Style Awards #LatestInBeauty Box

As soon as I saw it I knew I had to buy it, you got to choose 6 products from 60 items chosen. And boy oh boy there are some cracking products to choose as well.

As I was sharing the box with my youngest daughter her blog is here we both chose 3 items each. And all for £25.00 plus postage + packaging. Bargain!!

Choosing was hard I’ll be honest, and I was sad I’d missed the Charlotte Tilbury items. But not to worry too much we did bag ourselves a #Mac lipstick #cloudsinmycoffee

Obviously we both like this, but it’s predominantly my daughter’s top pick. RRP 18.00

I however chose this as my top pick and it’s #DrSebagh serum repair and after two uses I love it, but it’s RRP is £69.00 so no matter how much I love it, I can’t be spending that on it.

Next for my daughter was another joint love product, The Body Shops Matcha Tea Mask RRP £17.00

I hope she will let me try it soon!!

For me my next one was boring but necessary to try. As my leg skin is rough, Extremely dry and could do with love after its many many surgeries. So I chose #Ameliorate Transforming Body Lotion RRP £26.00

My daughter loves Tanning, so her last item was perfect for her to try #Sienna 1hr tanning mousse RRP £25.00

My last item is a new found love of mine, a cleansing balm. I’ve tried a few now, such as #BeautyKitchen and #EmmaHardie and this one is #Evelom and for this size it’s RRP at £20.00 but you usually buy it twice this size and at £42.00. another item I won’t be buying as the price bracket is too high for a daily use product.

All in all we got around £175.00 worth of products, so it was too good to miss. You can still find some good products left here. I’m totally impressed, and though they won’t be repurchase products as they are too expensive for me personally, I think others will really love them. It’s a perfect way to try out brands and products you thought were beyond your means and budget.

Small progress 31 weeks post #HipArthroscopy

I feel like I’ve not shared anything positive for a while, soooooo today is the day!!

It’s not huge progress but I’m finally standing more straight, I had/have a huge anterior pelvic tilt, and these hip replacement physio exercises are actually correcting that. See the exercises here

So this week I’ve done these ones Monday, Wednesday, Friday. And on Tuesday and Thursday I’ve done weights with my arms see here

But with this said, I’ve not left the house except for physio appointment, so hip isn’t under any walking stress, as that seems to be it’s worst activity lately. I know it’s only 1 week since it last slipped, but it feels better being conservative with my activities and certainly pain level has reduced.

That however can not be said for my thumb joint. Blood tests are back, but being retested, as inflammation markers were detected in CRP and ESR but no Rheumatoid Factor. Leading GP to believe it may be Seronegative rheumatoid arthritis. But being rechecked just in case. Not sure what this means for the future, it’s pretty scary honestly. I always put my sore joints down to Osteoarthritis or Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. Hopefully I’ll know more by next week.

Steroid injection is provisionally booked for end of May, so that’s not long now at least. Though the medical secretary scared me when she said, you have been spoken too because it’s under a local!! Why did I agree to this? I read my blog posts from 2016 and I’ve scared myself again. But I do remember recovering quicker because I did it this way. You can read them here

 

New hair care #botanicals range #L’oréal

I have extremely curly bordering on frizzy hair, it’s impossible to control, unless I straighten it. But my poor hubby prefers it curly (I can’t stand it!) But that’s due to its untameable nature.

And on twitter I saw a tweet from a blogger, wish I could remember who it was, state that they bought this range and they got lovely natural curls. They bought the lavender one, but on finding that it states it for thin, fine sensitive hair. Whereas mine is thick, unruly and frizzy. So I spotted the #Camelina one which describes my hair to a tea!!

So I went to boots and bought the #Shampoo #Conditioner and #FrizzAntidote which is used to tame ends off, when your between washes. This one is infused with a botanical concoction of camelina, soya and coconut oils, the range smooths and softens frizz prone hair with a fresh, exotic aroma. It lathers up nicely, feels silky and creamy. The scent is delicate and faint, but I’m glad.

It’s pricey though to me, I paid £7 per item or there abouts. So it’s a proper treat for me, and I hope a lovely treat for my hair too.

The test is now, how will my hair be in the morning!?

 

30 weeks post #HipArthroscopy

It’s now 7 months since my surgery and I’m ready to say it’s not worked. In fact I’m actually worse off. Not pain wise initially, but this unstable joint is far more life hindering.

A few days ago you saw I popped to the cinema, we used disabled parking so it was minimal walking, seats were amazing, yet somehow my hip still went from under me in the evening.

Cue tears, lots of pain, swelling, leg is 3inches fatter than other one!! And I’m back to one crutch. I’d only just been saying earlier, if hip stayed in the joint life is perfect. Now I’m sat here thinking if popping out my house once a week is enough to make it unstable, then I’m ready to rip it out. I want to live, do things and not merely exist.

So with this said I’m still chasing steroid injection appointment, it’s not been done yet. I now have to rest the joint. So I’m going all in on arms. This way I feel productive and not bored and useless. I use it as a tool to distract from hip pain too.

Bicep curls 15reps x 3

Shoulder press 15reps x 3

Side lateral raises 15reps x 3

Bicep row 15reps x 3

Tricep extension 15reps x 3

Chest press 15reps x 3

Tricep overhead 15reps x 3

My weights are only 3.5kg and I know it’s not much, but it makes me ache, I do it to failure. And I feel better once I’ve done them. The ache is unreal afterwards, I feel like I can’t lift my arms, so clearly it’s needed for me.

My new joggers came, so that’s a silver lining too. You can get yours here and use my affiliate code which helps me out and you get 10% off too DEBORAHWY10

Rare date day….

The last time we went to the cinema, was for #LordOfTheRings The Two Towers in 2002. Holey crappola how time has flown by. This makes me feel old.

Back when Britney and Justin broke up

Christina got dirty

And Micheal Jackson scared us all by dangling Prince Micheal over the balcony.

And shockingly the first camera phones became popular this same year!! So a lot has changed you can say.

Seems the cinemas themselves have changed too, stepping into Vue it’s plush, the seats are leather spacious and omg comfy!!

How cool was this film. I loved it, the marvel team did well. I was glued to it. Thank goodness the seats were comfortable though, erasing the memories of cricked necks and aching backs.

 

29 weeks post op #hiparthroscopy physiotherapy

Weeks are flying by and though I’m stuck in a limbo situation via the hip being unstable and super painful. The decision to do the exercises set aside for post op hip replacement patients has been working.

As they are designed to strengthen everything around the new implant and not cause a dislocation. I’ve noticed a small increase in stamina and strength, so I’m going to continue, and the hip hasn’t been unstable this week at all. So that’s progress.

This following week I’m going to increase the reps from 10reps to 15reps and see how that goes. I do find I exercise, do physio one day, but I need at least one day to rest.

Scar update, you can barely see them. Obviously they pale in comparison to my 10inch ones, but just an update for those only having Arthroscopic scars.

Now I’m itching to get out more once weather improves and work on uneven footing and inclines, as hip doesn’t like those situations so much.

No news as yet for the steroid injection for basal thumb or hip, hoping to hear more in the next 2 weeks time. I’m getting pretty eager to have them, even though they scare the pants off me at the same time.

Look Fantastic Beauty Box #April

After cancelling #Glossybox as it was repeating too many times for me. I embarked on a 3 mths subscription of #LookFantastic as I’d seen #HollySurgeon blog about march’s box, you can visit it here

And I was blown away!! I too blogged about it, the quality and brands were outstanding. Now I obviously understand they can’t do that every month, so I knew this one would be more sparse.

However I was not disappointed at all. Exactly the opposite. I had an Elle magazine included that’s worth £4.40

Included in this box is #DrBotanicals Vegan Bergamot + Poppy Seed Exfoliating Bar that’s is 100g RRP £19.90 and honestly that is my box’s worth right here!! It smells divine, and I’m hoping it won’t be as messy as traditional scrubs.

#Nuxe Crémé Hydratante 48hr and for 15ml it’s £8.25 as it’s RRP £16.50 for 30ml I tried this out immediately and it’s absolutely amazing, soft, nourishing and delicately scented.

Super excited to spot a #Glamglow Supermud in here and yes it’s slightly disappointing that it’s only 15g but that’s still worth £12.60 as a 50g is RRP £42.00 saving this for a special pamper night.

Then the only make up product is a #Pur Super Charged Mascara which at 4ml the average price to buy seems to be around £6.00 and I actually need a new mascara so I’m keen to get trying it out.

#EmmaHardie Cleansing Balm 15ml I found this size on M&S site for £5.00. Recently I’ve really been loving these cleansing balms and I can’t afford Emma Hardie full sized, so it’s a lovely introduction to her products, and I must say it’s heavenly. So definitely saving for posher days.

Lastly but not least there’s #Nip+Fab Glycolic Fix Daily Cleansing Pads, there’s only 10pads and that works out around £2.60 as it’s usually 60pads for £12.95. Again I used immediately and I loved that extra cleaned and toned face feeling. I’m definitely a convert, and I’ll have to see how to get them into my skincare routine.

The booklet gives you all the details of each product, and how to use them. Additionally they have articles on how to awaken your skincare routine, a guide to vitamins, a guide to Glamglow as a brand. And lastly some DIY masks you can make at home, and to Detox your make up brushes.

And right at the end, there’s a sneak peek of what’s to come next month and it’s #avant anti-ageing serum RTP £20 so that’s exciting!!

28 weeks post #HipArthroscopy

Well it’s another week and another drama, the hip slipped out of joint partially once again. Bringing me to 4 incidents now, and my trust in this hip is swiftly diminishing. After the latest incident, I decided to research hip stability exercises, to find out that all along my physio exercises are exactly that!!

So a bit dejected, I then researched hip subluxation, to find out why and what I can do to prevent, and understand the pain I get from it. And it made sense, once I realized I was tearing ligaments, that’s why I can’t put weight through it afterwards. Along the way I found some basic after hip replacement exercises, and as you are prone to dislocate the hip implant I know these exact exercises would do me the world of good.

Not only can I safely build up the muscles, tendons and ligaments, all while there is zero stress to the joint. So I feel productive and less immobile. With the added bonus that while I work out, I’m not bored and thinking of food. (Because I really need to curb that habit)

• Glute Squeeze, hold for 5seconds 10reps
• Quad Squeeze Down, hold for 5seconds 10reps
• Heel Slide to Bum and Control down 10reps
• Hip Abduction 10reps

• Short Arc Quad, knee supported raise 10reps
• External Hip Rotation hold for 5seconds 10reps
• Hip Bridging 10reps
• Stomach, Pelvic pull in hold for 5seconds 10reps

Using my crutches for stability.

• Hip Flexion 10reps
• Hip Abduction 10reps
• Hip Extension 10reps
• Heel to Bum 10reps
• Mini Squat (like a high seat) 10reps
• Hip Hitching 10reps

Now admittedly these look so basic and easy, but shockingly they were actually hard in places. I still struggle to put all my weight through the operated leg, I have to use at least 1 crutch to hold me steady. And range of motion is not fully there with either hip. But at least I have a good set of basics to build upon and do daily to garner strength and stamina.

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Should you wish to update your Physio wardrobe like I did, with slogan tees, soft joggers and vests at juststrong.com use DEBORAHWY10

New Chapter… Just Strong

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With all my surgeries and recoveries, it’s been a LONG long road, over 10years and somehow along the way, I’ve lost my fight with the bulge. Immobility and not eating right has took its toll.

I love moving, I love snowboarding, walking, sports in general, but I’m not exactly in a position to do most of these things while Arthritis eats away at me. And that had ate away at my mental health, and I have learnt to enjoy food in its place, along with not moving much (when pain strikes when you move, trust me it puts you off moving!!)

However I’m not longer a spring chicken, and I need to shift it, if I can. As I have to do physio every other day, perhaps adding a few free weights and extra exercises in won’t overload me too much, and slowly I can get back into a head space to correct my food too.

So with this I mind, I’ve joined Just Strong as an ambassador. Not because I’m great, or I think I’m fit. But because their aim is to empower women, that you can be strong mentally, not just physically, be strong emotionally too. Their aim is to create a brand of Activewear designed to empower and motivate women from all walks of life to be strong.

So taking this as a kick up the butt to change my life for the better, I got a tee that represents me, #bettersorethansorry to remind me that YES it hurts, and hurts a lot at times, but at least if it does, then I know I’ve done as much as I can to achieve walking unaided and as painfree as possible.

You can use my discount code if you would like to join a brand that strives to show women of all abilities and ages, that we are strong!! Here’s my tee

And to get a discount, use DEBORAHWY10 when you order, it helps me out greatly.

27 weeks post #hiparthroscopy

Moving on from week to week and not much has happened this week, except I’m poorly again!! Just a chesty cough and woolly headedness, so I’ll live.

But I did visit the doctor over my hand, as it’s getting too hard to hold the simplest of things lately. The basal joint of the thumb feels like electric shocks, when I try to hold cups, plates or my phone. It’s been like it on and off for a year or so?? Wonder if Arthritis or just Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. Anyways had bloods taken to check, and I’m being referred to MiCats for physiotherapy and steroid injection for it. So that’s 2 steroids in 2 different joints this year!! I need this hand for my walking stick. For now I brace it on bad days, but when it settles I take it off, so it’s not solely dependant on it.

So for physio it’s been PANTS for a week, barely done any, as I’ve had family visits, doctor’s visits, then blood test visits, and honestly they’ve just took it out of me. Just being still hurts so I’ve had no desire to move the hip. Maybe it’s increased on pain because the weather is so damp? Or because it’s that time of cycle when it all flares up (when my whole body feels broken and shattered) or simply being ill makes me feel things more?

Just waiting on blood results next and of course appointments to come through from steroid in hip, physio for hand, and steroid for hand. Can’t wait to get them all done and dusted, though I’m scared!!