Frump to Fab - Summer Solstice Sizzler

Tete_en_l'Air

adelight wrote: »

It's really not like that, most of them were probably impressed to see a woman finally ditch the endless cardio for a while!
Whenever we feel self-conscious we think everyone is looking at us when in reality they're not. Does anyone here walk around the gym judging others? Nope, so why would anyone else? If anything, I think the only "looks" going round the gym are those of admiration!

I'd agree with this; the only people who smirk at people doing exercise are those who are too lazy to bother with it themselves. I bet Paula Radcliffe herself would look at me huffing and puffing my way though 5k round the park every Saturday morning and think "Good for you, well done!"

Hello, I've been dipping in and out of this thread for a week or so and would love to join you. I've been making a conscious effort on and off for the last year or so to try and make the best of myself but I'm sometimes too busy or tired or LAZY to bother so would love to have people to be accountable to.

I'm wearing a lovely jewel blue coloured dress that's slightly out of my comfort zone today but it's horrendously static on me I'm off out to buy some hairspray at lunchtime to see if that does anything. Do people still wear petticoats?!

D is for Dessicated
This is my main issue at the moment - Dry Skin. I always suffer with psoriasis on my scalp and eczema patches on my body, but the cold weather/central heating combo has made the skin around my eyes really dry, flaky and pink I'm trying to combat this with Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream at the mo because E45 stings - does anyone else get dry skin round their eyes this time of year?

LameWolf

lessonlearned wrote: »

The Drs and dentists one is particularly apt for us I think because so often we come bottom of the list.

The Decor one - well that's what we all doing isn't it - making our homes just as divine as we are.

Re the Disability - well LW I agree with you absolutely on this one - unfortunately the rest of the world doesn't seem too. Oh the SS talk the talk but they don't walk the walk. They do nothing.

My husband's body may fail him but his brain is still just fine and dandy - in fact more than that - he is an extremely intelligent man with a finely tuned academic mind. Think Stephen Hawkins and you get the picture. Unfortunately most of SS just don't seem to get it - they can be so bl**dy patronising - talking down to him as if he were a 5 year old.:mad:

For all their "training" and courses for his "human rights" - ha - they are always bleating on about this one - they have very little understanding and even less common sense or nous. Besides them he is an academic colossus and yet so often they talk to him as if he were a half wit.

If we had had the right support from 2006 when he first became symptomatic he could have carried on working for much longer and he could have gone into research which is something he always intended to do as part of his semi retirement plan. He still probably could but without help and back up it's impossible. Stephen Hawkins has a veritable army of support.

I know this because a friend of ours has a son who is also in research and he has a room on the same corridor as Stephen at Cambridge University.

Instead my OH was left high and dry. Any support we've had has always been too little, far too late. Even now my OH would love to "do something". It's always been up to me to help provide mental stimulation for him - I even paid myself for computer adaptations.

I'm sorry if I sound sceptical but I've seen the reality of how "help for disabled people works" and the fact is - it stinks.

As my dear Aunty S once told me - whatever you do don't rely on the state - it won't be there for you when you need it most. She would spin in her grave if she could see what my poor OH has had to endure.

This is why I am so determined

- yes Determination is one of my 'D's.

It might still be possible to buy in extra help for OH.

Now that his basic nursing needs are being taken care of and I'm not so tied down I'm hoping that if I can improve our finances then we might be able to afford a part-time secretary or research assistant to enable him to do something academic.

Who knows. I've certainly not given up yet - I'm just taking a breather.

LL I so agree! Obviously I'm nowhere near as physically affected as your OH, but I've had run-ins with SS where I lived before moving to Concrete Cow Country. Now, I just purchase what I need myself (been able to thus far; it'll be a different matter when the Gov't do away with DLA). You know, I'm angry on your OH's behalf. I've had the experience also of being talked to like a 5-year-old, or worse, the medical bod talks about me to my DH while I'm there. I'm a member of Mensa, !!!!!!, my brain may be a little fuddled, but it's still functional!:mad: See, same rant.:o I do hope you can carry out your plan as detailed - a man that bright will be metaphorically climbing the walls without something to apply his mind to.

Feel free to skip the rest of this post; it's just me offloading.
Talking of Doctors..... I saw the GP yesterday; what a mix-up! When I had my psych assessment (with 2 nurses) I was told they'd get me referred to a female junior psych doctor; this never happened, I just got a letter telling me to see my GP - this was back in early December.

So..... I went, got told they were changing my anti-depressants, given a schedule of tapering off the old ones/tapering on the new ones, and told to come back mid January.

So, I went back yesterday, and reported that I'm not happy with the new anti-d's; they're having horrible side-effects, including weight gain which makes me feel worse having spent 2 years carefully shedding 2 and a half stone, and I'm a lot worse mood-wise than I was. So the GP said "when did you last see Dr S?" (Dr S is the head honcho of the psych service). I said "I've never met Dr. S" and told her the story as detailed above. GP was horrified. She was under the impression I'd had chance to discuss all this with the psych service; it seems they high-handedly decided to switch me from my normal MAOI drugs to tetra-cyclics without telling me a thing.

Upshot is - GP agrees with me that the tetra-cyclics are not good for me, and I'm to go back to the MAOIs It'll take a week to transfer back, as it has to be done carefully, but by next Monday I'll be back on my old drugs, and hopefully, a lot more mentally stable than of late. I'm still not sure why they decided to tinker in the first place; I only agreed to the psych evaluation because the other GP (who is currently on maternity leave) said it would be a good idea, as they might have some additional help available for me, although she didn't specify what she meant. I wish I'd said "No" now!

Sorry for the long post - I needed to write it all down somewhere, and I don't have a blog!:D

Fabbing-wise.... I managed to wash my hair last night (with Mr LW's help, as it's waist-length and my shoulder's still murderously painful), and I've been out for 20 mins fresh air this morning - my last walkies with Dilly for this time, as she's going home this morning.:o

evilsquid1603

im not feeling very fab today!

my elemis cleanser has completely broken me out, this is the worst reaction I've had to anything ever i looked up the ingredients after digging round the web to find them and turns out the top ingredient blocks pores and can make acne prone skin go mental. I've now got spots everywhere (never get them unless its my chin) and both sides of my chin have got big red horrific lumps i cant do anything about. I've switched back onto my trusty old liz earle.

also, side effect of slimming word that i got last time, I'm now getting very badly bloated when i eat processed food. had sausages this morning and now i feel so bad. WI later on too!

Lamewolf my doctors were like that with me when i was on antidepressants. rather than send me to counselling that would have helped, they drugged me up and then when i needed a repeat prescription to feel "normal" i practically had to beg them for more. got to the stage where i just woke up one day and decided i was done with them for good. about 3 days after stopping them i was completely laid up, unable to move, not eating, deathly pale and hallucinating. that was over 12 months ago, I've been back for a repeat prescription of the pill and they STILL haven't asked me how i am or why i came off them, or even how i did it.

LameWolf

Evilsquid aww, I wish there was something I could do to help; would a Wolfy (((HUG))) make you feel even a tad better? I can understand your distress; when my butterfly rash is really bad, I hate the sight of myself even more than usual, and it sort of "itches painfully" iykwim; I imagine this is something like you're suffering. No point in saying it'll get better in a few days now you're back to using your usual preparation, you want it better now.

Re counselling: it's a waste of time with me, as it does me more harm than good. I'm happy enough to take the tablets, but I don't care for having my meds tweaked without discussion, specially as I was reasonably OK on the old ones.

evilsquid1603

LameWolf wrote: »

Evilsquid aww, I wish there was something I could do to help; would a Wolfy (((HUG))) make you feel even a tad better? I can understand your distress; when my butterfly rash is really bad, I hate the sight of myself even more than usual, and it sort of "itches painfully" iykwim; I imagine this is something like you're suffering. No point in saying it'll get better in a few days now you're back to using your usual preparation, you want it better now.

Re counselling: it's a waste of time with me, as it does me more harm than good. I'm happy enough to take the tablets, but I don't care for having my meds tweaked without discussion, specially as I was reasonably OK on the old ones.

thank you

proper foundation (Dior, not bare minerals) has taken some of the redness down but there so big its almost like theres no point covering some up because they are just so obvious when you look anyway. ones come up in between my eyebrows and if i make any attempt at facial gestures it hurts. I'm glad i only got this in a set and didn't pay full price for it. it should have been nearly £20 a tube!

Joan49

Loving the D words. Lamewolfs D for differently-abled is just brilliant and a much better descrption than disabled. I’ve been Determined to keep to my new planner so today I checked my to do list and went to the Dentist..:o...been avoiding the need to get a filling seen to and a check up I cancelled because of family problems before Christmas. Net result I’ve an appointment tomorrow, I’ve wrote into my Diary which I have now decided I need to sort out my life. Just as well because while typing this I can’t remember the time!!!!
Hope you get your run tonight fedupandskint. I put off the allotment yesterday thinking it would be warmer today, big mistake it’s only 3⁰C. I did however go for a nice walk so the time wasn’t wasted.
Evilsquid have you tried peppermint oil for bloating, I find it works for me...can repeat a bit though.
Thinking about ‘D’ words I decided I needed a ‘Do something Different’ day in my planner. Nothing too big, I was thinking along the lines of shopping in a local town I’ve never been to or trying something I’ve never eaten before. I decided to make it Monday so yesterday I went shopping but I took the bus. Bit shocked about the price :eek: and it did take a long time but I enjoyed it.

the_cat

Watty1 wrote: »

Oh lord .... my heart sank Cat... I'll have to do it now :rotfl:So, I have meatballs and tomato sauce out of the freezer, I'll have an early meal and off to yoga it is! Have found an old yoga mat under the stairs and a blanket...and I'm there. Now don't you let me down now:D

I did it! Now a member of a gym for the first time ever. Gym induction at 9.30 tomorrow morning:eek: followed by a pilates class. I must be mad. Not the pace of introduction I would advise to others, but I am reasonably(ish) fit as play a lot of tennis already so although I will be absolutely cream-crackered I shouldn't injure myself with too much too soon

So over to you Watty! Hope you have fun at your class:D

Lily_The_Legend

maman wrote: »

Lily, although I'm just wearing my nails buffed at the moment, when I have them done in a shop I always put a coat of colourless polish on top when I get home to make it last longer.

Lily (or anyone:)) I wanted to ask how you use your body scrub?

I just rub it on to wet skin with my hands, then rinse off.

MrsWoolfe wrote: »

Lily I always make sure I put a decent top cost on and take it under the end of the nail- not perfect but does help- I also tend to add another top coat after a day or so to keep it looking good for longer if that helps?

acquamarine wrote: »

Lily re nail polish - I know it may seem a bit long winded but I find the best thing to do is firstly wipe your nails over with nail polish remover even if you haven't got any polish to remove, then apply base coat, two coats of polish and then a top coat.

Thanks for the top tips re. nail varnish ladies! :T

adelight

((hugs)) LL LW everyone having a bad day i'm lucky enough to have never been really ill myself but know the frustrations of caring for your OH whilst battling NHS incompetencies :mad:

((hugs)) evilsquid, what's the cleanser called? Gonna black list it. Get some tea tree oil asap! I also find that eating processed or generally "bad" foods make me terribly bloated, isn't it a brilliant deterrent to keep you on track?

I just did a food shop (and blew my GC for Jan urg) and I really don't think I need a hard workout after carrying it all home. It's ~1.5 miles back from the shops and I've just worked out I was carrying shopping weighing almost a third of my own body weight :eek: No wonder I get so sweaty after my weekly shop I'll just do some yoga tonight and have a soak in the tub.

maman

LameWolf wrote: »

specially as I was reasonably OK on the old ones.

I did read all your rant LW. As I've only 'met' you while you've been on your new meds and I consider you one really feisty lady, there'll be no stopping you when you get back to the ones that agree with you. I think the most horrible thing for you must be the lack of control so when Drs behave like your psych people have it must make you really:mad: Your determination is awesome (literally).:T

Love the sound of the 'do something different' Joan. I especially like looking at chazza shops in strange towns and also behaving like a tourist and stopping to look at buildings, visiting museums and galleries etc. Most of all I like some time out from the humdrum. It's so easy to just drift through weeks just pottering with domestic stuff. I know some people enjoy that but it's not enough for me. I wouldn't be satisfied JUST being a Domestic Goddess!;)

I am suffering a little with heating/cold atmosphere Tete en l'Air. It's not as bad as you, just sore lips, but I had sore, dry skin around the eyes last winter. Fortunately my usual moisuriser/eye cream was OK in the daytime and then Vaseline at night. I must admit I don't wear petticoats very often. I like natural fabrics whenever possible and recently I've been having a problem where cotton skirts have been getting all caught up on opaque tights. I have kept all my petticoats of various lengths so I'll try one. It'll be another layer!!

Not masses to report today. Have been to a meeting, dressed smartly and did make up and wore my Trollbeads bracelet. It always gives me confidence when I know I'll be speaking, that and looking good.

Back later.