April 3, 2008

I eventually got a new dermatologist at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary’s dermatology unit.  I saw him a while back and he put my prednisolone up to 40mg.  He also suggested that I might benefit from high dose prednisolone infusions.  So, he consulted the head of dermatology in Aberdeen and he agreed.  The treatment basically consists of going into hospital and receiving very high doses of prednisolone over a period of three days.

Yesterday evening I got a phone call from the hospital saying that they had been expecting me to go in that day - first I’d heard!  Anyway, we have arranged that I will go in on Tuesday.  This is good for me because I’ve got no work for next week.

Also, I made a list of some of the links I use for my toiletries shopping:  Natural toiletries and cosmetics.

Yesterday, I had my interview for the summer job at the libraries.  As usual I said lots of inappropriate things - what is wrong with me?!?  I open my mouth and rubbish just spews out.  I’m still hopeful about getting the job though.

February 1, 2008

I was due to work this afternoon, but the weather was so bad I gave myself a snow day.  It would have been dangerous to try and get to work, so instead I am enjoying an afternoon by the fire, in front of the tv.

Yesterday, I finally got paid - phew.  It was absolutely my own fault for not putting in my weekly time sheets for, erm, 10 weeks.  At last I have some money.  I promptly tried to get rid of some of said money and ordered some new moisturiser.  Yes, I’m still trying to find a moisturiser.  So far, the one I hate the least is Dr Hauschka’s Moisturising Day Cream but I’m sure there must be something better.  Against my better judgement I tried Burt’s Bees Carrot Day Creme - ugh, ugh, ugh.  I love the look and idea of Burt’s Bees stuff, but I found the Carrot Day Creme to be horrible (even worse than the Marshmallow Vanishing Creme).  It sat on top of my skin and made me look orange!  I’ve placed my order for Trilogy Energising Face Lotion.  I like that it’s described as having a ‘light texture’ - sounds good, but I’ll have to wait and see.

A random thought came to me while eating my lunch - when did rubbish collection start, and what happened before?  Talking to The Parentals, when they were young they had very little household rubbish, and the scaffie had a very small truck.  WasteOnline has an information sheet which satisfied my curiosity on the history of rubbish collection.

14 September 2007 September 14, 2007

Well, it’s been a long time.  I’ve been busy with work (it feels nice to be able to write that).  I’ve been working 34 hours a week, but commuting time to and from work makes it much longer, and makes me feel much more tired.

I’ve been eating well.  The breadmaker is wonderful, and apart from homemade bread my diet is very close to being entirely organic.  I’ve also lost a wee bit of weight.

The rather generous wage I get from the council has meant that I’ve felt more able to spend money on quality toiletries and make up.   Of note have been Dr Hauschka’s Moisturising Day Cream (lovely and light) and Living Nature’s Dawn Light (a good match for my pale skin).

I was prompted to post today after receiving a comment from  Lloyd from Nappies Direct about their Naty products.  He has kindly pointed out that they have a new website dedicated to Naty products:  Naturalised.  I’ve bought, but yet to try some Naty sanpro.  They look and feel a bit more substantial (in a reassuring way, rather than a bulky way), than the Natracare sanpro, so hopefully they’ll do a better job (couldn’t really be worse!).

Yesterday,  for the first time I missed a dose of my Cellcept.  I’m not sure how serious a problem missing a dose is.  I felt a bit faint today, but that could have happened anyway.

25 June 2007 June 25, 2007

The cats woke me up at some ungodly hour this morning (Dolly playing with a leaf and Boo wailing to get out) and I struggled to get back to sleep. Consequently, I’ve been even more tired than normal today. This would have been fine but for my trip to the hospital this afternoon.

I had some time to kill in town before heading to my appointment, so I bought a compost crock and then I went into Grampian Health Foods. I’d never been in before, but it’s a fantastic little shop. It’s my idea of shopping heaven at the moment. It has so many of the natural toiletries and organic/natural foods that I’ve been wanting to try - and so much more too. I was a little dubious about the shop after looking at its website and seeing references to Jan de Vries. I used to watch him on This Morning and he would diagnose lactose intolerance (or similar) by holding a pint of milk near a person’s back and pushing down on their outstretched arm. It was totally ludicrous pseudo-science. I used to sit laughing at the people who believed in him. I really can’t understand how he gets away with it. Presumably there must be more to his diagnostic tests if you actually pay for a session with him?! Coincidentally, for a while my brother lived in a flat next to de Vries’s Edinburgh clinic. Anyway, I digress - Grampian Health Foods is great and so much better than Holland & Barrett in Aberdeen.

I bought Green People Day Solution.

—

I’ve been looking for bookplates for Mum. I do not want to order bookplates from the US, so my choice has been rather limited. I saw some perfect ones (see left) on a website for a shop called Hebejewellery, but the site seems to have disappeared.

In my searches I have seen bookplates that I’d like for me. Foyles have some which I love - they are so appropriate for me. I haven’t ordered them, but I am sorely tempted.

You wouldn’t think that finding bookplates would be so tricky. I asked in Waterstones today and was told that lots of people ask about them, but that they don’t sell them. They referred me to WHSmith, but I didn’t have time to go there, maybe next time I’m in town.

—

I almost didn’t make my hospital appointment. The bus to the hospital was horrendously late and when it eventually did turn up it got stuck in traffic. In the end I had to run (!) when I got off the bus. Luckily, they must have been running a bit late, because no one seemed to notice I was late. I saw a registrar, not my usual (locum) consultant. He was young and nice, but clearly didn’t really know very much about my condition and its treatment, so he got a consultant. The consultant was also nice, and knew - or at least knew of - my old Edinburgh consultant. He seemed to be more knowledgeable about pemphigus than my regular consultant. He’s taking my prednisolone down from 15mg every day to 12.5mg and 15mg on alternating days for three weeks, then if everything goes well with that, then I should start on 12.5mg every day. I failed to mention the tremor, mainly because I was anxious about seeing new doctors. I think I’ll make an appointment with my GP and ask her about it.

My blood pressure was 125/60 - so much for it being high!

20 June 2007 June 20, 2007

David Miliband (would his socialist father be proud of him?) launched the Government’s CO2 calculator today. I tried it out, but got part way through then it froze - not a good start! I then tried the HTML version, it was painfully slow … and then it crashed and I gave up. Maybe it’s just launch day teething problems and heavy use.

—

I’ve been trying out some samples of Supersalve Skincare Balm. Ingredients, as listed on the website:

 

‘Calendula (Calendula Officinalis), St John’s Wort (Hypericum Perforatum), Lavender (Lavandula Officinalis), Tea Tree (Melaleuca Alternifolia), Clove (Eugenia Caryophyllata), Camphor (Cinnamomum Camphora), Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus Smithii), Rosemary (Rosmarinus Officinalis), Aloe Ferox Leaf Extract, Shea Butter (Butryospermum Parkii), Evening Primrose Oil (Oenothera Biennis), Wheatgerm Oil (Triticum Vulgare), Olive Fruit Extract (Olea Europaea), Apricot Kernel Oil (Prunus Armeniaca), Grapeseed Oil (Vitis Vinifera), Honey (Mel).’

The website is simple, but quite good, it has a fair bit of information on the ingredients and the debate around ‘natural’ products, although some of the most interesting stuff is hidden away.

Before I looked at the ingredients I would have said that it smelled of honey, but with honey so far down the list I think it must be the power of suggestion making me thing that.

I’ve tried it on my elbows (dry!) and my face. It’s a light cream; I thought it would be too light for my elbows, but it seems to be softening them up, pretty quickly too. It felt lovely going on my face and was absorbed well - no greasy feeling at all.

It’s not particularly cheap, but it’s not horrendously expensive either at £14.95 for 175ml tube.

—

This week, in a change from the norm, I did the (online) grocery shopping at Asda. They seem to have quite a good, big range of organic food, but not in all sections. There’s a fair amount of organic fruit and veg, but I was hard-pushed to find a packet of organic biscuits.

—

Came across the Recycled Products Guide on my travels through t’Internet today. It’s a search engine /directory for finding recycled products. Looks like it might be quite handy.

—

I got my official letter from the library with my start date etc. I’m still scared.

—

The hospital came through for me and I have an appointment for Monday afternoon with a consultant, although it’s not clear whether I’ll be seeing my consultant or not.

9 June 2007 June 9, 2007

So I’ve been trying new, more environmentally-friendly products to replace the things I’ve been using for years:

Natracare

I’ve been really keen to find an alternative to bleached and plastic-y sanitary towels. As I’ve mentioned before I’m a fan of the idea of washable, reusable cloth sanitary towels, but practically - and for the sake of saving my blushes - I am eschewing them (for the moment). So, I turned to what seems to be the next best thing: Natracare. Natracare are non-chlorine bleached, perfume-free, plastic-free and over 95% biodegradable. Great I thought and ordered some super pads with wings. The arrived and immediately I was pleased to see that they are packaged in a cardboard box and the individual wrappers are paper not plastic - excellent from an environmental point of view and because they are consequently quieter to unwrap (hurrah!). Upon looking at the pads themselves I was disappointed and slightly concerned. Despite being ’super’ pads, these are thin - not ‘good thin’, but ‘worryingly thin’. In fact they are thin and narrow, which makes them a bit unreliable and not really suitable for people with very heavy periods nor for night-time use. This is such a shame, because the idea is so good. Fair enough, most women would probably be fine with them, but they really aren’t comparable to the non-environmentally friendly ’super’ pads.

Naty also make ECO Sanitary Towels so I’m going to give them a go, but they don’t seem to be as readily available, online they are available from Nappies Direct and, if you’re lucky enough to be in their delivery area, Waitrose and Ocado.

Soapnuts

For me, it was quite a radical move to try soapnuts instead of washing powder/liquid/tablets, I really can be very cynical about some things especially if I don’t understand them. Despite my cynicism I was keen to find an alternative, eco-friendly laundry product. I had been using non-biological tablets - sometimes Ecover or Tesco Naturally, sometimes not. Anyway, I got a wee sample of soapnuts and gave them a go. They go in the washing machine in a little cloth bag (tied tightly). I’ve been washing at 30 degrees on a short cycle (39 minutes including spin). I’ve stuck in everything no matter how dirty and stained and everything has come out as clean or cleaner than it would have with tablets. The little bag of soapnuts smells horrible when it comes out of the wash and is damp. Let’s be frank: it smells of pee, but the washing itself smells fine, quite pleasant really. I haven’t had to resort to putting any essential oils in the drawer, but I know that it is an option should I want my clothes to be fragranced in the wash. I’m a convert and will be buying a full sized bag asap.

8 June 2007 June 8, 2007

I have the house to myself for the weekend - just me and the animals. I like the peace and the stillness.
I woke up extremely late today. I must have been tired because I woke naturally at … wait for it … 12.30pm! I woke feeling refreshed, but all day I’ve have had a niggling feeling of worry or guilt. It’s like I’ve forgotten to do something important.

Because I’ve got the house to myself I’ve been going hatless. This is novel for me. Ever since I left the hospital last September I’ve been wearing hats to cover up my baldy heid. No one seems absolutely certain of the cause of my hair loss. It started when the pemphie started and got worse when I was put on the meds. My previous consultant gave a diagnosis of telogen effluvium. Some women experience it after giving birth, but it can happen after trauma or serious illness, which fits with my experience. The alternative is that it’s a side effect of one of the many drugs I’m on. Whatever the cause I’ve become ‘a hat person’ since my hair loss began. I tried wigs - I bought three - but they all look so ‘wiggy’ and I felt silly wearing what was so obviously a wig. I’ve also tried bandanas, but on the whole I’m not comfortable with them because they make me look like I’ve got a pin-head - my head, however huge it actually is, looks tiny on my massive body. Hats work for me though. It’s been a real revelation. I wish I’d discovered the wonder of hats earlier. They mean you don’t have to wash or comb your hair. It makes being lazy a doddle.

The not-so-good thing about having the house to myself is that I don’t feel self-conscious about itching - and pemphie-itch can be so bad; sometimes I feel like I’m shredding my skin.  I think tonight I’m going to have a full-on pampering session and hope that slathering lotions and potions all over me distracts me from the need to scratch.

I watched DejaVu last night. Ugh, it was dreadful. How on earth does it get 7+ on IMDb?!? I found myself laughing at the ludicrous premise. Also, you’d think that since it had a half decent cast there would be some half decent acting, but they outdid themselves in the cheese and ham stakes. The plot was bad, the acting was bad, the script was bad, the special effects were passable. Avoid. I’ve got Lucky Number Slevin for tomorrow evening, hopefully it’ll be better … couldn’t really be worse.

I received a Dr Hauschka catalogue in the post today. It’s a beautiful, luscious looking and feeling catalogue and it made me want to buy one of everything, but by god it’s expensive stuff! I notice that the range is stocked by my local John Lewis store, so I might go in and have a proper look / feel / sniff and see if it’s worth getting in (further) debt over.

Much more exciting is the fact that we (probably) have a pair of swallows nesting in our garage. It’s so exciting for me. When I moved back home after being ill and in hospital I had a bit of a new found love of life and nature. Since then I’ve become more and more interested in the wildlife that visits the garden and the plants and trees that grow in it. It sounds so ignorant of me, but I couldn’t have told a swallow from a blackbird this time last year. I’m a late starter, but I’ve started to help Mum with the garden and I’m getting to know what all the plants are. Back in January Dad took part in the Big Garden Birdwatch and I started to learn the names of the birds that visit the garden and the bird feeders that I’ve been filling year after year every winter. Anyway, we’ve had our suspicions about swallows in the garage for a couple of weeks now. Mum and Dad have seen them flying in and out, but until today I hadn’t seen them. I’d seen evidence of them. Up in one corner of our very messy garage there are little blobs of mud hanging on the wall. They look like the very beginning of a swallows nest. I suspect this effort to build a nest was abandoned and that they have in fact set up home either in or above an old wardrobe we have in there (yeah, it’s that messy a garage). Our ‘garage cats’ (now both deceased) used to live in the wardrobe, so it’s nice to know that now the cats are gone that another creature is living there. I disturbed them though when I was going out to water the pots this evening and they flew out of the garage and round and round in swooping circles outside it until I had gone - maybe they were protecting the nest or just collecting insects. I’m so happy we have swallows. This reminds me: there was a terribly sweet story on the news last week about a couple who had blackbirds nesting in their bathroom (link to video).