Pain Vs Exercise

I started on Gabapentin last year to help with my Fibromyalgia, it has helped to mask some of the pain, however it has made me put on over a stone in about 8 months. Holidaying in France eating cheese and drinking wine everyday probably didn't help, however the Gabapentin is known for slowing down metabolism and as I haven't really changed my diet I am assuming this is the problem.

Now, the problem with my Fibromyalgia is that it is a vicious cycle, of needing to exercise to work the muscles and help ease the pain, to not being able to do those things because the condition causes your whole body to ache for days on end. A never ending cycle of wanting to be active but being in so much pain you can't be.

However, my jeans are a little snug, so it is time to lose some weight. I had been swimming regularly since the new year to try and lose weight, but with half term and a dodgy knee, I haven't been for a few weeks. Life simply seems to get in the way.

I need to get a grip though, this isn't about me 'not needing to lose weight because I'm not fat' as I hear from friends and family so often, maybe not to the naked eye, but my body has changed shape and I am so conscious of it myself that I need to do it for me.

I try to be fibro-warrior, I try to get through the days and so if I can do that, then I can get rid of the weight I am carrying. I also think that it is probably adding to my weariness and I need to do it to feel better about me.

So, I have applied for a day pass to my local Nuffield Gym to see what it's like, I will be doing that and I will be getting back into my swimming, as well as going out for walks on my days off. You'd think that the amount of house work and running around I do I'd be fine but obviously something has changed in my body and I need to get better, for me and for my family.

Diary Doll Pants - Pants with Hidden Protection

Periods! There I said it, i've suffered with heavy periods since I was 13. Nature wasn't kind to me, every month I cried out in pain, all scrunched up on the nurses bed or at home. My mum used to send me to school after a good dose of something called Indian Brandy, I now know it is actually for digestive problems not period pains, however I suffered it because what else could I do.

For me periods were heavy and that often meant stopping or changing my every day activities just because of it, there is nothing worse than waking up in the morning to find blood on your sheets, nothing worse than not being able to wear certain things around time of the month! It wasn't great, but life doesn't stop for periods, woman are meant to carry on regardless.

But why am I telling you all of this? Well I still have periods, they are still heavy and I have even more responsibility with two children to run around after. So when Carol Smillie did a talk at BritMums Live about her new venture Diary Doll I was intrigued and excited about the product, something I had needed for so long had been invented.

Diary Doll pants are waterproof pants, they look like a normal pair of pretty pants but concealed inside is a waterproof layer, perfect for catching those leaks which had so often blighted my life growing up. Now I know what you're thinking, they are going to be like wearing a shell suit in your undies, but that was not the case, they didn't make me sweat and they didn't feel crinkly.

Diary Doll pants come in a great little fabric bag, perfect to keep in your gym bag or handbag and it means no one will ever know what you are carrying, great for younger girls who might be more embarrassed by something like this.

These are designed to work with your normal sanitary protection for those moments where you need a bit more protection and for me they did just that, i'm grateful that these are now available and that my daughter won't have to face the same embarrassments that I did.

Normal service will now resume and I will continue to talk about craft, days out and clothes but remember, we all have mothers, sisters, daughters and wives who go through this and it isn't something to hide, it is part of life, in fact it is life, without it we wouldn't exist!

Diary Doll are available from John Lewis, Debenhams and Diary Doll online for the price of £14.95, to be fair I have paid this much for a pair of pants before and these are pretty and will hopefully last a long time.

NB: I was sent the Diary Doll pants to form this review, all words and opinions are my own.

Look After Your Back

Whilst reading #52LittleThings over on The Oliver's Madhouse this week, it got me thinking about my neck problems and how important it really is to look after your neck and back.

About five years ago I was sat at the breakfast table, I yawned and did that arm stretch thing you do, immediately a pain shot down my neck and I was pretty much stuck with my neck to one side.

Worst thing was it was a bank holiday, I managed to find a chiropractor that was open and from that point on I have seen one every month since.

Now it's a case of keeping on top of any potential problems, with my fibromyalgia being the source of most pain now it is a constant reminder of just how delicate we really are, and how important our skeleton and our muscles are.

When my son was born my husband had been in a lot of pain for months, he couldn't even move on the day our son was born. Sat in the corner he was probably in more pain than me, he'd certainly had a lot more drugs.

Years of bad trainers and sitting poorly had meant his discs had ruptured, the consultant was shocked that someone so young had such badly herniated discs! Five weeks after my son was born he had major back surgery, and it took about three months for him to fully recover.

Your back is so important and with so many gadgets these days that mean you are constantly looking down I suspect things will only get worse.

I limit the use of iPads in our house, mainly because of the position you sit in to play on them. When I'm on my phone I try and keep it held at face height so as not to be looking down putting much unneeded pressure on my neck.

Your back is so precious and it isn't until you have a bad back or neck you realise just how much it can affect your whole life.

Look after your back, it is so important. This post was bought to your from someone who had a bad nights sleep and has a sore neck this morning.

Deep Freeze Cold Patches Review

I was recently sent some Deep Freeze Cold Patches to review, an easy to apply cooling patch great for sprains, strains, aches and pains!

If you suffer with as much pain as I do, then you'll know how important cold can be to soothe muscles and this is a great product for on the go, home or at work.

The patches come in individual packets so are easy to pop into a bag to keep with you and the flexible patch allows it to be placed in most areas around the body.

For me, my main areas of complaint are the neck and shoulders. These patches are the perfect size to suit these areas, allowing flexibility to fit over my neck and move with me, they are also particularly good for when lying down as there is nothing bulky like with normal ice packs that would dig into my neck.

These patches offer a great alternative to reaching for paracetamol or ibuprofen which sometimes it isn't possible to take, for example during pregnancy for aches and pains or even swollen feet. I suffered terribly with my neck during pregnancy and could only take paracetamol, something like this would have been perfect.

The cooling effect of the patch itself is difficult to describe but there is a menthol smell to the patch (the patch contains menthol, aloe vera and water in the hydrogel layer) and the only way I can describe it is like eating a really strong mint and then breathing in and getting that cooling effect on the back of your nose and throat.

The patches have an RRP of £1.55 for a single patch and £5.10 for a pack of four patches and can be found in Boots.

NB. I was sent four patches for review, all thoughts and opinions are my own.