Eat. Sleep. Wheeze. Repeat

Today I want to write something about weight. Specifically how I’ve dealt with it being a young(ish) woman/mum/ on high doses of steroids. I’ve often spoken about it throughout my blogs of blabbering away on here but over the last few months I’ve had a bit of a roller coaster. (In my head, not literally).  One of the most commonly known side effects of steroids is weight gain. Probably because it’s actually one of the side effects that the most people suffer with and one of the most obvious when you look at someone (aside from that beautiful moon face). But it’s probably a little to do with our, by our I just mean societies, obsession with weight and looks and all that.  I don’t mean that harshly but, as a 33 year old female, I don’t think there’s been a day  since I was about 10 that I haven’t worried about my figure/weight/looks. Not just because I’m over weight. When I was slim it was because I didn’t want to not be slim anymore, in fact I was probably more stress...

So its been like maybe a year and a half since I wrote anything on here. (I should have just looked at the date of the last one before I started writing but wheres the fun in that)I don't really know why I stopped. Uni was pretty stressful, whenever I was writing I felt like it wasn't right unless I was writing for that.  Then over the summer the heatwave was not ,my friend and I had a chest infection that just kept coming back. Then I was back doing uni. However last week I handed my last EMA in!! Yay! So hopefully I pass both modules and I have finished my degree. Although I am already going crazy waiting to see if I passed. I wont find out until July 23rd so its going to be a fun few weeks.  So last year in no particular order (will just write them as I remember):  I got the best present in the world in the form of a Sausage dog called Sausage. He is an absolute nut job, but I love him so much. My sister got married in an incredible Harry Potter wedding. I was ver...

I hope everyone used their chance to vote. Today's was a tricky one for me. I realised how vulnerable I feel.  I rely on the NHS and I rely on it being free. I receive ESA currently whilst I'm not allowed to work. I rely on student loans to fund me studying for when I am allowed back to work. My children are both in the education system. Yup I am a giant drain on the system (not intentionally I promise) The thought of having to pay for my medical treatment, whilst I see why that might be seen as a good solution to some of the countries problems, leaves my blood run cold. It doesn't take a genius to figure out I'm not exactly rolling in it right now. Will it be that I genuinely might not be able to afford to keep myself alive? Or I will but my husband and I will be in even more debt than we are now. Will our children have to miss out more than they already do so mum can breathe? I've had to avoid picking up my prescriptions for a couple of days before because I ...

So much has happened since my last update.  I had been getting progressively worse breathing wise so on the 11th of may I went to my gps , I knew what they were going to say but you never know I might have been lucky. He didn't even check me over he just rung my local hospital and sent me straight there, however the plus side to this was avoiding a&e and going straight to AAU.  After the general poking and prodding they whisked me into a bay whacked in a cannula and bleeped the respiratory team who came down actually quite fast, and it was decided I was metabolising my tablet medication to quickly so it was ineffective.  I was told only to walk to the toilet no where else (like I had the energy) and I was started on iv steroids and Iv aminophyline. Iv aminophyline is a 24 hour drip so I knew I was in for a couple of days.  I was to tired to be that bothered to be completely honest. I always get sad as i hate leaving the munchkins but I knew I needed to be th...

As the title of this blog suggests; May is mental health awareness month. To be honest you'd have to be blind not to notice. It's everywhere, which is brilliant, for way to long now it's been something that isn't understood and as happens so often when we don't understand things, it's made fun of, not seen as 'real' or brushed under the carpet. So I have to see a psychologist at the moment, she's part of the Portsmouth resp team. Genuinely, and I am ashamed to admit this, when I first got the apt through for it I was like "what the hell! I'm not crazy". I went to that appointment doubtful she would get much out of me worth working with. I had just seen the dietician before that apt and my daughter was playing "how long can I act like a spoilt entitled brat before mum loses her crap". So I was less in the mood to be analysed for no reason than I can even describe. I'm fairly British sometimes and not ever to comfortable...

I'm often asked 'how does it feel to have an asthma attack?'And it's a question I struggle to answer because It can differ greatly. I've had attacks where I feel like my chest is in a vice and it's really feels like my lungs might burst.and the muscles in my chest hurt so bad I want to cry with every breath.  However my chest is silent there is no wheeze. I think these are the scariest ones not only because it really hurts but because if people (including Drs) can't hear the wheeze they can underestimate how badly you are struggling or even claim it's an anxiety attack.. Even I sometimes have thought oh I'm not wheezing maybe it's ok. However I feel bad really quickly with that type and now I'm quite well known in a&e and they know to do a blood gas (where they put a needle down into the artery in the wrist. It feels pretty gross)  to check my co2 levels because sometimes my o2 levels can look ok on the machine and mislead the Drs, but a...

If I had a pound for every time I was asked this, well, I'd have a lot of pounds. Asthma is a illness that varies greatly. Some people get flare ups when exposed to a specific allergen (common ones being dust, pollen, nuts and so on), some people get flare ups when dealing with viruses such as colds, flu etc (if you are offered a flu jab get it believe me), some when they exercise. A lot of people see their GP and their local asthma nurse and it may take sometime but they find a combination of drugs that that works for them. This is a broad subject and there are lots of other varying degrees of asthma and treatments I could talk to you about all day. However I think we would all be a little info overload. Mine gets quite complex. Its understandable why people don't get it, but it can also be a little crushing that people think you're making a big thing about nothing. Hopefully reading this can help people understand just a little so if they know someone in this kind of...

So, I have considered starting a blog for ages, not that I consider myself overly interesting or that I have an important message to get out there but I like writing and thought hey, why not. If you are reading this and don't know me then I will find the about me part that I am sure in on here but it took me like an hour to set up this far. So briefly, I'm Callie. thirtyandabit, Mum, wife, open uni English Lit student and severe/brittle asthmatic. (yes the Wheeze part of the title kind of makes sense now) I imagine the blog will mainly be about my experiences of the above but I like to try and bake cakes and stuff so sometimes it might include the odd success or disaster story. My children are 11 and 8, I was 19 when I became a mum. Way earlier than planned. This has had its fair share of challenges especially as i have never really looked my age however mainly now it just allows me to embarrass my daughter because her friends, friends parents and teachers all think I am a)...