mixed parental feelings
Friday, 26 February 2016
Hypermobility syndome Awareness week 2016
I am not sure where to start, I've tried to think and tried to start this blog so many times, sometimes just been too tired to start to write, or not knowing the right thing to say. On my own face book I know I go on alot, however it is a huge deal to us. We fought for years trying to get some sort of diagnosis for madam then we got one, and it didn't change our lives it just.. made us more aware. It brought some questions but it also brought answers.
What does it mean to us here? well on a daily basis it depends? we can have days which are fine, normal family time, nothing out of the ordinary. I wish I could say we had more normal days then not.
I think I personally have Hypermobility ( not saying the syndrome) I can remember having to get clumpy shoes ( no offence mum!) to help with my ankles as i would always be going over on them, my knees where horrid not solely because of weight but because a dr once said my muscles hadn't formed properly. Not that anything was ever done because of it! When pregnant especially with mr i had horrible pelvic girdle pain/spd, my hips you could feel coming out of their sockets and I ended up on crutches, ( and really could have done with staying on them after for a while) even now 4 years on from giving birth i can still get issues when I have done to much. I rate myself about a 7 on the Beighton score. Fingers, thumbs, hyperextended knees, I can practically touch the floor too just not palms. I have always had issues writing and clearly remember when i had been painting I had sprained my wrist, remember due to the fact i was called a liar by so called friends and that we have recently been painting the kitchen and I've had the same issue but stopped before I got too sore. Also i stand on the outside of my feet just like the children do, have rediculously sensitive feet and pretty sure i loose my arches however that could be because i'm fat!
On to the kiddies!
Madam, my poor baby doesn't half suffer, as people say, she doesn't get a break and in all honesty it doesn't seem like she does. If its not her eczema or allergies its her joints. A couple weeks ago after going out for little man's birthday at a soft play she developed bursitis, ( google is my friend and nothing else explains it) which is common soft tissue damage for people like her. That didn't ease for over a week and a half. Think more forgotten when her cousins were staying with us! Couple days go she moved position on the couch and managed to sprain her wrist, to the point her fingers have swelled a little. ... her wrists arn't even classed as Hyper mobile. Yet... these things are down to her anxieties. Hrrrm.. can't fake the fluid on her knee.. or swollen fingers! Aswell as being recently diagnosed with IBS. HMS causes alot of problems on her scale. my wish? ... just to get someone who listens and doesn't think it's all in our heads. I feel bad for running to the doctors every two minutes but also bad if i don't!
My little man, well thankfully it may just be Hypermobilty at the moment, he was confirmed as having "increased movement" in his joints particularly his hands and toes. He gets alot of fluid in his joints, he creaks and clicks.. and i hope that he doesn't get the pain that his big sister does! he already gets tired and doesn't seem to have the running like a lunatic, energy that most pre schoolers have! ( not overly sure i'm complaining there!!)
Because of this, and some other factors we have decided against any more children, It had been a thought and a real one recently but then i've had to be realistic. I couldn't cope with another child who could possibly have the same issues or worse.(considering the eczema was debilitating enough! allergies, hm, ibs, etc etc... noooo) Then again it wouldn't be fair to have one more even if completely fine as the time spent helping the other two would be too great. Of course there are other factors but it was one of the main deciding factors. I find it hard to cope as it is at the moment, especially when madam is having a really bad day or week.
Future? Not sure, not sure what it will bring, i want people to listen, to try and be understanding, i have to say no to madam and mr, sometimes soft play is out, huge plays on the park are a no. But only if they are in pain, or i may have to reduce time out because i know the fall out afterwards, extreme fatigue, grumpy, pain. Not worth it.
I would love to be able to wipe the slate clean and say its not going to happen its all going to get better but I can't say that as that would be a delusion. We just deal with what we have the best we can. New strategies , Lots of bandages, medicine and love.
I want to be an advocate for all things atopic and HM.
Do not let your child or yourself W sit (bum on the floor with legs either side of hips)
Do not do If you are or your child are having pain in a joint no matter if at night or day keep a log and go to the dr! Don't be fobbed off with growing pains!!
Read up, join up! there are so many good Facebooks groups and the Hypermobility syndromes is a great webpage for info, membership and printoffs! http://hypermobility.org/help-advice/what-is-hms/
Do not just think your child is attention seeking, even if you are told they are ( .. guilty as charged here) you are mum! ( or dad or guardian!) you know your child best. Take back up with you if needed.
I will continue to pester and post and talk about it, Because here and FB are my venting places, where i feel i may get some support for my life and perhaps, just perhaps I can help someone else out there.
Support is Key, its all I ever wanted and its all I ever needed.
Wednesday, 27 January 2016
Think we've been here before
So.. what do we do now? well i feel a bit of a relief, it is confirmed, I'm not going crazy, i'm not making it up, and he genuinely has some freaky fingers that even she was like anyone can see his hands are Hypermobile.
Good news is that his hips and knees are not too bad, and shes not concerned with his ankles and feet yet, though personally i will be watching them! He does crack and creak alot, but this is more then likely tendons/ liagaments snapping back into place as she said. We have a good nursery, and fingers crossed he will be heading up into the school where his big sister is at.
We know they are genuinely good with her and they don't push her as far as her joints go. Mr will need help with his fingers and writing eventually but we need to let him try and go through reception year first before asking for help, however we can get help if needed sooner if we have lots of problems! I feel happy we have something there! something to fall to if we need help. As getting help for madam is so hard! but it shows it affects everyone differently! And we weren't fobbed off with "he'll grow out of it! "
She also commented that he was a well behaved and bright boy... yeah ok i can be smug for a minute! but it was a good appointment!!
Then to madam... we are wheat free again, see blog two years ago and we were wheat free for her eczema, now its for her poor tummy that gets very bloated and sore. It is proving difficult but least the drs are listening, Then again they can't argue with evidence in front of them. Something is going on. Throw on top the hearing issue we are looking into.. and we have alot of appointments to deal with. (again)
To help with all this we have booked a well deserved holiday to France.... though it is in August! It is giving me something useful to do in the mean time... learning French! Je suis calme! ... Honestly I am. Not often i can say that.
We must plod on and see what the future brings for the bendy kiddies! lets keep the health issues to a minimum please :)
Bon nuit!








