Day 4 of Endometriosis Awareness

Day 4 #theendophotochallenge2018 on Instagram
Diagnosis;

After seven years of suffering heavy periods, fainting spells and numerous days off from school I was finally diagnosed at age 18 through surgery, laporscopacally, with #stageivendo.

Even though I have a very strong family history of Endometriosis my G.P kept dismissing even the idea of me having it.

I started showing symptoms at age 11. Don't let this happen to your daughter /sister/significant other/family members.

#endometriosisawareness #endoaware#1in10 #176millionwomen #weneedacure#spoonie #chronicpain #chronicillness#invisibleillness #endopain#endosymptoms #endodiagnosis
#chroniclife #endolife

#1 after Primolut (Warning, bad Endo face)

I'm glad I made the most of my painfree time. Because here comes the flare up and the pain.

So I've just started my first period since coming off Primolut. It was 27 days, not bad for me. I'll take that all day but it's still early days yet. The first day which was the 19th wasn't too bad pain wise. I was in pain but I still manage to leave the apartment and spend a lovely afternoon with my Mum and Sister. That evening though I began to feel very uncomfortable,  too hot, legs were cramping and I knew I needed to get home.

The night of the 19th was horrible. The pain kept me awake. It felt like both ovaries were being pulled, stretched and twisted. The bleeding as usual is heavy, a lot of black clots which sometimes are painful to pass. I was exhausted yesterday. Literally had to crawl to the bathroom I was in that much pain. What worries me is the painkillers I am on aren't doing anything. I'm not getting any relief this time. I tried having a bath, it just irritated me more. Tried breathing exercises for the waves of muscle contractions and this was somewhat helpful. It helped to focus on my breathing to get me through those intense bouts. Like a ripple crossing my pelvis, the contractions come and go but are so extreme they have made me collapse and cry out with pain.

I also tried meditating, just clearing my mind and using some relaxation techniques I have learned. It was like being interrupted by a demanding toddler. The pain wants my attention all of the time.

I'm thinking I may try the Castor Oil Packs. In this weather keeping a heat pad on its so difficult. You run the risk of dehydration if you're not careful :-) Plus with the hot water bottle I accidentally burned my leg and it blistered. Don't want blisters on my stomach.

The boyfriend keeps telling me basically how he has no faith in the treatment here in Ireland and believes the only way for me to find relief is through surgery. He wishes strongly that I would visit his homeland and see Doctors there.

I'm not sure. I've reached my limit with Doctors to be honest. Treatments that haven't worked and now feeling like my only option is progesterone or nothing.

I'll look for an alternative thanks.

Hope you ladies are all hanging in there.
Love

XxxX

Is a lack of Iodine and a dysfunctional Thyroid to blame?

The thyroid is a small butterfly-shaped gland, located in your neck, wrapped around the windpipe, and is located behind and below the Adam’s Apple area. The thyroid produces several hormones, of which two are key: triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4). These hormones help oxygen get into cells, and make your thyroid the master gland of metabolism. 

The thyroid has cells that are the only cells in the body capable of absorbing iodine. The thyroid takes in the iodine, obtained through food or supplements, and combines that iodine with the amino acid tyrosine. The thyroid then coverts the iodine/tyrosine combination into the hormones T3 and T4. The ‘3’ and the ‘4’ refer to the number of iodine molecules in each thyroid hormone molecule. These hormones then act as engines, ensuring that cells get the energy they need to function. 

The thyroid does not work in isolation, it is part of a comprehensive hormonal feedback process, which goes like this. The hypothalamus in the brain releases something called Thyrotropin-releasing Hormone (TRH). The release of TRH tells the pituitary gland to release something called Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (THS). This THS, circulating in your bloodstream, is what tells the thyroid to make thyroid hormones and release them into your bloodstream. 

Once released by the thyroid, the T3 and T4 hormones travel through the bloodstream. The purpose is to help cells convert oxygen and calories into energy. So when the thyroid is not functioning properly, then insufficient levels of these active hormones are released into the bloodstream, which in turn leads to poor conversion in the cells into energy. This is what causes the lethargy and tiredness associated with hypothyroidism, along with other symptoms. 

This subject of converting oxygen and calories (from food) into energy, links into the subject we have recently covered in Endo of Endo, about the vital importance of having sufficient oxygen in the body to maintain optimum health. As we are gradually being depleted of vital oxygen levels in the atmosphere, and oxygen levels in the body, and added to this the growing numbers of people suffering from thyroid imbalances, serious ill-health is destined to follow. Oxygen intake and oxygen synthesis in the body is paramount for good health. 

Causes of Thyroid Disease

There are various factors that can contribute to the development of thyroid problems:

• Radiation treatment
• certain drugs, such as lithium and the heart drug cordarone, can cause hypothroidism
• exposure to certain chemicals
• living near a nuclear plant
• iodine deficiency - poor diet
• heavy smoking
• being female/ over 60/ other family members have thyroid problems
• near menopause

Hypothyroidism - what is it?

Hypothyroidism is commonly known as having an under-active thyroid. Hyperthyroidism (note the tiny change in spelling) is an overactive thyroid, and is not as common as an under-active thyroid. In hypothyroidism, the thyroid is not producing enough thyroid hormone. This may be due to auto-immune disease which makes it under-active, radiation or drugs that have partially or fully disabled the thyroid, or surgical removal of all or part of the thyroid. The most common cause of hypothyroidism is an auto-immune condition known as Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, in which antibodies begin to attack the thyroid and gradually make it inactive. 

There is much speculation that endometriosis could be an auto-immune disease, and the added development of certain thyroid diseases in women with endometriosis seems to make sense of both conditions developing - as both conditions relate to the immune system, and both relate to delicate hormonal balancing acts! 

Symptoms of Hypothyroidism

The symptoms of hypothyroid depend on how severe the imbalance is in the thyroid, your age, your general level of health (enter endometriosis into the equation!), and how hypothyroidism affects you uniquely. In general the common symptoms are:

• fatigue
• weight gain
• low motivation
• heat and or cold intolerance
• headaches and migraines
• dry skin, hair and brittle nails
• irritability, anxiety, and panic attacks
• decreased memory and concentration (poor oxygen levels in the cells)
• constipation, irritable bowel
• low sex drive, insomnia
• allergies, slow healing, acne

Of course, the big problem here is that many of these symptoms are the same or similar to the symptoms associated with endometriosis. The best course of action, in the first place, is to get tests to check the levels of hormones being produced by your thyroid. If they are low and caused by an iodine deficiency, you can increase your intake of iodine through diet or natural supplements, like kelp. 

If test reveal that your thyroid problem is more serious then further treatment will be needed. If your thyroid problem is due to hormonal imbalances then it is possible to get your hormones in check through alternative therapies. For more serious problems, like cancer, then radical treatment may be called for, which is usually surgery to remove the thyroid. But even these cases are not beyond the reach of help through alternative therapies. 

Endometriosis and the Thyroid

In one particular medical survey, 42% of women with endometriosis had an under-active thyroid gland. This figure is usually 5% in the general population. It also appears that thyroid antibodies are higher in women with endometriosis, which is an indication of hypothyroidism. 

Dr. Lee (the pioneer of Natural Progesterone Cream treatments) reasoned that thyroid and estrogen oppose one another. Estrogen causes your food intake to be stored as fat in the body. Thyroid hormone causes fat to be burned as energy. When a woman is estrogen dominant this will encourage further development of fat build-up. This constant opposition between the two hormones would lead to symptoms of hypothyroidism for women with estrogen dominance. 

When Dr. Lee treated women with Natural Progesterone Cream for PMS, who also had suspected hypothyroidism, he found that their hypothyroid symptoms disappeared. This success was due to correcting the levels of estrogen by the use of progesterone cream. This implies that too much estrogen in the body interferes with thyroid hormone action. 

The significance of this imbalance in hormones (between the thyroid hormone and estrogen) for women with endometriosis, is that if the estrogen dominance is addressed through treatment to increase progesterone (with natural progesterone cream), then many symptoms can be alleviated. This is especially relevant of the draining symptom of constant tiredness, that nearly all women with endometriosis seem to suffer from. In essence, it appears that women with endometriosis do not have hypothyroidism - what they are suffering from is probably a disturbance of the activity of their thyroid caused by estrogen dominance.

But, do not forget that iodine shortage in your diet can also cause malfunction of the thyroid. If your diet is dairy free (which it should be), you are not using iodised salt (which is not good for you), your diet is mainly vegetarian, or your diet does not include fish (which unfortunately contains high levels of PCBs and other toxins like mercury), then your iodine intake will probably be low. 

As well as supplements like Kelp tablets, you can include seaweeds and sea vegetables into your diet, which will provide you with excellent sources of natural iodine as well as a power-house of other vitamins and minerals. Nori seaweed can be added to your diet, and the levels of iodine in kombu or hijki are so high, that half an ounce should last you about a year. ( The recommended intake of iodine for adults is 150mcg a day.) You can obtain these sea foods at most health food outlets. There are plenty of resources on the internet - for buying sea vegetables, and for recipes. 

Iodine deficiency and the Thyroid

Your thyroid cannot function without iodine. Without it you will suffer from what is know as "Primary hypothyroisism". A simple folk medicine test will reveal your body's ability to absorb iodine. Dab a one inch diameter spot of iodine on your belly. If it is still there 24 hours later, your body is not absorbing iodine. This can be caused by a deficiency of vitamin A. A Danish study deprived pigs of vitamin A for two weeks. Their thyroid secretion fell by 45%. 
Vitamins needed for Thyroid Hormone Health

Thyroid hormone (TH) production can be compromised by a deficiency of vitamins B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin) and B-6. Another problem with low TH is that vitamin B-12 cannot be absorbed unless one has sufficient production of TH. A severe B-12 deficiency could result in anaemia (possibly fatal), mental illness, neurological disorders, neuralgia, neuritis, or bursitis- all symptoms which may be confused with the :normal ageing process. B-12 cannot be produced by your system, you must ingest in your diet or in vitamin supplements. Without adequate TH levels, your body cannot absorb this essential vitamin, no matter how much you ingest. 

For more informarion check out

Keeping positive

Happy Wednesday everyone! I hope you ladies are hanging in there and staying as strong as I know you can be.

Personally, I'm doing ok. I've had some flare up's over the past few days and again the pain is heavily concentrated on my left ovary but my mind is in a really positive place and I have to admit that it really does help to express it rather than hold it in. Whether it's talking out loud, speaking with my Mum or Sis or even writing it down its proved very useful in the past and especially of late to keep me on track.

Living with Endo can be tiring and difficult at times and trust me it's not always been easy to be bright and bubbly about the situation. I've hit my walls and obstacles but with some support and the determination not to quit I've kept going, moving forward because looking back is ok to learn from but it's not a place we should live in.

I take each day now as it comes and try not to think too far into the future. I've come to realise there are limitations to what I can contribute on my life. Endo certainly isn't one of them. I can seek treatments, take care of myself, mind, body and soul and genuinely keep a positive mindframe. Whether my disease advances or lays dormant isn't something I can control so I'll do what I can, when I can and right now that's working for me.

The days when I'm in pain are annoying, tiring and sometimes quite upsetting but it's only temporary. For me the intensity does pass and while there's day pain you become accustomed to it. We truly have no understanding of what our bodies are capable of tolerating until it has to.

It's not an ideal way of life "living in constant pain" but who's to say what's ideal or not? As long as I can cope I will keep going and having positive people in my life works for me.

Love to my Endo Sister's
XxxxxxX

Midweek rant

Feeling somewhat frustrated on Tuesday afternoon trying to make my way through a very busy City Centre in hail, rain and shine (this is Spring in Ireland lads) I felt the familiar twins of a cyst twisting on my ovary, pinching me, building pressure and taking my very breath away. I can be as stubborn as a mule at times so I won't given and sit down when I feel that pain although this could also be due to the fact that I would consider myself to have a lot of inner strength (I'm the year of the Ox, might have something to do with it?). I did however pull my snood up over my nose, take some deep calming breaths and did my best not to publicly break down crying. Would have been mildly embarrassing. This was the first incident the boyfriend has actually witnessed and to give him the credit he's due he didn't freak or overly fuss. It can be incredibly difficult for people to get that balance just right but I think he managed it ok. I got through the initial waves a pain and spasms and it wasn't until later that evening that the cyst finally burst. I am prone to fluid-filled cysts and have been to A&E a few times because of them.
(If you have any signs of symptoms of cysts you should present to your Doctor of Hospital)
I get these quite regularly and some are worse than others but it's amazing how much pain we can actually handle. So, when I stumbled upon this graphic during the week I found it incredibly apt and I just thought it sums up alot of the time how women say to me they feel.

We'd love to say "up yours" to Endo, to our uterus, to our tubes, ovaries, wombs, colons, appendices and any other part that aches and gives us terribly unbearable pain. This should be put on a t-shirt. It's eye-catching enough to get people talking anyway.

On Monday I began taking Cyklokapron. It's something I do not like to rely on or have to use but it's time as I've been suffering with menorrhagia again. That and Primolut have become the only two "solutions" for me. According to my Specialist they need to be as conservative as possible with their approach. They must try to preserve my fertility and apparently there are only so many times they can "rotate" the ovaries.

Everytime I attend the hospital I see a different member of the team with a different viewpoint, a trying to make a name for themselves. When you're eighteen they want to operate and pump you full of drugs and hormones and damn the long term effects but ten years later when your chart is one of the biggest the have, when nothing's worked for you, when even the specialist has said "I dont know what to do with you" you feel like you have become a nuisance to them. You're now that black mark on their record.

Should it be this way? Of course not! But how does one person make that change?
By saying;

Stay strong my Sister's. Love you ladies XxxxX 

Fur Babies

I think it high time I introduce you to my fur babies. These are my little companions, my comforts. They instinctively know when I'm in pain. It's incredible really. In total we have 6 cats, two male, four female and one very adorable puppy.

They are like an extension of my family, another branch of support. There in the good times and we have great fun. But they never leave me when I need them mist. Even when I think I want to be left alone and dont want any social interaction they will come over to me, not all at once, and either sit on my lap or curl up at my feet, even sometimes curl into my stomach if I'm lying on my side.

They are truly remarkable and some of you may think I've lost the plot talking about what you would consider "pets" but they are so much more than that to me. You can get me a ticket for the crazy train if you wish but I won't be getting on. My fur babies are great comfort and joy and they deserve a shootout today.

Love to my Endo Sister's
XxxxX

Coco (Our seven month old puppy. He's a miniature cross between a King Charles and a Jack Russell Terrier) Such an affectionate little guy. He has the run of the house, will only sleep on a double bed and will eat anything. Thinks he's human. Favorite toy at the moment is a seashell(go figure) Best friend is Caspey. 

This extremely handsome guy is Beau a.k.a Beau Bonnell, Tommy Beau Beau, My Liege, Sir Lionheart, Lord of Banniballia, Bannibals, Jelly Belly, Freckle Face, Beau Beau Baggins , and Monkey Man. Beau is Vicky's baby. My fur nephew if you will :-) He is the Father of the three Babies which are coming up next. He enjoys Tuna, chicken, lasagne anf meatballs. He's obsessed with Game of Thrones and thinks he is a King. Beau Beau enjoys his tail being pulled, his ears and head being scratched and under his chin. He gets very dribbly and will drool and purr loudly when happy. He's also been known to snore quite loudly. 

Here we have Merriadoc Brandybuck a.k.a Merry, Sketchy, Sketchy Etchy, The Elusive One, Mer. Merry is one of the three kittens that were born and since a baby she's had a very unique character. She really only likes one on one human interaction. Any sudden movements and she's out of the room in a flash. We slag and say she has secret tunnels around the house, she moves that quickly and quietly from room to room. She was the first kitten to open an eye. The were born on the 8th of September 2008 and in the 9th she opened one gorgeous bright blue eye. So I called her "one eyed Joe" for a few days until I decided on names. She enjoys her cuddles when she let's you. Catching her for wash time and nail trimming is a nightmare but I wouldn't change her for the world. 

Here we have Star a.k.a Star Bar, Shaky Legs, Missy Moo, Yippy. Star is the Queen. She's my Mum's baby and Mother to the three kittens. She has the funniest miaow. She yips instead, like she's talking to you. She purrs like a helicopter, struts like Marilyn Monroe and at the moment likes to hang out in the kitchen. Her are Beau were rescued from a Green Recycling Bin. Someone had put them and another kitten in the wheelie bin. The lady that found them kept the other kitten and we took Beau and Star. Vicks had wanted a kitten for a long time so two was a nice surprise. They were so tiny. We knew nothing about cats so didn't realise we had a male and a female until Star began putting on a considerable amount of weight on one side it seemed. Vicky's friend had cats and pointed out Star was pregnant. Well we got Beau neutered right away. Then got the stethoscope out and heard the heartbeats of the babies. She was carrying one on her left, two on her right side. Then they began kicking as they grew. It was amazing. Vicky made a nesting box for Star to give birth in when the time came but Star had other plans. It was the crack of dawn. Everyone was asleep. When suddenly Vicky screamed "Come quick, she's had them!" Well we all jumped out of bed and ran downstairs. There was Star, on the armchair in the living room, curled up with two beautiful little babies. We were amazed. Everything was so neat and tidy. Mum heard an eek sound and sure enough there's another kitten after climbing up the armchair to the top. So Mum placed the little one back down to Star who immediately began to groom her baby. It's a day I'll never forget. I'm so glad that things turned out the way they did. I wouldn't swap my fur babies for anything. 

Caspe a.k. a Caspey, Crispy Cream, Crispius Cremus, Baby Man, Caspey Doodles, Eek! Casper is my little baby. He's the youngest Cat. I rescued him on the 31st August 2010. This date happens to be my Grandfather's Birthday. He's in spirit twenty three years and honestly on that day I had no intention to get another pet. I mean we had five cats at this point. But I was out shopping with my Mum and a friend at the time and I had a sudden urge to call into the vets to see if they had any kittens that needed a home. They had had two kittens but one had just been rehoused. Casper's Brother had literally been taken just before we got there (I probably would have taken them both) so he was all alone. This tiny black and white balk of fur with icy blue eyes. I just had to bring him home. So our vet is linked with the DSPCA (Dublin Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) and they will do a home check before they release an animal into your care. Well the two ladies came straight out to the house, met the cats. We had a lovely chat and a cup of tea and within a few ours Casper was in the palm of my hand eeking his little head off. He has a habit since a kitten of sucking his leg, he kisses you and rubs his nose up against your face, sits on your lap and always curls into my tummy when my Endo is bad. He a company animal. He has an addiction to dreamies and the felix goodies. Once he here's the bag opening he runs for them.

Star and Merry

Indy a.k.a Indian Jones, Fluffy Princess, Adventure Kitty, Ind. Indy is a really quite, no trouble at all cat. She will venture upstairs to me when I'm lying out and simply curl up behind my knees or my back. She loves company and human food. I actually think she has hollow legs. Either that or she's storing up for the apocalypse. Anytime the fridge opens she's sure to be there chancing her paw for a treat. She has inherited many of Star's traits, even a little bit of the strut but at the same time is such a character all on her own. I swear she doesn't groom though I think her philosophy is "why should I do it when these giant hairless cats are willing to do it for me?" because sure enough anytime you pet her you end up coming away with excess fur. I devised a method of "plucking" her. It's much more gentle than it sounds, trust me. She loves it. I'll post a video one day maybe. 

Afternoon nap. Auntie Vicks and Casper chilling out.

Casper and Star Star has somewhat adopted Casper into the fold now)

Th three Babies. They used to sleep like this alot.
Pip, Merry and Indy

One of Merry's many hiding spots.

Perrigrin Took a.k.a Pip, Pippin, Pippy, Pippy Long Ears, Pipple,Peaslip,Pippy Doodles, Pippla, She who whines alot. To say Pip is a character doesn't begin to explain it. She is hilarious, stroppy, living and moody all at the same time. Like a teenager. It's amusing. She got herself locked inside the local Church for two weeks one Summer. I was convinced she had been stolen or knocked down, something awful. I couldn't sleep, my stomach was in knots. I was so upset that I scarcely believed it when she came sauntering back in the door. It was a warm Summer's day. I was trying to study, Mum was in the back garden and in strolls Pip. She was so thin from not having been fed but oh was I glad to have her back. I spoiled her rotten. Gave her anything she wanted but all she wanted was her normal food and her spot on my bed and company. Her and Coco have a love/hate relationship but I think they'll get there.

Beau looking very fetching.


I'm fully aware that this post has nothing to do with Endo as such but these guys are also in a way part of my support network. They offer unconditional love, never judge and I don't have to ever explain anything to them. I have a great respect for animals and through my own personal beliefs I know that we are all connected in such a way that language isn't the only way of communicating.


Anyway I hope you enjoyed getting to know my fur babies. If you guys have any, please feel free to share.

Love to my Endo Sister's and their families.
XxxxX 

Mini Rant (not enough energy for a full one)

It's 20:00 here in Dublin, Ireland and to be quite honest I have been about as useful today as a butter knife to a T-bone. Since last night I've been in a considerable amount of pain which over the day has been exhausting every inch of me. At this very moment my back aches, my pelvis obviously, my thighs, shoulders evenot down to my ankles are sore. I feel like someone came in a kicked me around for a while without my knowledge. Or lije I'm being slowly squeezed out by thorns or wire of some sore. It's sharp, pointy evil shooting pain. This picture actually helps a little to describe it.

I know this may read like a massive whine and plead for sympathy but do not mistake me. When you feel like you have a dozen knives slicing through you and ten hands tearing you apart all while you try not to vomit, keep taking in fluids and cling onto your last bit of sanity so you don't pass out, the last thing you're looking for is someone staring at you with an "oh you poor thing" face. Girl power and all but ease.up a little lads.

I pledged to keep writing especially on the bad days when the pain is freshly in my mind so I'm afraid you're all getting it both barrels. There have been comments on my FB page of the same name as tjis blog saying some very supportive and sweet thisng's. One word that keeps cropping up however is "brave". It's not brave to show my face through this process. I think rather you, the reader, are the brave one, you don't know what you're about to witness or read. It's my goal to spread awareness about Endometriosis so we need to stop hiding and end the silence.

I am utterly shattered so I am going to bid you farewell for now and I'll update soon.

New Perspective

This post has been on my mind for a little while now but with my attention being focused on events last week I just haven't got round to it until now. This year so far for me has been very fortunate. I've,touch wood, not needed to attend the hospital or the ER and my Endo has generally been at a tolerable level. Obviously some days are worse than others,we all know how it goes.

Through my writing and general talking, spreading awareness about Endometriosis I've made a lot of friends, Endo Sister's and contacts with various charities. However, recently I've been dating a very charming, handsome, interesting man. (I won't list too many things here or I will get off point) We have been communicating for quite some time now and from the beginning of our friendship, earlier on this year,he knew all about this blog and my efforts to organise a Mini March for Endo. It's refreshing to be able to go on a date and not feel like you have this big secret that people will judge you by. For me anyway it's rare that I find men to be forwardly curious about Endo. I have a few close friends who would know what it is from obviously over the years being around me but never straight from the get go. It's interesting. refreshing and slightly relieving all at the same time. (Although I could be just mesmerised by his accent, he's half French. We'll see.)

I don't know about anyone else but I've gotten very strange reactions to my Endo. One friend stopped talking to me after she gave birth saying she thought it would be too weird for me to be around considering I was told at the time I couldn't conceive. The prognosis has since changed for me but the friendship suffered greatly.

I don't like to be treated like a fragile piece of glass that will shatter at the slightest touch. People don't need to walk on eggshells but it's funny how they react.

I digress. So, we were talking about my fundraising and Endo Awareness and he (the spellbinding accent guy)was very interested to just know more about why it's not being made as publicly known as it should be. It was an intellectual conversation not an "oh poor you with the dodgy womb" conversation.

One night after we were chatting he sent me a YouTube link. It was a lecture been given about Endometriosis and the link between a lack of iodine being the cause.

If you simply Google, Iodine, Endometriosis, you will find a ton of legit page's of research stating that it stands a good chance of curing Endo.

I found this link below myself. They state that if Iodine can cure Fibrocystic Breast to Disease then it can cure Endometriosis.
http://curezone.org/faq/q.asp?a=13,281,2962&q=595

There's no harm in looking for alternatives. I feel that people will enter and exit your life when they are meant to and if nothing else this has given me an entire new perspective on my approach towards alternative remedies.

As always, stay strong.

Xxxx

Hello Endo my old friend

I made it through Paddy's Day without an incident. My lower back was achy and as usual the ovaries were fighting over who loved me the best, although showing it through pain is not ideal for me.

Cut to 22:00 thereabouts, my Endo starts attacking, a flare up I'll call it for now. In keeping with my no holes barred approach this year here's how I'm looking right now. (Pic's below)

Not a comforting site I know. But I will get through it. I have an amazing family around me and some very understanding friends.
Let's hope this flare up doesn't out stay it's welcome. Other than that life is good.

Love to my sisters and their families.

Stay strong
XxxxX