Relapse! Coping, Symptoms and Tips.

[Buster70]

Wow that's some insect rant for the first time in months I'm bite free they normally love me , I do feel a bit rejected though but what's wrong with my blood that they don't want it anymore, I've even been stood outside at night cooling off , maybe it's because I'm trying nettle tea as a natural antihistamine.
Some good news today peta went to parliament to try and ban Staffordshire bull terriers and failed , they wanted to put them on the banned dogs list and wipe out the breed , I get that too many end up in animal shelters unwanted but that's people not dogs they should ban people , my staff got attacked today by a gun dog any dog can be dangerous and if they ban staffies the idiots out there will just go for another breed like in the 80s Rottweilers and Doberman's , my dogs saved me from myself they picked me up in the darkest times and kept me going out , I don't doubt for a second without them I'd be in a much worse state or not around at all , so there's a tip get a pet and look after it .
Another thing that a lifts me on a daily basis is music , I can be in the lowest of moods but in get in the van pick a good track turn it up so loud it's makes my tinitus ring for the rest of the day but for those four or five minutes I'm as happy as a pig in shit , I don't give a fly fig who sees me singing my heart out as I'm driving and won't see them again and they can't hear how bad my singing is
Take care .

[Carnation]

Well I did my good deed for the day.
I went to see the local vicar about that lady.
He agreed that I should not get too involved and he reassured me that he would talk to his church people.

My 6 bites are looking better, but now have 2 more on my leg. What is it about me that attracts them?
I managed to get out today and it was blissfully cloudy and much cooler. Wearing my amber necklace and feeling quite calm, I managed quite confidently to shop, queue and chat without my anxiety ruining my day.
Except for one shop. I don't know why, but there is one shop I always feel anxious in and causes me a hot flush.
I'm trying to think of a memory trigger, but nothing springs to mind.
I made a point of staying put in that shop today, which is only a charity shop, so it's not like it is shouting out anything specific. I get hot, confused and ho in to a coughing fit.

I remember my mum had a problem with a card shop.
Every time she went in there, she had what she called a 'funny turn'. She felt dizzy and breathless and had to sit down. It would only last minutes, but it would happen every time! My mum was never diagnosed with anxiety, but I now know that it was exactly that!
It must be a memory trigger and my brain wants to know what!?!

Yet another sticky and humid night in store and a weather report of hotting up again at the weekend.
We wait all year for the summer and then it's too hot to do anything.

Until next time.....

---------- Post added at 23:20 ---------- Previous post was at 23:02 ----------

Hi Buster, I need that nettle tea and now!!!
So far this year, I have had a stonking 28 bite and stings.
I've tried different clothing and even if I dress to cover my arms and legs, they still get me on the face.
They obviously love my blood.
I take a blood thinner in the form of an aspirin, so it might be more appealing to the insect world.

Can I say that I think Staffordshire Bull Terriers are the most loving and faithful dogs. Like you say, getting in to the wrong hands and used for horrendous purposes has given them a bad name. It would be a dog breed I would consider.

As for your singing. Well, I can't hear you, so it doesn't bother me, but going by your character, I would imagine it powerful, but jokingly and maybe a bit out tune?
Who I am to judge, you might be the next Michael Buble.

Keep that spirit Buster.

[Buster70]

Well Staffies won't be added to the dangerous dogs list so I'll be sticking with them , they weren't my choice of dog my first one came along by chance and I'm glad he did , he was a better freind than any human friend I've ever had .
Have you thought about getting a pen and joining up your bites ? It might be a dot to dot picture probably of a gnat .
I get that uneasy feeling sometimes while out shopping usually when I find myself in the women's underwear section and my partner's disappeared , it's like hide and seek turn around and you're alone .
If I had any musical talent I would like to sing rather than playing an instrument, every now and then we hear someone step up to do karaoke and they surprise you by not murdering a song , I haven't heard myself but I'd guess it's like the first people on the X factor where you think are they hearing something different to the rest of the world? My view is if you can't sing well sing loud and proud , and it does occur to me at times that there isn't a single song on my MP3 that I know all of the words to and when I read the lyrics I think well that's not what I've been singing .
Had a rotten day today fingers crossed tomorrow is a better one

[Carnation]

I got myself some of that nettle tea today.
And me being me with anxiety and all that, I have to look it up on Google and check it out before taking it.
Pleasantly surprised that it helps a vast amount of stuff, from being a antihistamine, helps with pain such as arthritis and rheumatism, asthma, urinary infections, hay fever, kidney stones, skin allergies, congestion, high blood pressure, hair loss and anxiety.
It can also help to fight off viruses.
I read about a safe intake of no more than 3 cups a day.
You can even take it if you are pregnant, but must check with your GP first.
The only warning was not to take if you are taking a blood thinner. I take asprin which is a blood thinner in its form, so now I don't know whether I am OK to take the nettle tea, so my purchase may be for nothing.
I will ask my local pharmacist.

Buster, my bites are really getting on my nerves now. As soon as one batch clears up, along comes another.
If I did a dot to dot of the ones on my back, it would come out a half moon and my leg would be an explanation mark. They are normally a mixture of knats and mosquitoes, but I do get those white cabbage butterflies chase me around the garden.

Buster, you have to chalk up a bad day as just that and leave it in the past where it belongs and then start the next day with a fresh mind.

I went out today to a town half an hour away.
I had to keep my partner company by joining him with a fry-up. I know, naughty and bad for you, but after meeting a 95 year old man in a lift, who after we got chatting, revealed his long life was due to having a fry-up everyday, well, let's say, I didn't feel so bad tucking in.

I wasn't in the mood for walking about too much, because of the heat and my grumpiness over my itchy bites, so it was not so enjoyable.
But wearing my amber necklace, I would say I felt less anxious compared to other days.
It could be physiological admittedly, because I did refer to it when approaching certain shops and areas. Either way, if it works, it's certainly worth trying.

Until next time.....

[fishman65]

my staff got attacked today

Crikey Buster you hire your own staff?

[Buster70]

Crikey Buster you hire your own staff?

Unfortunately money's tight so I can't afford staff I now have to employ monkeys who are quite happy to work for peanuts.
Hope things have settled down your end chap , take care .
Carnation I'd guess when they say blood thinner it's more like wharfrin ( probably spelt wrong ) my partner was on it for years because of heart problems and it does stop clotting, a small dose of aspirin would probably not be a problem but even with my vast medical knowledge and having medical certificates ( downloaded from fake doc .com ) it better to check , you can always post them to me I've got a cupboard full of teas that I've tried and didn't like , nettle is one of the better ones . Still no bites and Ive been out with the dogs tonight by a lake , somthing's putting them off could be my WD40 aftershave they just slide off .

[Carnation]

Bites and heat kept me awake again last night, so grumpy again. All my clothes seem the wrong ones for this heat. The house won't cool down and our car, which has broken air conditioning is like sitting in a hot stove. Moan, moan and more moaning.

I would like to talk a bit about Anxiety.
I like to use a capital A because it is so big.
There are many different forms but when you have GAD,) General Anxiety Disorder), it seems like it takes over your whole life.
When at its highest it can feel like you have been taken a Prisoner to the point of life in a cell.
I'm not being dramatic, it IS that powerful.
But, you can break it, control it and beat it.
For me, at my worst, I felt like a living corpse.
I could barely eat, drink, speak, walk or wash myself.
I spent my time wonder if it was the end of the road for me and was to afraid to sleep for fear of not waking up! I exhausted my body and mind with worry and didn't realise I was actually feeding the anxiety.
It was a breakdown and with the support of this Forum and finding others just like me, I slowly started to build my life again.
I still have anxiety, but I am learning to control it and live with it. I have had two relapses that were triggered by stress and illness.
And I want to share some of my knowledge and experience to hopefully help others.
One of the things that I struggled with was standing on the spot and doing a task.
This could be in the bathroom washing and brushing teeth. My legs would shake and buckle and at times, I could not even look in the mirror. I would dread it.
This is what I did to help.
I would change my routine around. I might wash first and then brush my teeth. I might brush teeth, go away, come back, then wash. I would add extra duties during like tidying the cabinet or chucking things out.
I was changing the memory routine in my brain and it seemed to work.
The same in the kitchen.
I couldn't bear to stand there peeling potatoes.
So, I would take them and peel them in the lounge watching TV. The thought of staying in the kitchen preparing a whole meal would fill me with dread.
So, I would make the dinner in stages.
Then I would make a point of adding another duty while I was in there. Maybe a clear out of a cupboard, changing something around, potting seeds on the windowsill, chucking things out you no longer use.
It really helped and kept my mind focused and I was amazingly surprised that I was able to do this.
It's about changing the mindset, patterns and routine.
It's like you are fooling anxiety and covering /changing the triggers.

As you know, I had a strained tendon and had to use my left hand a lot! This was good for me because it was a change in my routine and the brain uses new cells to allow you to do this.
Occasionally use your left hand to try something, because you are rejuvenating the brain.
The same with getting dressed in the morning. Change it around.
Not only does it help with anxiety, you are giving new life to your brain.

Until next time.....

[Carnation]

Apologies for not saying 'Hi' to Fishman and while I'm on it, sending SM and Pulisa good vibes.
23fish, my supportive friend through my darkest times, I noticed you sometimes peep in around midnight for a read. Buster you go without saying.

[Senior Moment]

Hi Carnation. Thank you for your good vibes !! I am still plodding on with my 'recovery', good days and not so good days, nothing unusual about that tho ! Am taking on board a lot of your hints and tips and some are very successful I'm happy to say. Still having a chuckle at some of Busters posts too. They have forecast some rain for this area this evening, so here's hoping as the garden is looking very sorry for itself. Off now to start preparing a meal which some days I cope better than others with, but have to keep at it. Take care, and I'm glad to hear your hand is getting better. SM x

[pulisa]

Thanks for the good vibes too, Carnation! I've been nursing a guinea pig through bladder stone surgery which has been tough- going but I think he's out of the woods now. I feel totally shattered but a lot has been going on over the past few weeks and months so to be expected.

Glad the hand is getting better but sorry about the pesky bites. I had a horsefly bite a few weeks ago which got infected and I needed antibiotics-it still hurts now. I think I'm allergic to horseflies as I got cellulitis with the last one the day after my Dad died and had to drag around an aquarium of blisters on my leg for a few weeks! The hazards of Summer!

Best wishes to all xx