So many aches and pains in the back, i can’t walk!

Thankfully i didn’t get any more attacks yesterday apart from the early morning wake up call. i did however have some strong shadows yesterday and pressure on the left side of the head. Again the scar where i had my head split open was swollen and a feeling like i had a golf ball stuck in my neck. By the evening the ache had spread not only in the neck but down the spine and into the back.

Every time i got up from my chair or had to move for some reason i would get sharp pains right across the back and spreading into my bum cheeks. Its like having strong tooth ache but in the back. That's the only way i can describe the pain. There are even some days where i try to walk to the shops or to an appointment and i find it really hard and painful to walk. The aches and pains are not only in the back but also spread down the legs and makes every movement a painful one.

Its like walking with lead weights attached to your feet as the legs feel heavy to move. I don’t get it all the time but it is starting to happen a little more often than i would like. I can’t wait until i get my referral appointment with the back and pain specialist to try and find out why its happening. I have been getting very frustrated lately as i just can’t move about as freely as i would like. There are so many things i want to do but it has now become more than just a normal task. With my 40th birthday just round the corner i feel like i should still be bouncing around and feel like i have become so restricted witch is just not normal at my age.

I understand there will be secondary effects from my illness and also side effects from the medication and that's why my stomach and bowls are all messed up. Its also the reason i ended up with a hernia on the groin area and now get constant pains even with the slightest of movements and when it swells up it pulls on the muscles making the pains in my sides and back worst than they already are. U just wish the hospital would hurry up so i could get the different issues sorted and at least get some relief from all the aches and pains for a while. It just seems ever since my diagnosis and the attacks became a daily issue my health has been going down hill fast. Even though i have started to watch my diet and what i do it just seems like its too little too late and i need some intervention form the specialists in each area.

All i can do for the moment is wait patiently and hope things will slowly get better. I have to admit i feel a lot better than i did 6 weeks ago and have even been getting out on some fishing trips and am planning future trips with my family especially my brother on or around my birthday, i can’t wait , we will have a brilliant time fishing. The weather over the next few days is forecast to be improving and more sun on its way so i am hoping it will keep the attacks from appearing and keep the beast asleep. I will be staring my Verapamil tablets again on Monday 3rd June and am hoping they will help to put an end to the attacks once and for all. We won’t know for sure until next winter arrives as my condition always seems to get better during the spring and summer periods.

Woken by the beast but fell straight back to sleep!

Yet another wake up call from the beast this morning but thankfully i managed to go straight back to sleep as soon as the pain eased off. I can only assume it was due to the drop in temperature in the early hours as when i woke i could feel a cold feeling on the top of my head. Normally i only get that feeling when we are in winter and the weather is freezing but for some reason this morning it appeared again. It could have also been due to the fact that we had lots of rain yesterday and a low pressure patch travelling over our part of the country. It is strange how the weather seems to be one of my main triggers along with all the usual ones such as straining my eyes or over heating and trying to do too much work. Bright lights shining in my eyes and also cold wind blowing in the eyes also sets of some of the biggest attacks that i can get. I am just grateful of the medication i have and the injections as i can abort the worst of the attacks when i need to and ride out the smaller ones. I have been very lucky this year as the difference in the amount of attacks i have during a day or week as dramatically reduced instead of reducing over time.

Normally as the weather slowly gets better i would see a slow drop in the amount of attacks i would get in a day and as time goes on and each week passes this figure gets better and better but this year i saw a huge decrease and it happened virtually over night. I used to get up to eight attacks in a day and maybe more on the worst days and then suddenly it changed to 1 or 2. Then as a few weeks passed i noticed i was only getting between 1 0r 8 in a whole week, i was amazed. I can only assume it is the medication that i am on that has helped with the amount of attacks and am hoping with the re-start of my Verapamil starting next Monday i will be able to put as stop to the attacks once and for all. finally to get some control over what is happening to me has changed my whole outlook on life and the future. I couldn’t see a future for me before all the treatment as all i saw was the attacks getting so bad to the extent that i would eventually end up dying from them but now there is hope.

I just wish i could do something about my stomach, the IBS and the Hernia that is constantly causing me uncomfort and pain and making my life a living hell when it comes to moving about and eating. All of a sudden i have to watch my diet and what i eat as the slightest thing seems to upset my stomach and set off the IBS. If i walk too far or lift something i end up aggravating the hernia and then for the rest of the day or maybe even 2 days i am in pain and have to rest and keep as still as possible. The doctor has referred me to the hospital to try and get the hernia sorted out and hopefully they will find out why it all started in the first place. All i can do for now is bide my time and wait for the appointments making sure i don’t do anything to make my condition worst.

Looks like a lovely day for fishing!

After being woken by the beast again in the early hours i continued to get strong shadows for most of the day yesterday and also 2 bad attacks that left me in agony and with a feeling like someone had bashed me around the head with a baseball bat.The injection managed to get rid of the worst of the attacks but only being able to take 2 per day meant it left me having to ride the last attack out with only the help of oxygen. Thankfully the oxygen works and it halved the length of time the attack normally takes.

I was surprised that my head was playing up so badly yesterday as the weather was very nice and the sun was shining. I have been getting some strange things happening the last couple of days, like my left arm suddenly aching for no reason and i can’t seem to hold my left arm up above my head for more than 30 seconds with out it hurting. Also i have been getting some sharp pains in my back so i am assuming its this that is causing these weird things to happen.

Monday i will be re-starting my Verapamil treatment and hopefully i will be able to put an end to these attacks but i think it will take time to get control of them once again. It started to work the last time i was taking the Verapamil and it seemed to stop the attacks just as they were starting. I would feel the attack build and then suddenly disappear as the medication took over. I started to see a big difference in my attacks only after taking the medication for 2 weeks so i am praying it will work the same again. I only stopped taking the medication as we thought it may have been the verapamil that caused me to become so ill and constipated but it now looks like it was just bad timing and i should be able to take the medication with out making my conditions any worst.

We are forecast for a nice sunny day again today so we are off fishing at our local lake, Cefn Mably. My mother and step-father will be joining me today and we have decided to fish on the over flow pond witch is the main stock lake for the fishery and had 1000’s of fish in the lake ranging up to double figures in weight before they move them to the larger lakes. It’s looking like we will be in for a great days fishing and i can’t wait. Lets hope the head behaves itself.

On another note, i have finally got my new teeth and they fit perfect. Mind you it feels like i have a gob stopper stuck in my mouth all the time but i suppose that will get easier as i get used to wearing them. Having bright clean teeth all the time is brill just hope they stay that way as i tried to smoke a cigarette whilst i had them in and it left a yellow stain on the one tooth that took ages to clean off. So a big note to self don’t smoke with your teeth in” as it will just turn t=hem yellow and grubby;. I haven’t yet tried eating with my teeth in and the dentist recommends that i take them out to eat for the first couple of weeks until i get used to them. He said there were a lot of people who have tried too soon and ended up biting their tongue when eating. Sounds like i have to be careful.

Another wakeup call from the beast!

Again i was woke up this morning at 4am by the beast and an attack that lasted just over an hour. As well as the head attack i was also shocked to find i had a terrible fever and was sweating  buckets again. The fever didn’t last long and was gone before the head attack stopped. Sometimes when i get the  attacks i break out into sweats but  for some reason this was different. I don’t know where it came from but am grateful it didn’t last as it made the bed wet and my quilt all damp and  cold.

Now the attack is over i am left with just the pain in the hernia and also  pain in my back on the same side as the hernia. I was told by the doctor that  discovered the hernia in the first place that it would cause pulling in the muscles and could  also make the back hurt so i am wondering if  it is causing all  the extra pain in the back that i am experiencing. Every time i move i get a sharp  pain  in the groin where the hernia is. I can’t yet  see the hernia or where it is due to the amount of swelling there is around the area. Each time i think the swelling is going down i end up walking and  making it worst again and the swelling becomes large and spreads to the other side.

I have another appointment with the doctor today at 15.40 so i will have to see if there is something i can do to stop me from continuously injuring  the hernia and making it worst all the time. No matter how much i rest the swelling just doesn’t seem to be going down.  I have tried hot water bottles, i have tried ice packs (never to try again near the groin,and not advised) and even tried soaking in the bad to bring the swelling down but nothing helps. It is all down to  me being constipated that all these problems began.  I strained to hard and caused the hernia and now i am in constant agony. You would have thought after 4weekstheswelling would have got better or at least my bowl problems would have calmed down but i am still in the same pain and getting the same problems as before.

The weather seems to be having problems at the moment and can’t  make up its mind whether to be hot or cold, wet or dry. I am hoping it settles out soon as this type of weather seems to make my head play up something rotten. I have been attacks free for a while but over the last few days they  seem to have come back just as strong as they ever were. I am hoping that by re-starting the Verapamil next week i will be able to experience longer pain free periods and hopefully put a stop to the attacks once and for all.

Medical Update and medication….

Well i suppose i should do a proper update on my blog as there has been so much going on wit my health lately. Not only am i having to deal with the daily attacks but also a hernia caused by severe constipation. I am getting constant pains in the back and the lower spine area and walking has now become very difficult. The hernia or area that it is in is now swollen badly and the swelling just doesn’t seem to want to go no matter how much i rest. The trouble is that every movement i do whether it be getting up to go to the toilet or walking into the bedroom it seems to aggravate the hernia and makes it feel like its getting worst.

Again i was woken early by the beast with yet another head attack and yet again i couldn’t get6 back to sleep. Its seems to be getting into a habit of waking me up at 3 or  4 am every morning but at least i can stop the attacks with the injections. Sometimes the attacks are not so bad that i can actually fall back to sleep afterwards but this is very rare. I have to be thankful that the weather has improved as i don’t get anywhere near the amount of attacks i used to get. I am now averaging 2 to 8 per week where as before i was getting that amount in a day.

The pains in my lower back seem to be coming from my spine and spreads into my bum cheeks when it gets bad. It makes me walk funny and sometimes it is so painful i cant walk at all. It doesn’t help that i have the hernia from straining to go to the toilet as it seems to be making my back problems even worst. I have been referred to the chronic pain and back specialist but am waiting for my appointment i am just hoping it doesn't take as long as it did for me to get a diagnosis for my head condition.

The doctor has now referred me to a specialist with regards to the hernia to see if there is something they can do as it is in a place that will cause me problems all the time. The groin is probably the worst place to get a hernia as every time you move or walk you are going to make it worst. I have a special belt that is normally used for broken ribs or hernias around the stomach but by placing it low down it helps to stop the movement of the hernia enabling me to walk.

All these problems have come along due to the medication i am now taking and is set to get worst if i don’t do something about it. I now have to watch my diet and make sure that i eat 3 small meals a day instead of just 1 or 2 and snacking.

80 mg Methadone daily
300 mg Pregabilin twice a day
45 mg Mirtazapine at night
135 mg Mebeverine 3 times a day
20 mg Omeprazole twice a day
15 mg Lactulose solution twice a day
4 x Sena Tablets at Night
400 mg Ibuprofen twice a day (3 times if required)
500 mg  Paracetamol  twice a day (3 times if required)
Sumatripitan Injections (maximum 2 per day) when required
80 mg Verapamil (to be re-started Mon 27th May) twice per day

As you can see by the list of medication i am on i now have to rely on Laxatives and Sena tablets to try and get my bowls to move normally as if i don’t take the medication within 1 or 2 days i become badly constipated and end up in agony. It just seems that ever since i got my diagnosis and the right medication to control my attacks i seem to be going down hill and more and more things are being found. I am now suffering with IBS witch seems to be aggravated by my hernia and stress as well as constipation and back pains. I am just hoping it doesn’t take too long to see the specialists to get some answers as my condition seems to be getting worst as time goes on.

Another early wake up call….

Another early morning wake up call from the beast resulting in an hour of non stop agony and pain. Even though i had taken my injection the attack just seemed to over power it. The oxygen helped a little but i still had to ride out the attack. I had forgotten what it was like to be constantly woken up in the early hours by the attacks. It looks like we still have a bit of a low pressure area passing over us resulting in CH attacks first thing in the mornings. I am hoping this is the last of the low pressure area as the weather forecast says it will be sunny today from around 11am onwards and the rest of the week should be the same.

I couldn’t get back to sleep after the attack due to my neck being very sore and my hernia deciding to play up, It also didn’t help that i am excited that we are going on another fishing trip today up to Peterstone Lakes in Newport. Its not far from here so we actually class it as one of our “local” lakes. I am going with my mother and step-father, Brian. I am just hoping that the beast stays away and i don’t get any more attacks today, but i better take my medication with me just in case.

The hernia has decided to play up something rotten this morning and i am getting pain not only on the right hand side where the hernia is but also on the left side of the groin where the swelling seems to be making it worst. i am just praying that i won’t have to wait long for the referral to the specialist to get it sorted once and for all as i just can’t keep going on like this. If its not one thing its another and then when things look like they are on the up something new comes along to bite me on the ass, so to speak.

Again i am suffering from internal wind and also balls of wind travelling around the body hitting the organs again. Its so painful when this happens and there seems to be nothing i can do to solve this problem except give it time. After speaking with the doctor yesterday we both seemed to agree that stress is actually making it worst and the only one that can solve that issue is me! Again the doctor checked my urine to be on the safe side and thankfully there is no sign of the water infection so it must have cleared up after the short course of antibiotics. There is also no sign of blood or any other infection showing in the urine when she checked it so that has put my mind at ease. Just knowing there is nothing serious going on is half the battle.

We have agreed to re-start the Verapamil treatment next week and will have to arrange weekly ECG’s to monitor each increase in medication. I am hoping that i don’t have to have too many increases as the last time i took verapamil it seemed to work straight away and on the first dose. If i am lucky, if i doesn’t work on the first dose then i should be able to get away with only one increase and hopefully put a stop to my attacks once and for all. The doctor has also referred me to the “Chronic Pain” specialist with regards to the pains i keep getting in the lower back that seem to start in the middle and then spread into my bum cheeks. She seems to think it is possibly something to do with arthritis and the spine bur with out getting it checked its all just guess work so that's another appointment i have to wait for. lets hope i won’t have to wait too long.

The Beast is back, but is it here to stay?

Woken this morning at 3am with a head attack from hell. I had almost forgotten how painful these attacks can be and how long they can last for. My head started to throb on the left side and my left eye begun to swell and close whilst streaming with water. The sharp pain shot from the top of my jaw on the left over the top of the head into the neck. Again the neck feels like there was a ball stuck under the skin and the amount of pain is second to none. At first i thought about riding the attack out and see if i could handle the pain but it just got too much for me s i had to take one of my injections and jump onto the oxygen.

It’s been a while since i have needed the oxygen in the early hours. I am so grateful to have it at home to help me with the attacks and if it wasn’t for the injections to help abort the attacks i don’t know what i would do. I try not to think back to a time when i was having to manage them on my own with out the help of medication but it is difficult to forget such times. I can never forget the hours i have spend banging my head against the floor waiting for the pain to ease, being sick constantly due to the level of pain being so much. Passing out and them coming around again only to find myself still in pain and agony. In one way i am grateful for the help i now have as i know i won’t have to go through all that again alone.

A second attack started at about 6am this morning and lasted just under one hour. I decided to ride this one out with out the use of the injections but i did use the oxygen as it tends to half the time an attack can last for and also half the amount of pain you have to put up with. it doesn’t always work but when it does it works well. I believe we have a low pressure area above us at the moment witch explains the dark skies and miserable weather outside at the moment. With the cold wet weather being one of my main triggers i have to be careful what i do today. i have an appointment with the doctor at 10.30 this morning and hopefully we will be able to put a plan of action together to sort out my bowls and hernia as well as re-start the verapamil tablets and hopefully put theses attacks to rest once and for all.

The weather this month has been pretty good and we have had a good share of sunshine. With tomorrow and the day after also being forecast with good weather and sunny periods we have decided to go on another local fishing trip to Peterstone Lakes, i can’t wait! With the hernia it is making life difficult at the moment as i am unable to walk any distance with out ending up in agony and with my bowls playing up at the same time it makes for a very uncomfortable experience. I am just hoping we will be able to get to the bottom of it and some how get me back to the way i was before all this started. Its just crazy how something silly like medication can set of such a terrible condition like IBS.

The beast is trying to appear & Time to experiment….

I woke up this morning at around 4am and my head was throbbing in pain all over. Not like the shadow i get or the attacks. It was more like the headache you get when you have a bad cold. I took some pain killers and that eased it for a while so i decided to go to the shop and get the hot lemon drinks you get for a cold or flu. After drinking the hot lemon i felt a lot better so it looks ;like i may have a head cold as well as a water infection.

Its the last day of antibiotics today and my sides are aching and my back feels like i have someone's fist pushing into it on both sides. i can only assume its due to the water infection but it seems like all the symptoms i had last time are coming back and i cant go through that again, it was agony. My next appointment with the doctor has been brought forwards to next Monday so i wont have to suffer like this for too long i hope. It is better today and the aches are not as strong as they were yesterday. Also the sickness feeling i had all day yesterday seems to have gone so i am praying it don’t come back.

Next week is going to be a busy week as Monday i have an appointment with CAU, then Tuesday i have appointment with the doctor and Friday an appointment at the dentist to pick up my new teeth. No doubt something will turn up during the week to fill the other days. I really have to start taking things easy because of the hernia, every time i walk to the shop, carry shopping, move around the flat or walk to the chemist i end up in agony for the whole day. I think i will have to start using the bus no matter how i feel. At least i wont be moving the hernia and causing it to become sore and painful.

The last few weeks have been hell on earth! With all the pain i have been through and the amount of medication i have to take is getting out of hand. I am just grateful i was able to go on my holiday with my mother and step father as i really enjoyed myself and get plenty of rest. i was actually feeling, looking and getting better until i returned home. Its strange but maybe there is something i am eating or taking that i am allergic to or is irritating my bowls causing me all the pain and wind. If i continue to feel like this i will have to experiment by not taking certain things like coffee or processed foods. It’s the only way i will find out what is causing me to be in pain all the time and run down.

Well after a rough start to the day and finally settling down i now have a mild shadow on the left hand side of my head so i am due an attack any time today. this is my main signal to an attack approaching and if i was outside i would run as fast as i can to get back to my flat before the beast appeared. Sometimes by sitting and taking oxygen for twenty minuets can sometimes stop the attacks from appearing or at least half the time of the attack. Thank god i have my injections as they seem to stop most of the attacks from appearing. Only the biggest and strongest of attacks over power the injections and at that time all you can do is ride them out until the pain eases and goes and this can take anything up to 2 hours.

Another infection and more antibiotics ………

I was sop happy on Wednesday after my appointment with the dentist. I got to see my new teeth for the first time and had them fitted properly so they could check the bite and size of teeth were correct. They look great and take years off me when i have them in, i look so much youngers its really mad how something small like new clean teeth can make such a dramatic change. They wont be ready till the 24th May but will be welcome when i do get them i actually miss having teeth now that the last of mine had been removed and the gum has healed properly.

I woke this morning, again not from the beast, but from feeling sick and feverish. I had to go over the doctors for an emergency appointment again yesterday as i was feeling really bad and though i had the beginnings of the FLU starting but i couldn’t have been more wrong. When i turned up at the doctors i thought to myself i should do a urine sample just in case and thank god that i did. The doctor dipped my urine with those special indicators that change colour when an infection or blood is present in your water. It changed to blue very quickly and the doctor turned to me and said “well there’s your problem, Mr.Russ, you have a water infection”.

Its just my luck after everything i have been though over the last couple of months with IBS starting and causing me major problems and trapped wind travelling around my body and organs giving me extreme pain each time i move and passing wind like someone has turned on an air tap and it won’t stop. giving myself a hernia by straining too much trying to go to the toilet after bad constipation due to medication and even having to have 2 enemas on one weekend, the most embarrassing treatment i have ever had. Now i have a water infection that not only causes me a fever and to go through hot and cold periods but also makes me feel sick and is also aggravating my IBS and causing me total discomfort. I just can’t win!

My doctors appointment has now been put back to the end of next week, Friday the 24th at 15.40 so i will be able to go to the dentist first and then show up at the doctors with my new teeth in. i don’t think the doctor will recognise me as its been such a long time since i had my teeth. i am again on antibiotics for the water infection so i can only imagine that it will cause me more constipation but at least its only for a couple of days this time and not weeks like the last lot i had only a few months ago. Its crazy to think that in the space of 4 months i have had 4 lots of antibiotics and it worries me that eventually my body will become immune to these antibiotics being given all the time and so will my illnesses if i am not careful. There's not a lot more i can do except wait for it to pass and drink lots of fluids to help flush out the infection.

Strong shadows today? must be the wet weather…

At least i wasn’t woken by the beats and i have managed to lay in until 8am most mornings so far with the warmer weather. this is the first morning i have woken with a strong shadow feeling in a long while, well long  in my eyes. It must be down to the wet weather we are having at the moment and a low pressure area passing over us. I have been pretty good this last couple of months apart from the other problems i am having with the bowls etc., the head has behaving itself. I know i am due to have an attack or two today as when the shadows are this strong the attacks are guaranteed to happen but may not appear until early hours the next morning. I am just hoping they will be small attacks.

My bowls are playing up again and its starting to become a daily routine. Each morning i wake up and feel like someone has punched me in the back and have pressure on the right side and the left side that i can only assume is from wind. This pressure turns so sharp pain every now and again and is very annoying. I can feel the wind building inside me and the stomach rumbling and groaning so i know there is something not quite right or something irritating it. I am hoping we get to the bottom of this soon when i see the doctor next Monday.

The pains in my back have returned and even when i walk or sat still i still get the aches and pains that spread into the butt cheeks. It does get worst if i try and lift or carry anything and i suppose having a hernia at the groin on the right hand side doesn’t help to improve the condition. I have received a letter telling me i am on another waiting list to be seen by the Chronic pain department and specialist at the heath hospital of Wales. Now it took 6 months to get seen by neurology so i wonder how long this will now take?

There's not much i can do for the time being except take my medication and try not to aggravate any of my illnesses. If i was a Car they would have scrapped me by now! As time goes on it seems like more and more things are starting to appear and all i want is to feel well again. Just to be able to walk to my mothers with out getting sharp pains when i move, sickness feeling when talking and head attacks when cold. Just to be able to go back to a time when all these attacks and problems weren't around. Unfortunately that's not possible and i have had to come to terms with the fact that my health will never be the same again and my lifestyle has to change to accommodate these illnesses. I just cant wait for the weather to get even hotter as summer comes and these attacks stop altogether. You will find me fishing every chance i get.

Have to get back into the swing of things…

Well i suppose i should get back into the habit of writing my blog each day as i used to. I have been distracted by fishing and other things including my health and stomach problems at the moment. It’s crazy having to deal with constant head attacks and now i have to deal with bowl and stomach problems as well. It must be the medication causing my bowls to play up so much but with out the medication i could end up with having 8 or more attacks each day again. I don’t know if i could go through all that again.

At least the attacks seem to have reduced in the number i get and now i am glad with the warmer weather i should be able to put these attacks behind me as long as we get the medication right and i get to grips with the other health issues i have. Its not only the attacks that are troubling me but also the hernia i know have on the right side of the groin that plays up constantly and feels like someone has kicked you in the groin when it does start to hurt. I also get pains in my sides, i am assuming it’s form wind and this is a constant battle each day, its as if someone has turned on a wind tap inside me and it just wont stop, this can be embarrassing when out shopping or in closed areas.

To top everything else off there is my Back! Each day i get up move about and take short walks to the shops i am noticing not only pain in my legs and joint but also at the base of the spine and this pain is strong and can sometimes get so bad i can no longer walk and have to stop somewhere and sit down to rest. The pain starts to spread into my but cheeks and can become even worst if i am carrying any shopping. I a, not sure where the pain in the back comes from but i know its bad and gets worst with cold and damp weather.

I am currently waiting to see the doctor on the 20th and see if we can get some plan of action put together to see if i can sort out my health once and for all. I have an appointment tomorrow with the dentist again for another fitting of my new teeth. its about time i got it sorted so i am really happy about that. Also on the 20th i have an appointment with my case worker , Louise, down at the CAU office so i will get a chance to bring them up to date with what is going on and the different treatments i am now on. Its almost time to restart the Verapamil as i think it was just bad timing when i became ill and they had nothing to do with me getting so bad. I am hoping when back on the verapamil the attacks will stop all together and i wont have to worry about the beast waking me up in the early hours any more.

Holiday Photo’s from Cornwall May 2013

Holiday is over!, Now Back to Reality…

Well the holiday is over and its back to the same routine again. I was so lucky on the holiday as i only had two small attacks in the entire week and didn't have to use my oxygen once. It really did make the holiday great and one to remember for a long time. I really enjoyed myself fishing the different lakes at White Acres fishery in Cornwall. I was so relaxed as it was a nice and quiet area we were in and due to my mother being disabled we were right next to the main entrance so it wasn't far to go to a shop of restaurant.

                   

It wasn’t really that far to go to get to the lakes either but having the van and my fishing barrow really helped. My mother chose one lake that was close to her and had a disabled peg to fish from and that was the lake she would fish for the week. I decided to fish with her on a couple of occasions but also to try and take on the specimen lake at the far end of the complex, their main lake with the record size Carp and Catfish in.

              

I didn't manage to catch the monster i wanted but i did catch loads of fish and i have to say i caught more carp in one day than i normally catch in an entire season. It was the best days fishing i have had for a long time. Everything just seemed to click into place and go right and that was it i was catching non stop from dawn to dusk.

              

I made sure i had my medication with me at all times and also had my day bivi that i could hide away and take my injections but thankfully didn't need to use it for that. It came in handy in staying out of the baking sun as the weather was just perfect and i ended up getting a tan and burning my left forearm. My hernia played up a few times on the holiday but nothing that i would say spoilt the mood as i was just enjoying myself so much. Brian, my step father, cooked us breakfast every morning so i chipped in to help by cleaning everything up each day and i have to say i was spoilt. I came back looking fatter and fitter than i have for a while. The holiday did really do me the world of good.

              

We also managed to get out and visit some tourist attractions in Cornwall such at the Gold Mine where we say a million pound in £5 notes and also in gold. There were also a lot of collectables there including James Bonds DB5 car and the Golden Gun from the famous movie. There was also the car from back to the future and a lot of other collectable items including a solid gold dress. We also managed to visit Paradise Park, a dedicated sanctuary for Parrots and Parakeets from all over the world. the amount of different types was amazing but also through the wildlife trust they supply support to other more domestic and farm animals such as sheep, goats and pigs.

              

We also went down to the coast and had the most amazing lunch. I had scampi that was so fresh you just couldn’t beat it for flavour and freshness. My mother had some fish and Brian had fish bites, a variety of different peace's of fish fried in batter. It was stunning! Unfortunately all the walking around was making my hernia really play up and every now and again i would feel like someone had run up and kicked me in the family jewels. Not once, while we were out visiting places, did i have an attack or even feel like one was coming on. But due to the pain in the groin we had to retire back to the caravan by early evening so i could recover ready for fishing the next morning.

               

My bowls are still messed up and i am relying on laxatives and medication to keep them working correctly and my hernia is getting sore every day and causing me uncomfort and pain. I now get from 2 to 8 attacks per week witch is a massive improvement of how they have been and i know its due to the weather improving and the medication i am taking.

              

I am booked in to see the doctor on the 20th and also the CAU Team for a review to see how to reduce the amount of medication i am taking safely with out causing me any more problems. Until this happens i just have to manage with the aches and pains from the hernia and make sure i watch what i eat for my bowls and diet and hopefully after speaking with the doctor i will be able to re-start the verapamil treatment and get control of these attacks once and for all.