I thought I would make a long overdue appearance on the forum after a whirlwind of a year as a new parent. And it feels apt to post at this time of the year as the country gets into gear for Christmas.
For me, and I suspect a lot of you will relate, Christmas since MAV has not always been a beautiful, magical experience. In the beginning of my illness, the festive period actually filled me with dread and anxiety and the feeling like I was completely failing at life. I felt like I was constantly cancelling on social events and gatherings, not getting ‘Christmassy’ due to feeling rubbish etc, instead curling up in bed, miserable, and asking myself ‘when is this going to go away’ and ‘when will I feel normal again’.
When things did improve, I still fell prey to the overwhelming temptation that the festive period presents to drink, eat loads of sugar, stay up late and ignore the normal health-promoting parts of my routine. Landing back in bed for days as a result of not being able to resist that extra glass of red wine just fuelled my misery and self-judgment.
I’m about 8 years in now, and (hopefully) a little wiser. I still have one too many on occasion and have to face the consequences. But I’m less harsh on myself now. I have also come to think of Christmas as a quiet time, for enjoying the company of loved ones when it feels right, and for cosying up on my own when I need rest. It’s ok to step away from the hustle and bustle and invent your own version of festive. For me it’s some gentle Christmas lights, a turmeric latte and a good sitcom.
So a little reminder to you all not to get swept up by the expectations of the festive period and to make it your own. Be kind to yourself (Christmas is about kindness, right?), enjoy the good moments and take comfort in self-care.
Welcome back. From reading your recent post, you have a handle on what to eat & drink, versus what to stay away from. But it sounds like other people help you derail onto a bad path.
I’ve had the same problem with food. I’m a food addict, or more accurately a junk food addict. I know if I ear the wrong things I’ll gain weight, but when those helpers come along with that piece of Red Velvet Cake, I get jelly kneed and the cake just disappears into my face.
I’ve taken weight management classes and while I can’t seem to follow the tips, maybe you can.
To avoid those alcoholic drinks, have the bartender set you up with seltzer water. If there isn’t a bar and you mix your own, look for Perrier, San Pelligrino, etc. any of the sparkling waters. People see you drinking it and assume it’s champagne, one and don’t insist that you have a drink.
On the food, put things on your plate that you hate. Your plate will stay full, and no one will try to give you chocolate cake, or some other trigger food.
Armed with a few tools to help yo avoid the triggers, you should be able to enjoy the night and end up clear headed the next day.
Hello again and merry Christmas to you too! I know you’ve been putting a lot of thought into this over the years, so thanks for the tips! Like you say, knowledge is one thing and temptation is another! Pretend champagne is a great shout. There is nothing like constant cold and cough and sleepless nights with a toddler to drive you to chocolate cake too. And the festive season just makes it all worse. But actually right now my biggest killers are sleep deprivation and viruses. Alcohol and sugar I can at least choose to avoid. Having a small child must single-handedly be the biggest VM trigger. I was out with flu this week and the movements of my toddler made me feel sick, given usual VM symptoms (of course they don’t just sit still and keep quiet!). Fellow first mums are now considering having a second child/ pregnant with their second…not me! One child + VM is enough for me, thank you.
It’s been a while since we had to deal with a toddler. I’m 72 and my daughter is 52, so it’s been about 50 years for her, and about 20 for my granddaughter. But, I guess granddaughters don’t count since it was different with them. We only had to corral them for a limited time before we sent them home.
The weather is another issue. But if we combine toddlers with the weather it becomes a case of the sun total is greater than the individual parts. I hope that makes sense.
I’m one to talk, my granddaughter had to go pick up her brother last night and bring him back to our house. I know she’s a grown woman at 20, and I shouldn’t have to wait up for them, but, I did. And I’ll do it again the next time. They got in this morning at 1 AM, and by the time we got him settled, it was 2 AM. in addition to that, some kind of weather system moved through this morning.
When I woke up, I had dizziness, no energy and my tinnitus was raging at a new high level in both ears. I fell asleep on the couch this afternoon for a couple of hours, and still felt the same way when I woke up. I’ve considered taking a Nurtec, but because of how expensive they are, I’m putting it off until I’m sure it’s migraine related.
So before I give advice, I probably should clean up my own house.
Good luck to you, I’m going to sign off for now. I just spazzed out and typed a whole line of gibberish. Oops, make that twice.
Oh I’m sorry to hear this! I hope it clears up for you soon. But a combination of lack of sleep and stress/ worry is the magic formula to a flare up I find. Good luck to you too!
Hello lovely, so nice to hear from you! I am totally in awe of your bravery. I’ve no doubt you’re a great mumma
I know what you mean about this time of year - I too am very much retreating away from the noise, lights, smells etc. It will be 11 years in for me come February but sadly not sure I’m that much wiser?!
