Trials and Tribulations Of A Single Mum

Whew! What a mad week - where do I begin!? I went to visit my Gp on Wednesday as I woke up with half of my face paralysed, she didnt seem too concerned but asked me to return the following day just to be on the safe side. I was thinking along the lines of Bells Palsy which although not pleasant and untreatable is something which would correct itself given time. However my GP was not convinced and so I have ended up spending 3 days in hospital having numerous tests including a brain scan and a lumber puncture...Fortunatly it transpires that I have a Viral Infection where my brain stem meets my spinal cord, other than steroids and plenty of rest there is nothing that can be done. Just need to wait for an appointment at Neurology Outpatients now, just a routine follow up. There were times I was feeling quite scared I can tell you.

It was also the longest amount of time I have ever spent away from my son (previously he slept at a friends for one night and his mum told me off for keep texting to see if he was OK-which of course he was!), well he had a whale of a time - thought he was on holiday thanks to a great friend who watched over him for me as well as managing her own life somehow!

Im cant quite get the philosophy of hospitals, I thought they were there to make you feel better yet I came out feeling far worse than when Id gone in! No one ever brings me a cup of tea in bed at home (well my son is only 5!) yet somehow I didnt appreciate being woken at 6am (after only a couple of hours fitful sleep) to be asked 'dya wanna cuppa tea luv - oh no your nil by mouth, never mind' - grrrrrrrrr! Couldnt they spend 5 seconds checkin the sign in huge letters above my bed before waking me! Added to the lack of sleep I was tied to the bed with a drip for 2 days, originally I was on a portable drip stand so could move about but when I was transfered onto another ward (at 2am!?)I was put on a static one. Great, all my dignity and everything when down the pan from that moment on. I think it was all made worse by the fact that I actually didnt feel that ill, I just grew increasingly worried and anxious as time went on. Still I shouldnt complain after all they pobably spent hundreds of pounds on me for tests (not the food though lol!) and staff costs and I am on the mend.

I certainly appreciated lifes simple pleasures on my first morning back at home - waking up in my own bed sandwiched between the cat and my son and being unable to move - it was fantastic!

What a day! I knew when I made that application over the phone the other day for benefits that it sounded too good to be true - well guess what? I should have trusted my instincts! I spent nearly 45 minutes on the phone detailing my life story to be assured that all I would need to do was turn up for my appointment today, read through the information Id give and providing all the information was correct - sign the paperwork! I should be so lucky! I arrived, was sat in some multi coloured thing that resembled a sofa but was far from comfy and told to wait. I waited, and waited and then waited some more. Eventually I was called over to be told that the compuuter had crashed and so they would have to do my application manually.  The confusion on the young girls face was apparent as she looked at a lengthy form (which she had finally found after another lengthy wait for me!) - 'Ive never done one of these before' she remarked whilst chewing her gum! I felt like I should be on the other side of the desk but hey ho - off we went, through my whole life story again! Next I was told to wait downstairs when I would meet with my lone parent advisor with whom I apparently need to meet with once every 6 months as the terms of my Income Support application. Well that was another hour wasted - she asked why I had stopped work, so I told her, only to be met with a blank face and no advice! Advisor=Advice, well so I believed anyway but obviously not in this case! Still hopefully the worst is over and it will no doubt be added to the bottom of a pile of paperwork and forgotten because its not on the computer. The thought terrifies me so much I think I am going to ring every other day to check something is being done with a paper application in a non-paper system! Fingers crossed.

RIght todays moan is over, if you've managed to stay with me to here well done! I wish I could say there was a prize but hey lifes tough!

I love my son to bits but sometimes I just want to die with embarrasment - take today for example...
My friend asked if I would watch her little girl who is also 5, whilst she nipped out - Sure, not a problem, bring her over I reply. Next I turn to my son and say 'if theres anything you dont want B to play with then put it away now. I know this may sound harsh but he is very protective over his toys and B has a tendency to be, shall we say 'heavy handed' with things. Not a problem, job done, B arrives with her mum and my lovely son promptly announces 'mummys put everything away so that you dont break it!' Oh I just wanted the ground to swallow me whole...... fortunatly her mum saw the funny side of it and even said she would do the same but even so...

Well I have had quite a positive day today for the first time in ages (my own fault which I will tell you about in a bit, thats if you're still reading by then of course!). Some friends took me and my son out to a Car Boot - I love Car Boots but there are never any local ones so they all involve a drive out and so to me and my son it was a real treat. I managed to get some great bargains too! My son spotted a Scalectrix which he has been asking for for a while now so I know its not some fad thats going to come and go too quickly, however they wanted £12 for it! Now maybe its me being tight but I thought that is a lot to ask at a Car Boot, especially when you dont know if its going to work, after all you only have the sellers word to go on....Anyway my friend likes haggling so I sent him back with an amount I was prepared to go to but they wouldnt budge! We carried on walking around and all the time Im thinking, well if its still there when we've been around I might go back for it! But someone was looking out for me because we spotted another stall that had two sets on it and only wanted £3 per per set! Bargain alert! Needless to say we took one each lol! My son (and dare I say it - me too!) was really impressed when we got home because although the box was slightly battered everything inside was still in its original packaging with the stickers not even put on or opened! So for £3 my son got a brand spanking new scalextrix! Not bad eh!?

Anyway back to boring old me! Incase you are interested, which you are probably not but I'll tell you anyway! Due to previous issues and problems I have spent almost a year on anti-depressants, well about 2 weeks ago I thought I actually feel OK and so instead of getting a repeat prescription I decided I didnt need them anymore, the first week was fine, but this last week has been awful, I have had no motivation, just want to sleep (impossible at the best of times with a 5yr old boy!) and generally have felt rubbish. Well friends have convinced me to go back to the doctors and so tomorrow I will risk the wrath of my local GP, the thing is I just dont want to be dependant on them forever, after all I will never learn coping strategies for future everyday problems if I am relying on pills to see me through, well we will see what he says tomorrow.....

Well as I sit typing this my 5 year old is fast asleep beside me - thank goodness! Its been a long day! My son has a severe nut allergy which means that sleeping at friends houses is not always an option, (though there are two parents who also work at the school he attends and so have been trained in the use of his Epi-Pen should the need ever arise, and he has spent the night at one of theirs) . With it being half term we decided to have a mini sleepover in the living room - just the two of us lol! Fortunatly my sofa folds out into a very comfortable double bed so I am not roughing it too much! Anyway it was decided that we would get together some treats and sit and watch some films of his choice - Big Mistake! Big Big Mistake! Power Rangers!? Who on earth thought up that idea, he loves them, I bit my tongue for nearly 3 hours - that will teach me! Bring back the days of Bob and Thomas - pleeeeease!!!! I never thought I would say that and mean it so sincerely!

I am finally allowed o watch some grown up television and guess what - theres nothing on! I cant believe I pay for extra channels on cable tv and there is still nothing on! Oh well maybe I will go dig a dvd out for myself, thats if I dont fall asleep before the end!

And so ends another day, at least I dont have a sore throat yet, though I am sure by the end of the two week school holiday I may well have! Dont get me wrong - its not through shouting but constant chatter- my son could do battle with the best of chatterboxes and probably win!Still that makes him who he is and thats why I love him. So until tomorrow - goodnight xx

Well I did it - yes I got my bike out and went for my first bike ride of the year! Not bad considering my new years resolution was to take up cycling again an try to get fitter!
My son and I got our bikes out and set off to visit a relative who lives not too far away but far enough I decided! Upon getting my bike out I remembered the front tyre needed pumping up and so duly went to reinflate it - only I couldnt figure out how to attach the adapter to the pump (attached it to the tyre no problem!) so I sent a text to a friend who offered have a look at it for me!Sometimes I really live up to my blondeness!
Anyway once this was done and I was out of sight of prying eyes I got on and off we went! I never thought I would say this but going slower is actually harder than going faster!. My little boy had to peddle so fast to keep up even though i was hardly moving, even so I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it and have definetly got the motivation now to keep going!

As I say theres not a lot to tell at the moment but I didnt want to not put anything either!? Hopefully once I get used to this blogging I will work out a healthy balance between not posting and posting - until then you will just have to put up with my dribble - sorry!

This is funny....
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh96/silvermist_album/ccjoke.jpg

(sorry i dont know how to insert an image on here yet!) hope the link works otherwise this will be a waste of time!
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How can you tell this table is being sold by a man?
And don't cheat either!! It's not hard to tell!!

This table was for sale on eBay. How can you tell it is being sold by a man?
Can you solve this little riddle? First look and guess.
You will find the answer below, but don't cheat!

Know the answer?

If not, scroll down now.....

OK, Look in the mirror.
Remember, if you are posting a picture on the world-wide web,
WEAR CLOTHES when taking the picture.
I NEVER LAUGHED SO HARD...
AND IT WAS POSTED ON eBay!!!

Comfort Corner is a forum that I have helped to set up with some friends. It is a place to go, let off steam, play games, chat - infact anything you want to do! It is still very small as we have only been running a month or so and as it is the first time we have ever done anything like this we are learning as we go along! Please pop along and say Hi, there is a warm welcome for everyone! We need more members to make this work - please help us!

I have put the link to the left of my posts (for some reasons it says 'Other Blogs' - as you can tell I am still learning lots!)

My son has glue ear - the consequence of which means that constant ear infections occur resulting in time of school...today was one such day! I am sirry but I need to let of steam - if you are not in the mood to hear my rambling rants then please stop reading now!

Anyway the good news is there is no sign of infection, ear canals are just a little red and or appointment with ENT is being bought forward...Until then we continue as we are. Back to school tomorrow? We will see...