MRI Scan...

Today was my last hospital appointment until after Christmas and I spent it in the radiology department having an MRI Scan. I wasnt that nervous about this one as I thought it would just be laying down in a tunnel for a little while.  The only part that scared me was the unknown injection of dye that I knew I would be getting. When it comes to injections I am fine getting a cannula, they hurt a little but I can get over that and I'm happy knowing I dont have to keep having needles, but for this i wasn't sure if a cannula was an option.  For anyone who is having an MRI and is hoping I will say something good about it like 'it was fine!' stop reading now! I would hate to put fear into someone like I have had done on some Crohns blogs but honestly, I thought the whole thing was awful. 
It started with a half 8 appointment which I couldn't eat or drink anything for 6 hours before, that part was fine as I wasn't hungry anyway. When we arrived the nurses were lovely, I was allowed to keep all my clothes on as they didn't have any metal or zips (so wear leggings if you can instead of jeans and try to wear a jumper). Then it got unpleasant. I was given a big jug of liquid to drink which was a warm thick consistency and was told to drink it In 45 mins. The first cup was fine but after that it became undrinkable and I found myself heaving back into cup. I only managed half and although the nurses were unsure that it was enough the MRI went ahead fine anyway. I was taken into a room where they went through a list of questions which could prevent me from going any further like have you had heart surgery etc. I answered no to all except one which was about intimate piercings. I have my belly done and I did have a ring in my ear which were fine to take out, however I also have had my nipple pierced since march and still can't get it out. It is very much stuck. They warned me about the chances of it heating up and even said they had a belly bar burn someone before but I didn't really have a choice but to go in anyway. 
The machine is smaller than I thought but still very intimating and not comfy to lay on. They did some test scans first to see where the liquid was but saw it wasn't down enough so I had to go to the toilet and walk around for abit. When I went back the test began. Although they give you headphones the noise is extremely loud and pulsing and very scary when you are in a small space. The space really is tiny, the roof of the scanner is right infront of your eyes. All I could think about was the injection and the piercing which made me upset and the whole process a lot worse. After a few tests they took me out and inserted a cannula (massive relief!) which calmed me down, I could also lay on my front which meant I couldn't see the ceiling. I was given some dye injections and a muscle relaxant and told it might make my eyes bit funny after which sure enough it did, I couldn't see infront of me! After the cannula was removed I was allowed to leave but it has been a bad day and I've felt unwell for most of it. I hope this hasn't scare anyone and looking back I could have had worse things done but if I had to choose I would have a colonoscopy any day!

Jones and Jones dress

Jones and Jones are one of the brands that you can find at Topshop, one that I could never afford full price but I can kind of justify buying off eBay! This dress (sorry about the bad picture) I've seen a few times and never for anything less than £30. On the website I think it would go for around £60-£70. I'm hoping it looks nice enough to wear to the Christmas party for my course which has a 'glamorous' dress code. I got this tonight off eBay for £34 including postage which is a great price as it wont lose its value so i'll be able to sell it on after for about the same. I cant wait to see what it looks like!

More charity shop finds!

Last week I did some more charity shopping with my friend and after we were done she said 'you've bought something in every shop!' Not everything was for me but I found some great bits, some I cant post because they are presents for Christmas! These pictures are from things I have collected over the last couple of months from various Charity shops near me.

 The first picture is my suede shearling gilet which is by a brand called Faded Glory which I think is American. I've got  a bit of a thing for gilets at the moment and this one goes with so many things. Its also really warm surprising and only cost me £3!

The dress is from Topshop and was a massive bargain, it has a lovely crochet top and a floaty skirt. The tag said £6 but it has a small hole under the arm which I mentioned at the til and they reduced it by 50%! I was buying a few bits which helped but it shows its always worth asking. I would always haggle at a charity shop if the stuff wasn't up to scratch. 

This little waistcoat I haven't had a chance to wear yet, its from Primark which I wouldn't normally buy from a charity shop as its usually a similar price anyway. There was something about this, I think it was the colours, that made me buy it. It will definitely brighten up my very dark wardrobe!

I've never really like peplum tops as they don't suit my shape but this one i had to buy as it was buy one get one free in the shop! Its from George at Asda and is a size 8 which would normally be too small for me but after losing a stone (thanks Crohns!) it now fits well and is a nice smart top. 

The final picture is a white River Island top i got for £2. Its got tiny zebras over it and has a cute pocket to make it look more casual. It looks good with my new jeans and a gilet!

A month on Meds

On Saturday it will have been a month since I came out of hospital where I was diagnosed with Crohns and things are definitely much better! I'm having more good days than bad and some days when I forget i'm even ill at all. I've been able to go and visit Coventry which I didn't think I would manage for awhile but its also shown me that I do need to take it easy and i'm not as strong as I was before. I get tired quickly and my legs ache but I hope that when I come back to University in January I will be able to cope. Since coming out of hospital I've been on some medication which I think has been working for me. These are Entocort which I take 3 capsules but will only be 2 next month, 1 capsule of Omeprazole and 2 Adcal tablets (my new prescription is for tutti-fruiti flavour!)  All the tablets are fine but its taken some time to get used to not being able to eat an hour after I've taken them! It means getting up an hour before I want to eat breakfast! 

Hopefully i'm going back to see the gastroenterologist in a couple of weeks and then I have an MRI scan on Friday and that will be it until the new year which is exciting. I can see in myself the progress I've made, not just with how much better I feel but how well I can cope with things. I was terrified of needles and couldn't get a blood test but now the thought doesn't scare me, I might even look into giving blood! Things are definitely looking up! 

Wrapping Presents

Today I spent the day making and wrapping some presents so I thought I would share how I wrapped some of them. The square shaped objects are simple so I used a brown paper from Wilkinsons covered by a clear wrap, one has little white balls of snow and the other is gold stars, these were ordered of the internet! The tags I got from Poundland as they go really nicely with the brown paper and add some colour. The baubles were found in a charity shop for 10p so I stocked up! I think they look great and are a good alternative to just a bow.

The best part is they are for my dad and brother so they will give them back after! 

For small or odd shaped gifts I find it better to put them in something first which is what I have done with these crackers made from toilet rolls. I have filled them with little presents like lip glosses, nail varnish and bracelets. To make them I wrapped the roll in brown paper and taped the inside, I then stuffed one end with red tissue paper and cut the clear wrap to size. The letters I traced on my laptop and then cut them out of the newspaper and outlined them with a red pen. I tied one end with red ribbon and then added the gifts and some Christmas confetti and secured the other end with ribbon. They are very fiddly but good if you have lots of bits lying around that you could use because they are so simple and look great! 

Back to hospital!

So I spent this weekend preparing for a Colonoscopy on Sunday afternoon. The last time I was in hospital I had a Flexible Sigmoidoscopy which is sightly different as it doesn't go as far round. I also didn't do anything to prepare I was just taken straight up in the morning. When the letter came through the post for the Colonoscopy it was very confusing, I must have read it hundreds of times and seemed to get different information each go! That's when I decided to have a look online... 

For anyone who is getting ready to have a procedure that they are a bit worried about I really would not suggest you look on forums, there are some complete horror stories on there! Most people said how awful the laxatives were and that the whole experience was really awful. Luckily I found it fine and I wish I hadn't looked before! I hope that if anyone is searching online they find this instead so they can see its really not bad at all! 

The laxatives I had to take were 10 tablets on Thursday and Friday which had no effect at all and then a sachet on Saturday night and Sunday morning. I expected the sachet to taste disgusting after it fizzed in the bowl but it was just a strong lemon flavour. The worst part of the weekend was not being able to eat after 1pm on Saturday, that evening I was so hungry but the clear soup we made just didn't sit right on my stomach! Sunday wasn't so bad as I felt a bit nauseous anyway so i didn't think much about food. Other than going to the toilet a bit more than usual it was fine, I would recommend having a hot water bottle though to ease your stomach as you can feel it bubbling!

The trip to the hospital went really well. We went into the endoscopy unit which I recognised from before. They spoke through everything with me and then it was about an hour before I changed into my gown and was taken into the room. The nurses were lovely and the doctor was much more friendly than before! A cannula was inserted in my arm which was the worst pain but even that doesn't hurt much now. I was then given the sedative through it and told to enjoy the drugs! I was expecting to have a long nap but I actually stayed awake the whole time. I could feel it but it didn't hurt it was just uncomfortable when the camera went round corners. The whole procedure only took about 20 minutes and then I was wheeled back to the ward. I couldn't wait to get out so I got dressed and the nurse took my needle out, I left the hospital within half an hour complete with pictures of my insides! 

Charity Shops

Something I love to do when I want some new clothes but don't have a lot of money is a bit of charity shopping! I've found some great things before including a white quilted Barbour jacket for £3 which is now my favourite coat. This month I've found some good winter bits including this black River Island satchel for £4. Its perfect for uni as I can fit my books in it and it will go with everything. 
The tartan scarf was something I saw on another blog and thought it looked really good, I went shopping that afternoon and found this one for £2.50 and its so warm and cosy!
I already have a sheepskin jacket but its just the collar and I love it so this other jacket was a bit of an impulse buy. It was £6 but is originally from New Look. Its got sheepskin throughout the inside which means I can still wear it through winter with a few layers. 

Shell Candles

These shell candles are one of my Christmas crafts, I am planning on giving them away as gifts for the ladies in my family as most of them are quite girly! I already had the wax pellets left over from a previous craft where I made teacup candles. One thing I learnt from those is that the wick sustainers are really important in keeping the wick in place! I think the wax cost me around £6 and out of that I made 3 small teacups and 8 shell candles so it was good value for money. The shells are actually scallop shells that I washed and sterilised. We ate the scallops but you could ask at the supermarket if they had any shells they were throwing away, there are lots of crafts that could be done with them! To make the candles I fixed the wicks to the sustainers and put them in the right place on the shell. I then used a double boiler (one pan of boiling water with a smaller pan over the top) and added the wax pellets, stirring until they were fulling melted. After taking it off the heat I added a few drops of vanilla room fragrance and poured the wax into the shells. They set very quickly especially in a cold house but its helpful to stir them occasionally to get rid of any bubbles. This time I completely forgot but they have turned out okay, a very cheap but good looking Christmas gift!

Christmas List: Oasis Watch

After ages working out what to ask for Christmas I finally decided on a watch. The next problem was to decide what kind! At first I thought about the rose gold Michael Kors watches which are very popular at the moment but not only are they quite expensive I realised they weren't really me. Then I saw this Oasis watch on the H Samuel website, at only £39.99 (including a free gift!) its cheap but looks much more. Its much more of a day watch and should go with most of my clothes. I just need to find a store that stocks it now!

Chocolate Slab take one!

This is my first attempt at the Chocolate Slab for Christmas! I've planned on making a couple for members of my family and maybe just to have as a spare gift in case I've forgotten anyone! This slab was made using Tesco chocolate which was 37p per 100g bar. For this slab I used 2 bars of each but I will use a quality chocolate for the presents! When it came to melting the chocolate I used a glass bowl over a pan of boiling water but definitely had it far too hot with too much water as the chocolate melted too quickly and almost burnt. I had to use milk in both chocolates to get them back to the smooth consistency to pour into the tin which I lined with cling fling. Once in the tin I used a broken crunchie bar on the white side and white chocolate buttons on the darker side. Overall i'm pretty happy with how it looks but it doesn't have that snap that chocolate bars are meant to have and that's because I didn't temper the chocolate. I've bought a thermometer now so when it's delivered I will have to have another go. For now i'm happy making my way through this one! 

Crohns

I wasn't sure about whether to write about Crohns or not, partly because it hasn't really sunk in yet and partly because I actually don't know that much information about it. It was two weeks yesterday since I came out of hospital- my first proper time in there (very scary!) but my problems started around 6 months ago. I'd just moved into my new uni house, got a new job and was very happy with how everything was going. I don't think I was stressed but looking back I probably was. This was when I started having 'issues' but I ignored them for a few months. I went to the doctors at home and he told me I would need a blood test but at the time I was so scared of needles I didn't want to get it done. SO stupid! If anyone else is in that situation then seriously don't wait, I cant believe i've been dealing with it for such a long time. 
Then the pain in my stomach started and I became really tired all the time. I started uni again and eventually it became too much so I went back to the doctors in Coventry and he was so helpful. He felt my stomach and asked me lots more questions and I was sent away for samples and a blood test which I did! That was a proud moment and now I don't know what I was worried about. The results came back and showed there was inflammation and my doctor referred me to the hospital to have more tests. The only problem was the appointment wasn't until December 5th - 6 weeks away! I carried on for another week but started being sick a lot, I weighed myself and I had lost a stone in about 3 weeks. One weekend I couldn't keep any food down so I went back to the doctors where I saw yet another doctor. He told me to get another blood test to see any changes and tried to bring my appointment at the hospital forward. The next day I got a phone call from him saying I needed to be admitted to hospital straight away, the inflammation had got worse ( I think?) and I was now anaemic from my lack of food. The thought of being in a hospital in Coventry on my own terrified me so I went home the next day and then on the Friday morning mum took me to hospital.  
In hospital I had a colonoscopy (very weird!) and they diagnosed me with crohns and I was put on steroids to bring down the inflammation. There were blood tests every day and early mornings for medicine. I had a cannula which was scary to look at but meant that the injections could go in there. Apart from the one for blood clots which was horrible until they told me to put it in the leg then it was fine! I couldn't wait to get out of there and since i've been home i've felt so much better. I still take the steroids and I will be back in the hospital soon for another MRI scan and a further colonoscopy. The thought that I have something now that cant be cured is scary and I don't really know whats going to happen in the future but at the moment I feel great and cant wait to get back to normal! 

Finally

I've finally decided to write a proper blog. After ages of umming and ahhing I now have the time to sit down and blog about what i'm interested in. I'm hoping this one will be better than tumblr! For now i'm going to use it to record the crafts i've been doing whilst at home and my charity shop finds! It might also have mentions of my Crohns disease and how my symptoms are since coming out of hospital. Hopefully this will be interesting and helpful for other people like me :)