Being sick

So, in September 2012, when I was Upper sixth, I went on a trip to Liverpool and fell ill on the second day.  I still don’t understand what exactly happened but, we were waiting in the dinner queue and I felt like I was going to faint so I headed back to the flat and got some toast and was looked after.  The next day I felt like I’d woken up from a migraine but yet I’d had no pain at all. I felt horribly nauseas and dizzy for the next few days and the same when I returned home to Belfast.  So I went to the doctor and they couldn’t work it out.  So I continued being dizzy constantly and then the migraines started.  Every single day for months I had a searing headache and was so dizzy I could barely walk around school and did have to stay in bed on occasion.  Sometimes having to spend three or four days in bed before I could actually get up.

In around March 2012, I finally began a course of tablets which seemed to work, I’d tried a few but nothing was easing the pain or dizziness. The tablets I was put on worked for a while and then the dosage was upped, then upped again after another few weeks.  A couple of months later I still had a headache so I was started on another tablet to decrease the headaches caused by the first tablets.  I was still getting headaches, although less frequent they were still there and still causing a major discomfort, so in November 2013 I got a brain scan, after many appointments and a lot of waiting. It showed nothing.  So again I still had no answer as to what was causing the pain.  I had new glasses and extra tablets for use in the event of a ‘migraine attack’.

Eventually, sometime last year I was diagnosed with chronic migraines, which many people may think is just a lousy headache sometimes but it’s honestly not,  ‘The International Headache Society defines chronic migraine as more than fifteen headache days per month over a three month period of which more than eight are migrainous, in the absence of medication over use’.  Doesn’t sound great does it.

http://www.migrainetrust.org/chronic-migraine  I’m not going bore anyone with too much medical talk but if you wish to understand the condition better this is a good link to use.

But as the medication alone did not comfortably remove all of the migraine or headache pain I was having I had to seek other forms of relief.  I got an allergy test done which told me that eating gluten and potatoes among other foods, could be causing the pain.  So I tried going totally gluten free, but was miserable.  Completely distraught at the lack of nutrition and taste, although this is because I hate cooking and have a lot of fruits and vegetables that I was supposed to avoid so I was buying the gluten free supplements instead of cooking nutritious food without gluten, so kudos to all the celiacs out there who actually do it!

I did this for a while, then gradually introduced ‘normal foods’ back into my diet, bad idea because I saw what I was doing, although I still was mostly gluten free I couldn’t stick to it that well.  I have recently abandoned the whole thing because all of the gf food is too calorific and is causing me  to gain much more weight than I should be, so I’m trying to just eat healthier and less high gluten foods than I would have before, having had bagels, cous cous and pasta as my main diet for a long time.  So I have been mostly migraine free for a few months, only suffering from two or three a month, which is pretty good, but as I’m now going to change my diet back I’m scared I’ll be back in bed a lot, but I shall wait and see!

Just needed to get this all off my chest and hopefully help people see that chronic migraines are a real problem and help some people to realise that it is a medical condition.  This was a wordy post, apologies.

Hair

So I thought i’d do a little post about having grey/white/ lilac hair.  My hairisn’t just one of these colours right now, it appears to be all three so here goes.

Two weeks ago I made the transition from brown ombre, to what it is now.  My mum bleached it for me at home (my hairdresser recommended this as it worked out much cheaper for me).  We used Freeze Lites bleach, used a lot because my hair is mid-length, needed roughly three packets each time to actually coat my hair.  Although neither of us had ever done this before so we were just guessing.  It was bleached three times.  The first, it turned a strange yellow/orange colour, the second, went more yellow/white, the third was white but still yellowy.

Next was a trip to the salon.  5 hours, two toning sessions and some silver shampoo and my hair was finally more grey than yellow.  Its a very high maintenance colour though, because it doesn’t take much for the yellowy tones from my hair to come through they grey, this means that as well as silver shampoo, I am still using toner, which is what is leaving it a lilac colour in parts.  I am however very pleased with the result, but apprehensive for it growing out as it will be a nightmare to keep it! Anyone thinking of going for something different I’d thoroughly recommend you do! I’d thought about it a while last year but figured it was too risky, but I’m so glad I actually went through with it!

Hannibal

After seeing the new promo for season 3 of Hannibal I decided it was about time I finally watched it! I love Silence of the Lambs and the Lecter character interests me so I figured it would be worth a watch! Whilst it is not for people who are easily disturbed, I found it pretty fascinating.  I’m still a bit confused (i’m only on episode 2) about who everyone is and what is exactly going on, but it’s a really interesting show to watch!

All of the actors i’ve seen in it so far are really great, the whole atmosphere of the show is good, and in my opinion there’s just the right amount of gore, although I can’t wait to see more!  Glad I started watching and would recommend it to anyone who’s a fan of the films, the character of Hannibal, CSI r the X Files as I think those are the shows its most like.  Would highly recommend.

Today I took to a few local charity shops in the search for some good records and CDs.  I just have to implore everyone to please invest in or hunt out your old players and give them a listen!  I’m a firm believer in all things retro but seriously there is no better way to listen to music than vinyl, and if you don’t have access, always opt for a CD over an iPod!  Don’t get me wrong I adore my iPod and am heartbroken over its current rate of functionality, mainly because the don’t manufacture that model any more which would mean I would have to upgrade (disgusting), and it is of course much more compact on the road than a personal CD player, but it’s not the same.

There’s something more unique, nostalgic and personal about having to physically lift a record or CD and actually use it, watch it spin, physically seeing it play, than pressing a button.  Maybe it’s the hopeless romantic in me, but it’s so much more enjoyable to listen to music when you have to actually do something physical to hear it play.  I got my record player for Christmas this year after dreaming about one for a long time and I love it so much more than I thought I could!

My parents found it hilarious that I didn’t know how to work one (i’m 20) and had to actually teach me the ways of vinyl.  But my Uncle was a DJ in the 80’s (when they actually used vinyl) and kindly donated me a few hundred singles from his collection, including a majority of my favourite artist.  Since then i’ve been trawling shops and the internet alike to locate the best songs and albums I can.  Everything I love from the 80’s and beyond.  It’s the nicest thing to hear the songs and singers you love in the way in which they were heard in the height of their fame.  The sound crackles and snaps because it’s real, its a much more personal experience because you can sit and watch the record spinning on the turntable and you have to swap disc, turn sides and move to listen to it, you gotta work for it and it is so worth it!

So, basically, i want to encourage everyone to give vinyl a go if you can, or at least locate an old CD and CD player if you can! Hunt through those old CDs and give your old favourites a listen! You won’t look back!!