The Big Quit, take 2

Well I am trying yet again to give the cigs the boot. I tried to quit a couple of days ago and so far am failing miserably, I saw the stop smoking service and the lady was absolutely lovely, really kind friendly lady who was willing to help us all she could but me being me had major tantrums yesterday and couldn't cope.

I have exciting news, the 6th book is out and ready for download on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com for just £1.90, this is the 6th and final book in the Forum Publishing range and not to be missed.

more exciting news

Well, what a couple of weeks its been, I have had a bit of an accident and currently have my arm in a cast, hopefully it will be removed tomorrow so I will be back to causing my usual chaos, But we have big news, Roger's 4th book has been released on Amazon for the Kindle. It is called The Association and already has some shining reviews, Even more amazing news is this book is available for a limited time for only 86p!

Slow Cooker Vegan Rice pudding

This is a recipe I adapted from a regular recipe I was given and it turned out wonderfully, it reminded me of canned rice pudding and was a really nice treat. not to be eaten a lot as it does contain sugar and is full of carbs, but for when comfort food calls, this hits the spot. Feel free to sub the Rice milk for a milk of your choice, If you use soya, or regular milk the Oat cream is not essential as it will be creamy enough.

Vegan Gluten Free Carrot cake cupcakes.

These are absolutely delicious and I adapted the recipe to make them gluten free, they are really moist and light and much too edible, I wanted to eat them all in one day, they lasted two! so do not ask me how well they keep as they do not last that long.

Motorcycling and CFS

The following was sent to me by one of the forum members ian2008 and it shows that we dont always have to give up what we love, we just have to find a way to manage it.

One of my great pleasures and passions in my life is motorcycling. Prior to getting CFS I would ride my motorcycle (bike) as far and as often as I could. My wife and I would go to many race meetings, go on holiday and ride out to quiet country spots and have a picnic. Many pleasurable hours were spent cleaning and repairing the bike. However, since CFS, my riding and enjoyment has been somewhat curtailed. 

Success, tenacity and resilience

Checking my e-mail today I came across this little gem from Jon at Moodscope...

"Success... ...isn't about brilliance - it's much more to do with tenacity and resilience. The ability to keep to your path single-mindedly when distractions are all about you. And the power to spring back into shape after things get bent out of shape.

It's all-too easy to give up when things go wrong. But where does that get you?

Tenacity and resilience will go a long way towards getting you through whatever life throws at you."

This is useful advice for everyone, but it's also something for the CFSer to bear in mind. Some days we all feel like giving up, we're fed up with being worn out and in pain.  But if you stay focussed on what you want to achieve, then you'll be that step closer to getting there.  

ROFL

I was reading through the funny posts on the forum today and there was a joke about a petrol powered dog, it really made me smile.  Laughter being the best medicine I thought I'd relate a couple of anecdotes that will hopefully have you ROFL.  (That's Rolling On Floor Laughing for those of you who don't speak Internet or Text.)

Quit day 11, and updates on dad and coping.

Early morning friends.

I am heading into day 11 of the big quit attempt and am doing well so far still, I didn't have a patch on yesterday and didn't use my nicotine spray at all, I had a few cravings but they soon passed if I occupied myself. I am determined to stick at it, and I feel I don't want the nicotine replacement if I can manage without it, as that is the point I want off nicotine, and 3 months of patches and sprays feels as though I not achieving what I aim to. I can have nicotine out of my body in two weeks if I do it myself, which has to be favourable to over 3 months!

CFS - A husband's perspective.

I was kicking about topics for the next blog, and I mentioned to my husband that I wasn't feeling any inspiration.  He then kindly volunteered the title and we talked about how he felt about living with a CFSer.  We've been together 20 years now, and I've had CFS all the time that we've known each other, but oddly I don't think we've ever talked about how my illness impacts on him.  I guess it's just been part of the background until now.  Here are a few of my husband's thoughts...

Day 9 of quitting smoking, and a difficult time for my family.

Morning friends.

First of all can everyone give Kooky a giant thank you for me, she is doing a sterling job keeping the posts up so that there is plenty for everyone to look at and read, and they're fab. 


My Dad took ill on Thursday and got rushed to hospital from the care home he is in. He was allowed to go back to the home as there is nothing they can do. We don't want him in hospital as he gets very distressed and gives up trying to do anything, the staff don’t have time to care for him as the home does, and it is really not ideal. He has very advanced dementia and is not aware of what is happening around him. 


Sadly he is not expected to pull through he isn’t opening his eyes and is only taking fluids if fed with a syringe into his mouth. We have come to terms with the fact that he isn’t going to get better and that for him, he is better off if he does slip away as he has absolutely no quality of life. I wouldn't wish dementia on my worst enemies; it is a cruel illness that steals the person’s soul.

Okay doom and gloom over now the good news. I am still managing not to smoke, Thursday I had a rocky period where I thought I can't cope I need a cig. But then realised it was I was hungry, and in the past when I was hungry I often smoked, so I got back to my mums and made something tasty to eat and was absolutely fine.

Nature's bounty.

Time passes, but sometimes it's mighty slow, especially when there's nothing much doing. Inactivity, especially when it's forced upon us as it is with CFS, can be very mentally straining. I'm a great fan of the natural world. Being able to observe wildlife and the weather is one of the things that has helped me keep my equilibrium throughout my illness.