A Photo An Hour – 23rd June 2021

It’s only taken me a whole month to get around to actually publishing this post. Things are a little bit hectic around here and I just didn’t have time, but having documented a singularly boring day in my life consistently since 2016 it seemed a shame to miss one, so I thought I ought to make sure it got written eventually.

It’s entirely possible that this might be the most boring year so far, they are very possibly the most unartistic and uninspiring photos, but hey, this is my life right now, so what can you do? I’m sure future historians will look back on my fascinating record of life in 2021 with thrilling excitement.

Anyway, if you’d like to see previous years they are here:

2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

7am

I don’t even have to make coffee in the mornings these days because Mr LLL has to feed the dogs as due to my collapsed vertebrae I can’t carry Peppa downstairs. This means all I have to do is lounge in bed and wait for my coffee to be bought to me.

To be honest, I would swap the collapsed vertebrae for making coffee in the mornings any day. It’s not really fun.

While I am lounging in bed with my coffee I also take my blood pressure. My blood pressure had been a little on the high side despite my medication, but steroids and stress had made it go through the roof so I’ve had an increase in my blood pressure meds and am now monitoring it. It’s reassuringly close to normal this morning.

8am

Today is a steroids day. Boooo.

It occurs to me that there may be some people who’ve popped on to read this who don’t know the story of my collapsed vertebrae and steroids, so just a quick update, those of you who do can skip ahead. I had terrible back pain starting last year, it did not get better, I had an MRI and it turned out it wasn’t a simple slipped disc, oh no, it was a fully collapsed vertebrae, we don’t do things by halves around here. Apparently vertebrae do not spontaneously collapse on their own so further investigations were done which led to me being diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, a relatively rare form of blood cancer. I am currently undergoing chemotherapy for it, before hopefully having a stem cell transplant. Part of the chemotherapy involves steroids. I hate steroids and steroids hate me. I have gained 2 stone, I am bloated, sometimes, sleepless, sometimes energetic, sometimes tired, often hungry. They suck.

Anyway, so at 8am I go downstairs have an espresso and my steroids, they have to be taken with food or milk, so I have milk as well, in a beer glass because why not?

9am

Time for walkies, it’s a lovely day and we take the Pugs to the woods for a wander round where it won’t be too hot.

I attempt to get a photo of them coming towards me down the path but it is less effective than I hoped and I am too lazy to keep trying.

10am

The day gets super exciting when we get back from walkies and I top my breakfast granola with peanut butter and yogurt, which might sound like a weird combination, but you’re going to have to trust me it’s delicious.

I eat my breakfast on the elaborate cushion arrangement I now have on the sofa which means my back doesn’t hurt so much that is now called my “space bed” thanks to a client of mine. It consists of 2 expensive slopey cushions to lean on. The dogs think I am now THEIR space bed and I end up with one on my lap and one next to me, no matter how hot it is.

As a 10am bonus there’s an extra photo which I’m sure will make up for the hours you’re about to find there aren’t photos later on. The post arrives and I receive a free “cancer care pack” which is lovely, it contains things like lip balm, herbal teas, a note book, puzzle book and pillow spray.

11am

I have a pedicure appointment at 12:30 which I’m quite excited about and I decide I ought to have a shower before I let anyone near my feet.

I have a lovely shower and am upstairs searching for clothes and make up when I hear a shout from downstairs. A friend of mine has turned up unexpectedly to bring me flowers, which is lovely and makes me smile. I wish I’d had more notice so I didn’t look like this though.

12pm

One of the many, many downsides of having a collapsed vertebrae is that it’s very difficult to reach your feet. This means that my normally pretty painted toe nails have been neglected for many months. So I persuaded my Mum that she wanted to treat me to a pedicure with a lovely lady who lives just round the corner from me so I don’t even have to go far.

Pop Beauty also has 2 adorable Pugs, which is another reason to go there to get your nails done.

1pm

Yes, my feet are wrapped in clingfilm now and my toenails are lovely and pink.

2pm

Wednesday is my day off and today is Wednesday and I plan to make the most of it, so when I get home I take my pretty pink toes off for a bath with some fancy bath herbal stuff.

The 11am shower was for cleanliness, this is for relaxation, they are different things.

3pm

I am tired and I need a nap. I’m tired a lot at the moment. I do like naps.

I pop on some plinky plonky music and one of my fancy sensory retreats heated eye masks. I love these heated eye masks, there are cheaper versions you can get on Amazon (like these) but I’m a sucker for the pretty design on the Sensory Retreats ones.

Now commences our scheduled photo break while Gem spends the afternoon asleep.

I’m pretty sure I woke up around 5pm because the Pugs would have been demanding to be fed, but I awoke and completely forgot I was taking photos today until……..

7pm

We take the Pugs for their evening walk around the block and my watch tells me I have hit my steps goal for the day,

Obviously this has only happened because I changed my steps goal from 10,000 a day which I’d arbitrarily chosen before, and switched it to the Garmin variable goal. Why did I do this? To give me and my collapsed bones a chance of hitting it occasionally of course because I like to get positive feedback from my technology. When it buzzes and gives me a little trophy it’s like it’s saying “Well done you, you’ve been up and at ’em today”

8pm

Time for dinner, tonight Mr LLL makes salt and pepper tofu and it’s delicious. I think he should make it again, I will remind him.

9pm

It’s hot so instead of heading off to the sofa to watch Netflix till it’s time for bed we decide to go and sit in the garden and have a drink. I’m generally finding that I’m not enjoying drinking while I’m on steroids, so I’ve been investing in some alcohol free options. Tonights alcohol free rum style drink actually came out of this months DegustaBox. I love the DegustaBox, it’s like getting a little Christmas hamper every month full of goodies, and no, no one paid me to say that I signed up and subscribed with my own money. They sent us flour early on in the pandemic and I’ve loved them even more since then. You can use my link to get £3 off your first box if you want to try one.

Anyway, I drink a non-alcoholic cocktail in a can, making that 2 years in a row I have had non-alcoholic drinks to end my photo an hour, what has become of me?

The Pugs actually strongly disapprove of us spending the evening in the garden. They are creatures of habit and as far as they are concerned after dinner is sofa nap time. Peppa barks at some imaginary enemies for a bit, I enjoy the fairy lights, and then we go in and watch something on TV to keep the Pugs happy before bed.

10pm

I have a hospital appointment tomorrow, my first one to see how the results are from the first round of chemo (seeing as it’s a month later I will tell you that they were good, it is working, numbers were coming down.) So we head up to bed with a herbal tea for me and a hot chocolate for Mr LLL.

I shall leave you with your second photo of me in an eye mask in one day, this time my purple silk sleep mask. I remember when I used to just tumble into bed and sleep, these days my bedtime routine gets more elaborate by the day and involves sleep masks, headphones, essential oil diffusers, weighted blankets, satin pillowases and herbal teas in special mugs.

And, so, I drift off to sleep, with one Pug on my lap till she gets bored and wanders off, and another next to me because he likes to lean.

And that was how the 23rd June 2021 shaped up, mostly asleep.