Decisions Decisions

Well I have had a few days off of blogging but I am back refreshed and ready to go again. The attacks (touch wood) seem to have calmed down I have not had one for a few days and today is the first day I have felt like my old self for a while. I went to my specialist appointment on Thursday and was poked and prodded about and subjected to a whole lot of tests. My hearing and balance have deteriorated which was no surprise to me. As I suspected I have to go back and be fitted for hearing aids on both ears, I have to go back for more in depth balance tests to see if I am a candidate for the gentamicin treatment, I also have to go back for a pre op assessment, and finally day surgery to have the grommit replaced in my left ear which fell out over a year ago. He also doubled my meds. Whilst none of this came as a surprise to me it has taken a while to digest and I have had talks with the children, Lee, and my family about whether or not to have the gentamicin treatment as it comes with a pretty hefty side effect. There is a good chance if I have the treatment it will destroy the little hearing I have left and affect my balance however it may help with the vertigo attacks. I asked the surgeon outright what the chances of success are and he said based on what he has seen of me he thinks it would be 50/50. So a lot to take in and consider I still have not made a decision but I have a few weeks before I need to so lots more conversations with the family are coming my way I feel.

We had visitors on Saturday my family came down from London for the day and it was so nice to see them all. Even more so as my little sister and her girlfriend have just got engaged and I have been asked to be a bridesmaid. We spent the whole day having a good old catch up and a good old giggle which was lovely. My step dad mentioned how tired I look and how it breaks his heart that someone as young as me is having to live with this debilitating disease. I just gave him a hug and assured him that yes it is hard but its not something that is going to kill me and I have to just suck it up and get on with it. I made a lovely coffee cake for my mum and she loved it wrapping it in foil to take home with her. It was like the battle of Britain just to get her to leave a little slice here for me lol.

I also got left lots of yummy scrummy food all for free thanks to my mummies fussy food ways. I offered everyone ham and cheese rolls and cake for lunch but that was not good enough so they bought their own food with them for the day. Now this would probably offend a lot of people but I don't let it bother me any more as whatever they don't eat gets left here for us to use. As a result I got the following free food a big box of cocktail sausages, a £3 packet of deli ham, 6 large muffins, a bakers loaf of bread, half a pack of Easter cakes.

I have been working hard on my homemade prezzies over the last few days and have finally finished. The bestie has a jewellery set

The next door neighbor has a baby blanket and 3 wash mitts

And DGD has a toiletry set

All have been wrapped and ready to give as well as 4 cards made (sorry forgot to take a pic). So that's me finished with prezzie making for a few months so I have started making scarfs for xmas prezzies. I am a very basic knitter but love it as it is a real stress buster for me so the more stressed I am the more knitting I get done :) anyway I am off to do some knitting but its just for fun today as its a very good day and no stress to work through.

Much Love
Claire xx xx xx

Finally finished

Well its taken several months but I have finally finished the baby blanket and wash mitts for my next door neighbor. I am very proud of myself I am a very basic knitter and this is the largest piece I have ever made I usually stick with wash mitts, scarfs, and headbands. Here it is in all its glory

Its is around half the length of a single duvet and just as wide

And here it is with the wash mitts

It is all in the wash now and will be soaked over night in baby pure fabric conditioner, air dried, and wrapped ready to give her when baby puts in her appearance. So that's 2 gifts made just another 2 to do oh and 3 cards to make. I will probably do the cards tonight and if I feel up to it DGD toiletry set. The coffee cake I am making for them both will be made on Sunday to give them when they come to visit on Monday. I also have to make a coffee cake for mum's visit on Saturday and I think I may attempt my first ever lemon drizzle cake to. Once all this lot is finished I have a few months off of present making as the next birthday is not until June. So I will probably make a start on some xmas prezzies yes I know i'm very early but hey best to get ahead. The plan is to make scarfs for everyone this year and a homemade treat basket each with xmas cookies, mince pies, and xmas chocolates. I think this will be more than enough for the family. For the boys I am hoping to make them a scarf each, a bed topper each, a teddy each, a book from the charity shop, a DVD of their choice, and a few small bits and pieces I will buy throughout the year.

I have my specialist appointment tomorrow and I am really hoping they can do something to help me with my MD. I know I will be looking at more surgery something I had hoped to avoid but if its going to improve my quality of life then its worth the aggro.

Much Love
Claire xx xx xx

Roast On A Budget

I have been in a MD coma again all day today it has been very hard going the last few weeks with all these attacks I am having. Today I received a great amount of support from someone I barely know but her words help so much as I know she is going through the same. H is someone I met (virtually) through an online support group for MD sufferers and she herself is having a hard time with daily attacks at the moment. For her to find the time to talk with me and support me even though she is having a terrible time also means the world to me right now. The Mr and friends are being incredibly supportive but to have someone who knows exactly how it feels to live with this some times debilitating disease has helped in ways I can not express. H I thank you from the bottom of my heart and I hope I can be there to help and support you in the same way you have myself. OK pity party over with yesterday I made a roast dinner on a very small budget. We had pork, veg, roast pots, stuffing, crackling, and gravy.

 I put my pork shank in my slow cooker filled with half a pot of gravy and left to cook for 5 hours on high.

My slow cooker which cost me just £10 from the charity shop

As you can see I got loads of meat from this 55p pork shank

I popped half a bag of ready roasties in the oven with a packet of value stuffing and the crackling from the pork. I used 1/3 of a bag of frozen veg which I cooked on the hob.

Finished result we was stuffed and it was very yummy

Costing for this meal was as follows
Pork shank 55p yellow sticker reduction
1/2 bag of ready roasties 50p iceland
Crackling free cut from the pork shank
Stuffing 15p Asda smartprice
1/3 of a bag of frozen veg 25p Tesco value
1/2 Pot of gravy 10p Tesco value
Total cost £1.55 and served 5 of us so 31p per portion for a roast dinner


I had a phone call from my mum today and I was able to make out most of what she said which was lovely as I usually can't hear a thing on the phone. She is coming down with my step dad, my sister, and my sisters girlfriend on Saturday to bring the boys their Easter eggs. My family live in London and it is a good 2 hour drive to get here so I am very grateful and really looking forward to seeing them all. Lee and I have also invited a few of my good friends to spend Easter Monday with us. Where Lee is away working for 2 weeks solid I am unable to get out of the house and am starting to feel very isolated and lonely. My friend Kelly suggested coming round and cooking a meal for me as she has said I need lots of TLC bless her heart she is a real love. So I decided to make an event of it and have invited the bestie and Leia along to. If I do have an attack and am confined to the sofa one of my lovely friends will take over the cooking for me and they have all seen me at my worst and know to just carry on as normal and not make a fuss. So I have an exciting Easter weekend coming up filled with good frugal food and good loving company and I have to tell you I can not wait.

Much Love
Claire xx xx xx

Thank God

The big man upstairs has decided to give me a dizzy free day today and I am sooooo thankful. If you will excuse the pun it has been a god send to be able to potter about the house doing little jobs. I have taken it nice and slowly but was determined to get some jobs done. Washing has been done and put away, the house has been tidied within an inch of its life, the animals have been given a thoroughly good clean out, the washing up has been done, I have made the bestie's birthday prezzie, and I even had time to give myself a manicure and pedicure. I am doing well with my knitting I reckon another 18 rows and it will be done so about 3 hours work left to do. I need to get a wiggle on as she is due in a week and has been getting twinges.

The bestie's jewellery set handmade by me

And all wrapped up ready to give her

The jewellery set cost me a pound and I put it together myself. I bought a few of them a while ago when I saw them for £1 with the idea of making them up and giving them as gifts. Karen loves costume jewellery so i'm pretty sure she is going to like this. The stripy bag and ribbon cost me nothing as I have heaps of them left over from my ebay jewellery selling days. I only ever sell handmade jewellery now and that's on etsy.

Anyway off to do some more knitting and then an early night me thinks.

Much Love
Claire xx xx xx

My Saving Grace

Anyone who knows me well knows I am not keen on cats. That was until this little beauty came into my life in Aug of last year.

                                        

                                                        My princess who we call baby girl


In July we rescued a little kitten who wandered into our house. We managed to track down the owner and return her to her rightful home but the few hours we spent with her completely changed my view on cats. She was a lovely little thing with a wonderful temperament and so playful. We all kind of hoped we didn't find the owner so we could keep her ourselves. After spending time with this kitten I decided I wanted to get one myself so kept my eyes open for adverts. I didn't want a pedigree I wanted a moggie that would be difficult to home but I also wanted a baby so she could grow up with the boys and would learn to fit in with our rather crazy way of life. Well Baby has done just that its like she has always been a part of the family. She is completely and utterly bonkers and the most loving cat I have ever met. She seems to have a sixth sense of when I am ill and she will climb up on top of me and rub herself into my face as if to say don't worry mum i'm here. When the boys are at school and Lee is off at work she is my companion and brightens up my day. She sits on my lap when i'm watching TV and follows me upstairs when i'm putting the washing away. Never in a million years did I think I would be so gogo gaga over a cat and friends and family were gob smacked when I told them I had got one. Baby was the runt of the litter, when we got to the women's house who was selling the kittens it was over run with animals i'm not talking a few there was loads of them. The house smelt terribly and you could see she was not the most house proud of people. She took us into the garden where all the kittens were roaming around outside. These kittens were 4 weeks old and should not have been out let alone for sale at such a young age. All the kittens were playing together except for Baby who was sat on a washing basket by herself looking rather sad. I tried to look at the huddle of kittens but could feel Baby's eyes staring at me the whole time so decided to give her a cuddle as soon as I picked her up she dug her claws into my coat and would not let go for love nor money. So that was that Baby picked us not the other way round and she is one of the best things ever to have happened to me. She was riddled with fleas and worms when we got her so I had to take her to the vets a few times to be treated as she was to young for me to treat her myself. It was money well spent and she is growing into the most beautiful feline ever (yes I know i'm biased). Here are some pictures of Baby as a kitten

She is slightly older in this last picture it was taken a few months ago

And here are some pictures of her today

Don't worry mum i'm here

She truly is my saving grace when i'm poorly and I love her immensely.

Much Love
Claire xx xx xx

Will It Ever End

Yet again more MD attacks have been had. I had one last night while I was sleeping and one again this morning. I am averaging 2 attacks a day at the moment and they are pretty bad ones requiring my meds and not just a quick nap to sleep them off. It is so frustrating to be lying there with lots of things that need doing and the mind is willing but the body is not and can barely move or open my eyes with the vertigo. So my plans for today have been put on hold yet again and I am just resting, knitting, and reading whenever the spinning takes a little break. Menieres disease is not commonly heard of I know when I was diagnosed I had no clue what it was and had to do research to find out about it.

Here is some information on the disease taken from wikipedia

Ménière's disease is a disorder of the inner ear that can affect hearing and balance to a varying degree. It is characterized by episodes of vertigo, low-pitched tinnitus, and hearing loss. The hearing loss is fluctuating rather than permanent, meaning that it comes and goes, alternating between ears for some time, then becomes permanent with no return to normal function. It is named after the French physician Prosper Ménière, who, in an article published in 1861, first reported that vertigo was caused by inner ear disorders. The condition affects people differently; it can range in intensity from being a mild annoyance to a lifelong disability. 

Ménière's often begins with one symptom, and gradually progresses. However, not all symptoms must be present to confirm the diagnosis although several symptoms at once is more conclusive than different symptoms at separate times. Other conditions can present themselves with Ménière's-like symptoms, such as Cogan's syndrome,autoimmune disease of the inner ear, dysautonomia, perilymph fistula, multiple sclerosis,acoustic neuroma, and both hypo- and hyperthyroidism.

The symptoms of Ménière's are variable; not all sufferers experience the same symptoms. However, so-called "classic Ménière's" is considered to have the following four symptoms.

Attacks of rotational vertigo that can be severe, incapacitating, unpredictable, and last anywhere from minutes to hours, but generally no longer than 24 hours. For some, prolonged attacks can occur, lasting from several days to several weeks, often causing the sufferer to be severely incapacitated. This combines with an increase in volume of tinnitus and temporary, albeit significant, hearing loss. Hearing may improve after an attack, but often becomes progressively worse. Nausea, vomiting, and sweating sometimes accompany vertigo, but are symptoms of vertigo, and not of Ménière's.

Fluctuating, progressive, unilateral (in one ear) or bilateral (in both ears) hearing loss, usually in lower frequencies. For some, sounds can appear tinny or distorted, and patients can experience unusual sensitivity to noises.

Unilateral or bilateral tinnitus.

A sensation of fullness or pressure in one or both ears.

Some may have parasympathetic symptoms, which aren't necessarily symptoms of Ménière's, but rather side effects from other symptoms. These are typically nausea, vomiting, and sweating which are typically symptoms of vertigo, and not of Ménière's. Vertigo may induce nystagmus, or uncontrollable rhythmical and jerky eye movements, usually in the horizontal plane, reflecting the essential role of non-visual balance in coordinating eye movements. Sudden, severe attacks of dizziness or vertigo, known informally as "drop attacks," can cause someone who is standing to suddenly fall. Drop attacks are likely to occur later in the disease, but can occur at any time and in some cases chest pain.

If you want to find out more about Menieres disease here's a link

www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ménière's_disease

Thankfully I have an appointment with my specialist on the 28th March unfortunately the boys are on school holidays so its going to cost me £37.50 in childcare fees so next week is not going to be a very frugal week in the Till household plus I have to pay £16 in travel costs. Still if it gets me the treatment I so desperately need then it is worth every penny. Until then I will keep fighting and just do what I can when I can and hope for a remission period soon.

Much Love
Claire xx xx xx 

Menieres Disease And Homemade Food

Sorry for no post last night I have been suffering terribly with my MD. I had 2 attacks yesterday one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Meds were taken and when I was not dizzy I was conked out from the strong meds I have to take they are powerful stuff I can tell you. They stop the dizziness but they also knock me out for a good few hours. So yesterday was spent spinning and sleeping I am afraid.

I have taken it pretty easy today as I am still suffering the after effects of yesterday. I have done some more work on the baby blanket I am making for my next door neighbor. She is due in 9 days time so I really better get a wiggle on. The wash mitts have been made and sewn together and all that's left is to finish the blanket and make a card. It is my best friend's and my god daughters birthdays on the 4th and 5th of April so I also have to get presents and cards made for them. I am thinking a handmade jewellery set for the bestie and a toiletries set for DGD and a nice big coffee cake for them to share.

This is the baby blanket I am making sorry about the darkness my phone camera has no flash so any picture taken at night time looks very dark. It is actually a lovely pink and white colour I will take a picture during day light hours when its finished to show you all.

I did manage to make a lovely lamb casserole for tea tonight it was a bit of a cheats casserole as I used tinned veg, ready made roasties, and ready made yorkshire pud. I wont beat myself up about it as I am ill and needed to make it quick and easy as possible.

I got all this lamb from one small lamb shank and there was plenty for myself and the boys

And here is the end result it was yummy and I got to use my slow cooker for the first time

Costing for this meal was as follows

Lamb shank 99p (yellow sticker reduction)

1/2 a pot of gravy granules 10p (Tesco value)

1 small onion 10p (Asda smartprice)

1 tin of carrots 20p (Tesco value)

1/2 a tin of sliced mushrooms 20p (Asda smartprice)

1/2 a bag of ready roasties 50p (Iceland)

6 yorkshire puds 25p (Tesco value)

Total cost for 4 servings £2.34 so 59p per serving

For dessert we had homemade icecream, dark choc and walnut cake, and syrup cake 

Here is the costing for dessert

Homemade icecream 4p

Dark choc and walnut cake 0p (Brad made these at school)

Syrup cake 13p (2 slabs for £1 approved foods)

Total cost for dessert was 17p and it was delish

Well I am hoping to be a bit more with it tomorrow as I need to clean out the animals and mend some duvet covers as well as more knitting and tomorrow is my pamper day to so I need all the strength I can get for a busy day.

Much Love

Claire xx xx xx