Autumn Favourites

September has begun. The leaves are turning orange and crispy. Starbucks has bought out their pumpkin spice latte. Days are getting shorter and the weather is getting colder. This can only mean one thing folks.

Autumn has arrived! (well depending on which seasonal calendar you follow.. but we can argue about that later!) 

 Its time to start finding those cosy jumpers, that have made their way to the back of your wardrobe and put the summer stuff away (*cries*). All jokes aside though, as much as I love summer, autumn is a gorgeous season. Its aesthetically pleasing to the eye but also a time for new beginnings; to start fresh whether that means a new school year or just forgetting how the last few months have been and starting with a clean slate. Therefore I thought I would share some of my favourite things to do in Autumn with you all.

1. Get outside.
Whatever the weather, if the sun is shinning or even (and probably more likely) it is pissing it down with rain, get outside and go for a walk. Exercise is good all year round however when the weather starts to change, us fair weather walkers can often feel very reluctant to move from the cosy shelter of a heated house but I promise you, its worth the effort.

2. Sitting in a coffee shop with a friend.
Sometimes you just need a change of scenery - to read a book, do some writing/studying or just catch up with a friend. If you haven't, branch out and try a pumpkin spice latte (be warned it is very sweet) because they are to die for.


3. Halloween!
I don't know about you, but Halloween is one of my favourite holidays. Its an excuse to have fun, dress up (If your a little'un or just because you can!) and crack out those scary movies. Or, If your like me and the closest you get to watching a scary movie is watching Hocus Pocus then there are also plenty of other activities. What I love to do and can't wait to do this year is visit a pumpkin farm, pick out the perfect pumpkin and spend the afternoon with a glass of pumpkin spice baileys, harry potter in the background, carving said pumpkin into a weird but wonderful face or pattern. - It never gets old.

4. This one is for all you females out there (and males, no sexism here) - autumn fashion and makeup!
 Its time to crack out all those colourful orange/red/brown/smoky eyeshadows and those bold darker lip shades (although possibly not together!) and get creative. This definitely isn't for everyone but I enjoy just spending a bit of time mixing and blending different eyeshadows and perfecting (or trying to) the winged eyeliner. Sometimes even just going simple with a bold plum lip, can make all the difference. Fashion wise, we can dig deep in that wardrobe and find those flannel shirts again (yay). Or even just a jumper dress and rock it with some swede black boots, yes please. 

Image Source: Pinterest

5. Berry/apple picking!
The satisfaction of picking, baking and eating berries or fruit that you have picked yourself is great. Blackberries can be found from August till around Mid October, so pick up a container and fill your boots. The best part is once collected you can freeze them until you are ready to eat them or bake with them. Apple's on the other hand, great to pick (from a neighbour maybe, if they don't pick their own!) and throw in a crumble, easy and delicious.

6. Last but definitely not least, autumn is the best season to just grab a hot chocolate, a blanket, light a few yankee candles or put on the fire and just relax.

Image source: https://www.instagram.com/shannon__lang/

I hope this has made you as excited and nostalgic for autumn as it has me. Please feel free to comment your favourite autumn traditions or activities below!

Hannah

❤

8 weeks post op update (Spinal fusion)

Hello everyone,

Long time no see! Apologies for the lack of posts, I have found myself in a bit of a rut the last few weeks, however I really want to get back into writing here and what better way to do that than to update you all on my progress. Its now been almost two months since I had my L5-S1 spinal fusion - crazy how time goes so quickly!

At 6 weeks post op, I went back to hospital and had some scans to check on my spine and fusion. Unfortunately due to my surgeon being ill, I did not get to see him until Monday (4th of september) this week. I am pleased to say that everything is looking good and 'text book' as my surgeon would say. It was really great to get to see him and chat about how everything is currently going, my limitations and any questions I have.

Keep Looking up

Exercise wise, I am still trying to do as much as possible, even though I am still feeling exhausted the majority of the time! Walking is my main focus as I have been told that this is the best form of exercise for me, due to keeping my spine from stiffening. I am also keeping up with my physio-therapy, which is pilates based and works on strengthening my core muscles to ensure that when Im walking or doing any form of exercise, I am using the correct muscles to do this and not putting any additional pressure on my spine. Hydro-therapy, I have now increased to once a week - I do enjoy this a lot as I love swimming and many of the exercises enable me to move in a way that I can't outside of a pool. For this we are concentrating on my flexibility, in addition to building up strength. I would recommend hydro for anyone as although it is hard work, its also fun. I would love to say that I am doing swimming outside of my hydro but unfortunately this is still something I am building up to - I am hoping in the next couple of weeks this can be something I will try.

I have turned into a Fitbit fanatic despite saying I would never want a Fitbit! I find it is great for making sure that I do almost 10, 000 steps a day and gives me the motivation to do so. As I have been borrowing one for the last few weeks, I have since decided to purchase my own,  choosing the Fitbit flex 2 - which I will be able to use for swimming too! (Look forward to an update on that one!)

Despite the fact that I am much better pain wise than before my operation, I am still struggling to get to a place where I am pain free. The reality is, I am not sure if I will ever get to that place and at times I find that difficult and upsetting. Speaking to my surgeon on Monday, I was told that sitting and standing for long periods of time will forever be an issue for me - Im not sure how much of an issue. At the moment I can sit for around 2-3 hours before feeling uncomfortable, however unlike the average person, If I don't get up and walk around, it can then feel very painful.

Onto a completely different topic, one of the questions that I really wanted to ask my surgeon (although it is a long time in the future!) is about child birth. One thing I kept reading online is that after having this surgery, I would not be able to give birth naturally and would be forced to have a C-section - as apparently my vertebra above or below my fusion could be forced out of place. I was very pleased to find out that this isn't the case and people are talking bollocks! I am not too posh to push (lol) , however I may have to do without an epidural (or atleast not a very effective one) as this would go where I have had the fusion and for obvious reasons it now cannot be placed there. Like I said, for me this is a long time in the future and I will cross that bridge when I get to it but for anyone who is in that position or thinking about it, definitely speak to a professional because much of what you read online is complete sh*te :)

Last but definitely not least, my scar is looking much better than it was! I am now able to wear what I want without the worry of itchyness or the material rubbing and becoming painful. It is lovely and neat (thank you Mr Davies!) and healing really well.

Crikey, I have written for England here - forever amazed if you have made it this far!
If anyone has any questions, please message me or post them below.

Much Love, Hannah

❤

Week 3/4 Post Surgery Update (Spinal fusion L5 S1)

Hello Lovelies,

It has now been just over 4 weeks since my spinal fusion therefore I thought I would share some of my thoughts and progress with you. 

The last few weeks have been hard.. to say the least. I chose the photo above because this feels like an accurate representation of how recovery is. Its not easy, its not all sunshine and roses. Staying motivated and positive is a challenge especially when little things feel incredibly difficult. Last week, I started to learn a lot about what I can and can't do, for now and in the future. Some of these things include riding rollercoasters, gymnastics (not that I plan on joining a circus!), bungee jumping, skydiving (not high on my to-do list but always cool to have the option), general bending until physio/surgeon says I can (Im getting amazing at the slut drop!) and sitting at a desk for longer than a couple hours. 

Its all a long frustrating hill climb. I have been told that, I wont have full flexibility in my spine anymore, however nothing is definite as everyone heals differently and a lot of things depend on how well the operation worked in curing my pain - patience is a virtue!

However onto the more positive! 

I had my first physio-therapy session last week. It went well, and we have devised a treatment plan of alternating each week between physio-therapy and hydro-therapy. My first session of hydro-therapy is tomorrow so wish me luck! For those of you who do not know what hydro-therapy is - it is when you do exercises in a warm pool, so you are not putting weight on the injury allowing more movement. I also have daily exercises to do for my physio-therapy which are mostly pilates based which will help build up my strength again.

Exercise wise.. I am incredibly stubborn when it comes to staying in the house therefore I have been making an effort to get out each day and go for one or two walks. At almost 3 weeks, I decided that I was going shopping (for anyone who knows me, you know I can't resist a good shop!). I was very nervous about how much I would be able to manage however I was able to wander for a couple of hours before I needed a good rest. 

Over the last couple of weeks I have built up the distance I can walk, beginning at 10 minutes down the road, to a couple of km and so on, trying to go slightly further each day. The most I have managed in one go is 5km yesterday, which is the normal hour long walk that I used to do almost daily before, so I'm pretty proud of this accomplishment. 

My wound is healing quite nicely, which I'm very relieved about. The bottom of the wound, which is taking the longest to heal, has finally stopped seeping *double yay*, so hopefully with time it shouldn't look too bad at all! 

Last but definitely not least, I managed to drive yesterday! Not a very long one, but all the same, it is great just to know that I can and my poor car (or Hugo, for anyone who knows that i've named by car hehe) can have some exercise too!

Its hard to see the progress that I'm making day by day but looking back to where I was even just a week ago, makes me feel very proud of what i've accomplished and hopefully things keep going up from here. 

Hannah

     ❤

New feline addition to the family!

A house does not feel complete without a cat, at least not for me. Don't get me wrong, I love our dog but somehow you need a cat around - even if they do ignore you half the time - to make the house feel like a home. Therefore in June this year, I managed to persuade the family (or perhaps coerce is a better word) to go on a hunt for a new kitten!

Everything moved very quickly and by the 11th of June, we bought home a 12 week old, silver tabby kitten. It took a while to name her, we went through a plethora of names ranging from Merlot and Kit Kat to Mia, Willow and Luna. Finally we settled on the name Millie (which has now turned into Millicent when she is naughty) but suits her to a tea.

I knew getting a kitten would be expensive but I hadn't quite realised how much! You have to factor in the price of the cat itself (especially if they aren't a rescue cat, which Millie isn't)  plus food, litter, toys, scratching post, vet bills including vaccinations, worming, chipping and any illnesses - not to mention anything they break when running around the house. Its also important that the new member of the family fits into the rest of the house. When looking for a cat, we decided our main criteria was that they would be Independent, calm, playful and loving. However, we ended up with a needy, crazy, playful and feisty little minx. I wouldn't have it any other way. 

Now she is growing, she is calming down however atleast once daily something snaps and she goes completely nut job crazy running from room to room (good luck catching her) and even climbing up the curtains for entertainment. She enjoys a good swinging ball (get your mind out the gutter!) and anything that makes cat and bird noises. So far her favourite toy is a mouse type creature dangling from a fishing rod contraption - it keeps both us and her amused and requires less effort from us! We are looking forward to letting her out the house where she can run off her energy, come back for cuddles and unfortunately (but definitely going to happen) can bring us lots of living (and probably not so living) presents.

Her and our spaniel have an interesting relationship. At first Millie was very wary and skittish around Sophie, however things have changed. She now enjoys jumping both around and on top of her, in addition to taunting her by jumping on top of her cage and dangling a paw between the bars. Its a very funny thing to watch - although I'm not sure Sophie feels the same.

My phone and camera are slowly filling up with hilarious and cute photographs of our little monster so to end this blog post, I thought I would share a few of them with you all.

Hannah 

❤

12 Day Post Operation Update

Hello Lovelies,

Today marks 12 days since my operation *woo throws confetti* so I thought I would update you all on my progress.

Since I came out of hospital my painkillers have been radically reduced, I am now just taking paracetamol and Ibuprofen. Im fine with that because Im not feeling/being sick anymore and my pain is well controlled on them. My surgeon told me, that I would hate him for the first two weeks after my operation. Sure enough, the first week I did tell him I hated him (I mean, not really - but pain wise he was not my favourite person) ,however around the middle of this second week, my pain has been much more controlled and at times I have even forgotten about it!

I have come to the conclusion that recovery is bloody hard and incredibly frustrating. You might be sat there thinking 'but Hannah all you have to do is lay in bed and watch tv, or read' - unfortunately not darling. I could lay in bed all day but it's only going to give me bed sores (omg you have no idea how painful this can be). I have been getting up, getting dressed and trying to do little things around the house/ playing way too many computer games. Since I have been told that I cannot bend or twist until my physio-therapy starts 4 weeks post op, life is frustrating. Mostly its the small things which are the most challenging - picking up anything from the floor, moving anything heavy, bending to put something in the dishwasher, putting on jeans etc. Its definitely helpful to have someone on hand, just incase, especially when you have a dog and a kitten like me.

For the last 3/4 days I have also been trying to go for (very) short walks, gradually challenging myself to go a little bit further each day. Its a weird feeling that is hard to describe. Im not in too much pain when I walk, but it feels like my bones and nerves have been scrambled. They don't belong to me anymore and I'm trying to reclaim them. Its also very frustrating because I love walking and there's nothing wrong with my legs, it just feels difficult and unnatural - not to mention I am so tired! At the moment, I am getting a full 8-9 hours sleep at night, plus an hour or two after lunch because even doing the mundane makes me feel exhausted.

One thing that I am struggling with is back spasms. Me and my back have a weird relationship, even before the surgery. Its weirdly sensitive to touch and I've always suffered with back spasms - even to the extent where my physio-therapist used to need to place a towel over my back when pressing down on my vertebra. However since my surgery, its been worse, especially when I try to sleep or if anyone touches it.  I think this is due to my nerves and muscles being moved slightly causing them to expand and contract, however its hard to tell how much is just me and how much resulted directly from the surgery.

I don't know if its worked yet. Things feel different, thats for sure and my usual pain isn't there but that isn't surprising since I haven't been able to do much and I am on a decent dose of pain relief. Its also very difficult at the moment to distinguish between general back/hip pain and my op pain so only time will tell on that one!

Last night we decided to change my dressing. I am pleased that I have been left with a fairly small scar, which for the most part is healing nicely. Unfortunately it is seeping at the very bottom and this part has not healed like the rest so I am going to get a professional's opinion on this and fingers crossed it is not infected - just taking slightly longer to heal.

Thats about all for now, please feel free to message/post any questions or comments you have about anything!

Hannah

❤

What Is Not Said Before Surgery

Hello,

Today I wanted to chat about what I didn't know, or had to find out myself before having my spinal fusion surgery.

• The first thing, that is very specific to my surgery, (Spinal Fusion L5 S1) is that I didn't know it involved a bone graft until around a week before! Its really important to know the ins and the outs of what is being done so there are no surprises. 

• Secondly (and this is leading on from the one above) try and find out everything you can about the procedure itself. I was told specifically for mine that there were several ways of doing a spinal fusion. One where they operated from the front and one from my back and because I am female, the back was the best option. However, after doing more research myself, I found there were several different ways of operating from the back and It was not until the day of my surgery that I managed to ask what procedure he was doing and what sort of scar I would be left with. Thankfully It was the most common procedure with one scar down the centre of my lower back. 

  

  Image of my back post surgery - Op site and Epidural site

• Before this I have never had an operation or any type of invasive treatment. I am one of those people who avoids hospitals/doctors, even the dentists at all costs. So every time Im worried about anything, I will ask 'Is this going to hurt?' - just to prepare myself. I asked this question for the following things - a cannula being placed in my hand and taken out plus liquids being put through it, epidural being removed and my catheter being removed. I was always told no and they were right, none of these were pleasant but none drastically hurt either. 

• One thing I didn't know was surgical socks are a thing. If you don't know what these are they are a pair of white stockings (I did ask the nurse if they came in pink because I'm cool like that - they don't unfortunately!) and you have to wear them for 4-6 weeks/until your mobile. You will learn to hate them. In addition to this, whilst in hospital I wore leg compression pumps (for DVT too) which, can you believe it, were even more uncomfortable than the stockings! 

• I have been asked this question so many times 'Was it awful having a bed bath?' The answer is no. I was so out of it and felt so awful that being cleaned felt nice and I wasn't in the least bit bothered about being naked. Obviously it was a female nurse and she's seen it all before so who cares?

• This one I find very amusing and is specific to spinal surgery. I joked a lot beforehand with friends that I would be taller after the operation - guess what? Im now an inch taller - it is possible!

• This one is slightly more serious and personal but one thing not mentioned to me before surgery is about Post operative depression. This can happen to anyone, no matter what kind of procedure they have been through and can happen for different reasons. For me, it was more about the emotional stress of choosing to have the operation, then having it, then feeling incredibly sick with medication. Once the realisation that i'd made my choice and now had months of recovery ahead had settled in, this also made me feel very low because I questioned whether I had made the right choice. I am also one of those fairly independent people who can't sit in bed all day and need to get out the house. Plus being very used to doing things for myself, therefore, when you suddenly have others do everything for you and you can't move very far, it feels awful. It would have definitely helped to know that I would feel this way. To be told that its okay not to be okay or to be reminded that you don't have to be brave all the time or thats its okay if you can't stand up the first time you try. Or even to be told it gets better - because it does. 

On that note, I will leave it there!

Hannah

 ❤

Sun, Sea, Santorini

Hello! 

So today I wanted to write about something slightly more cheerful than my surgery and that is my recent trip to Greece including a day trip to Santorini!

Back at the end of May/beginning of June both, my mother and myself set off on a trip to Greece. We both have a love affair with Greece, Crete in particular and I can't explain why apart from the fact it is a stunning place with such raw history and amazing memories. The highlight of this holiday was our trip to Santorini and that is what this blog post is going to focus on.

Santorini has always been somewhere I wanted to visit but there were several aspects stopping me. Firstly the cost; as it is such a beautiful and popular destination, nothing is cheap. Secondly I felt it could be claustrophobic - I need my space whether its laying on a sun-bed or looking around the shops. Therefore because of these drawbacks or worries I jumped at a chance of visiting the island for a day to give myself an idea of what it was like before spending the money on a full holiday there.

The day began very early with a coach pickup as the sun started to rise. As we were staying in Elounda it took several hours to get to the main ferry port in Crete. We chose to do a group excursion with SeaJets to have the benefit of a coach, minimal stress and a slightly cheaper trip.

Once in Santorini, our first stop was Oia. This is on the north side of the island and is a beautiful old settlement. As you can see from the photographs below, it really is a beautiful place. 

As it is build into the side of a cliff, every building is very packed together. We were very lucky on the day we visited because there were no cruise ships in port, however It was still extremely busy and hot to walk down the small paved alleys but it was worth it for these views. 

Our second stop of the day began at Firostefani. We took a 20 minute walk down some very pretty cobbled streets, very close to the edge of the caldera into the capital Fira. From here we could see the volcano and Thirassia Island. Our tour guide was full of information (I have never met someone who spoke so much in my entire life). Whilst I found the background information very interesting, we did end up ditching our group as we were barely left any free time to explore the place ourselves!

The capital of Fira itself is again gorgeous with plenty to do and see. As you can see from the photograph above, there is an old port which you can walk/ donkey ride/ take a cable car down to. There is also plenty (and I mean plenty!) of shops for my fellow shopaholics. In the end we only had time for a bit of shopping plus the best lunch I have ever had (pic below) however given more time there is plenty to do here!

Going on this day trip for me, really affirmed the fact that I want to come back here. There is something magical in the way this island was formed and there is undeniable beauty in the little cobbled streets with houses painted white adorned with bright blue shutters. I do recommend going on a day trip here however I would suggest doing your research and going yourself in a group because it can be very annoying to feel restricted to a tour all day. If you are going to do this I would also suggest, find out what cruise ships are in port and pick a day where there isn't any. 

Personally I do think one aspect of staying on the island (despite the high prices) is that once the tours and cruise ships have left for the day, you are left with just the people staying on the island and lets be honest, exploring in the daytime is very hot anyway! So Santorini.. I will be back. 

Ttfn. 

Hannah

xoxo