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.

There is always hope...

I wasn't really sure what to write about today as I spent the whole weekend decorating and sorting out my sons bedroom.

I saw an article this morning about miscarriages and stillbirths in the UK and how some ladies are made to stay on a ward with other pregnant women or even new mums.

Firstly I am completely aware of the fact that we at least have hospitals and doctors to look after them and that some women have very little or nothing in this world.

After suffering a miscarriage in 2009 I am all to aware of the situation and how very cruel the 'system' can be in these circumstances!

In June 2009 we very unexpectedly found out we were pregnant, I was still on antidepressants for my PND and was setting up a business so it was the last thing I wanted.

But after a few months of feeling horrendously sick we became used to the idea.

On the morning of our 12 week scan something didn't feel right, I said to my husband something feels wrong and after an hours wait we went into the scan room.

The lady who was newly qualified asked how long gone I thought I was and went to find someone else, I looked at hubby and I think we both kind of new.

She bought someone else in who couldn't find anything and proceeded to tell me there was an empty sac and I'd lost the baby several weeks ago.

I was so numb, we had just come to terms with the idea and now it was taken away from us.

I was told someone would contact me the next day to arrange everything but they didn't. I had to contact the EPAU myself, explain who I was and what had happened, this was extremely hard but thankfully the lady on the other end was very kind.

Three days later I went into the hospital to arrange everything, sat with other women who all came, had a scan, saw their baby and left smiling at their scan pictures.

On the Saturday we packed our son off with his Nana and spent 8 hours on a ward waiting for the procedure, eventually I went down and it was over. It meant I could grieve, although to be honest I had already cried so many tears I had none left.

I had to be strong and thankful for my son and looked at him as the miracle he was (as an endometriosis sufferer he was just that).

Several painful months of not falling pregnant ensued but finally after nine months I found out I was pregnant with my daughter.

The long awaited words!

I had been having some pains on one side and was sent to the EPAU. My husband was away so I sat on my own waiting to go in, so many sad memories in that waiting room.

I finally got in for a scan and after seeing the tiniest of heartbeats I knew there was hope.

I carefully placed my pictures in my bag and left as quietly as I could as I didn't want to upset anyone in the waiting room going through what I had the year before.

I then gave birth to our daughter, the amazing expereience and two amazing midwives helped to close some very deep wounds left by my sons birth and the miscarriage and I don't think I have stopped smiling since the day she was born.

Thank you if you got this far I hadnt anticipated all these words to flow, here is to my lost baby and all the others who didn't make it. I do sometimes stop and think about what could have been but then I think about what I have and instead believe everything happens for a reason.

Someone once told me before I had my son and was worried about not being able to have children that 'there is always hope', those words have stayed with me ever since and I now have a complete family.