Inspired by Guilty Pleasures

I blame Sarah over at mumofthreeworld.com/ for blogging about guilty pleasures.  No, she didn't write about sex, she wrote about chocolate!  Not just any old chocolate, but Green and Blacks Maya Gold.  My absolute all time, mouth drooling favourite. She gave a passing mention to Cadbury's, and she COULD have mentioned Lindt, or even Thornton's but no, it had to be Maya Gold.

Only minutes earlier prior to reading Sarah's posting, I'd been in the college Costa outlet queuing with other staff for our lunchtime coffee.  Because its Costa, it takes FOREVER to get served so there's far too much time to browse the muffins and cakes, not to mention the chocolate bars.  Maya Gold chocolate bars.  Maya  flippin GOLD!

I could feel that that familiar watering of the mouth starting, so before I began drooling I quickly looked away from the luscious orange and brown wrapper. Engaged in conversation with a colleague by way of a distraction, when it was my turn to order I opted for a black coffee and a Biscotti.  Damage limitation.  I'm all for that!

The fact is I shouldn't be having chocolate at all, unless its just a couple of squares of the 70%+ cocoa.  And the Maya Gold doesn't come close to that due to it being 55%.  I don't know where I got the will-power from but my mind was telling me to leave it alone.  I had a little box of mixed nuts in my locker; cashews, almonds and some macadamia's. Nice to tuck into when that peckish feeling hits.  I have to say they do take the edge off my appetite which can only be a good thing.  Just now its 3.15pm and the fact of writing about chocolate isn't making me crave it.  However, if there was a bar in front of me that would be a whole different ball-game!

Weight Loss?

So, after all this chocolate talk you're maybe wondering how the weight loss is going.  I was despairing a few days ago.  Nothing seemed to have budged.  I'd plateaued.  Before my appointment yesterday with Vlad The Impaler sorry, I mean Andrew at Spirit Acupuncture I decided to jump on the new scales and see what the reading was.  There had been a 5 day break since I weighed previously so I figured it was time to take another look.  Joy of joys, 1 kilo had gone!  Now that gave me a happy start to my day and I tootled off to be pinned feeling very positive.

We had a good session with the pinning, and in my back is a new area of pathways that we are investigating in relation to my hip.  I didn't swear much either.  So far so good, I feel a little less stiff today.   I have just one more session booked and then I'll call it a day for the time being.  I can always go back for a few more sessions if I need to.

Foot Consultation

Last weeks' appointment with the consultant was postponed to this Friday.  The consultant can get ready because I'm gunning for him.  Nothing to do with the postponement, more to do with my foot getting worse as each week passes.  It's almost 6 years since the problem began and nothing has been done to help.  Sometimes the pain is so bad that I want to scream, but at other times its just a dull ache.  Why is that, I shall be asking him.  As I've explained before, the only comfort I get is to wear lace up shoes which stop my foot rocking about. 

 I can wear velcro ones like these......

when all I really want to wear are THESE!!!!

A girl can dream.

Right then - about my foot!

Right then folks, up to now I've not said much about what ails my foot.  I've hinted at the pain levels so I figure because a lot of this blog will be dedicated to the sodding thing, I best get on and tell you all about it.

First of all, the main reason for starting this blog is because I know damn well there has to be other people out there with the same or similar problem.  If I can get plenty of followers, someone amongst them will be able to relate or empathise.  Maybe we can help each other because it's good to feel you aren't alone with your problem.

My foot started being painful about 6 years ago.  It began with a dull ache underneath which the podiatrist told me was Plantar Fasciitis; a common problem and easily managed.  I was given insoles, and even after months of wear none provided any relief.   They were all too hard, or filled my shoes too much making them tight and uncomfortable.  Sadly they are now in a neat, but unused pile in my wardrobe.

Eventually I found some in Boots similar to THESE . The ones shown here are full insoles and mine were half ones but they are from the same range.  The level of comfort they brought was far greater than any from the podiatrist, and I think it's because they were made from really firm foam, and not hard plastic.  You see, I have a fallen arch too, resulting in my foot being completely flat.  In turn this makes it extra wide.  The orthotics from the podiatrist seemed to be in just a standard width fitting and eventually chafed like hell, making sore spots that bled.  On top of the foot pain, I didn't need bloody chafing.  Or to coin a delightful northern expression - chuffing chafing!  Therein lies a whole new blog post on a completely different form of chafing ;-)  There I go, digressing again!

I revisited my GP on several occasions until I finally got him to agree to a hospital referral.  Various appointments at orthopaedics over the last 3 years have still not resolved anything.  They suggested to me that steroid injections may bring some relief but of course they couldn't guarantee the success.  I was happy to try and had two injections last year.  Nothing worked.  Not even for a day!

My walking oddly because of my foot always hurting has brought about another painful problem.  My right hip.  So left foot, right hip both painful.  Result?   You got it - the Penguin's Waddle!

This is where the grumpiness sets in.  An occasional pain, like a toothache or a headache doesn't have a massive impact.  Years of constant pain does so I can now forgive anyone for being a grump as a result of pain.  So, on bad days, which I seem to have a lot of at the moment, walking any distance is not only desperately uncomfortable, but can actually stop me in my tracks due to either the foot or the hip having a spasm.   When it passes, I can carry on for a few hundred yards until it happens again.  I hide it quite well I think.  Most people who know me are aware of this rolling gait, but I don't always say WHY I need to stop walking.  I'll use a multitude of reasons for stopping, such as pausing to look at a notice for example; or looking for the singing bird in the trees, a shop window maybe, and I'm ALWAYS glad to see a friend coming towards me to stop briefly for a chat.  I ABSOLUTELY hate moaning about the pain.  I feel that once I unleashed it, I'd never stop!  And everyone hates a moaner don't they?  Come on, be honest, you do don't you?  You'll say otherwise I know you will, because I do it too, but you hate it all the same.

Anyway, moaning doesn't make the pain go away.  Swearing does a bit, but generally dwelling on it makes it worse, so the best thing for me is to quit the expletives, shut up and find a distraction. Carol E Wyer is a brilliant novelist for 'ladies of a certain age' and has provided me with the welcome distractions I need, plus laughter which is so therapeutic.   Her books are enormous fun, together with stuff I can relate to.  Maybe you can too.  Oh, and I also read erotic filth.  That's also a great distraction. And fun.

I have a hospital appointment for a second opinion due next month.  I daren't even allow myself to be even cautiously optimistic until after I've seen this new consultant, but I'm willing to give him a try as he's an actual foot specialist where the other chap I saw is a general orthopaedic consultant.  If the problem with my foot is properly treatable, and I could walk more normally surely will take some of the stress from my hip.

In the meantime, I'm off to have a distracting read..............................

See you soon xxxx