A Little Health and Physio Update

My thoughts have been somersaulting around in my head like a rogue acrobat these last few weeks. I've tried to purge those thoughts on to paper so many times, but every time I've tried, the words just haven't come. I guess I've needed some time to let recent developments and emotions sink in, and for my thoughts to unravel.  

The reason why my head has been all over the place is because so much has been happening with my health and health care lately. As some of you will know, over the last few months I've been working with a new physiotherapist / osteopath to see if anything can be done to reduce my chronic back pain, and improve my quality of life, without going under the knife. Eager to avoid surgery- the thought terrifies me- but get my life back, I've been exhausting different treatments with my osteopath, and giving everything my best shot.

Since my first session with him in late October, we've worked through soft tissue, massage, cranial sacral therapy, acupuncture, and manipulation, and that all follows the round of spinal injections I had with my spinal specialist late last Summer. It's been a completely different approach to the small amount of physiotherapy I received on the NHS, but since their generic stretches and exercises never led to any improvement, my new osteopath decided to try a different route with me.

I willingly agreed to try every treatment he offered and with an open mind, knowing that I have nothing to lose. I don't think I'm in a position to be turning down treatment three and a half years down the line. A treatment will either work or it won't, but I won't know for sure unless I give it a shot. It's all just a game of trial and error, and I owe it to myself to try all options.

Though it's a fact of life that sometimes trying just doesn't make a difference. Despite my best efforts, not one of the treatments I've tried so far has led to even a tiny speck of improvement; in fact, many of them just made things worse!

I came back from every appointment in even more pain than when I got up that morning. The persistent kind of pain that over stays its welcome like an imposing, detestable relative that can only be tolerated in small doses but comes to stay for weeks on end, until it feels like they'll never leave. This intense level of pain would settle in for up to a fortnight after each session, and on several occasions, it stopped me from even getting out of bed unaided. I often didn't have the chance to recover from one appointment before moving on to the next, but, of course, that's to be expected with physiotherapy... even if most of my treatments weren't even vigorous or invasive, and the extra pain didn't eventually result in improvement.

I never let it break my spirit or determination, though. The outcome of these sessions rarely had a negative effect on me mentally or emotionally; somehow I remained laid back and up beat. I see my situation as "it is what it is", and it's so normal to me now that it doesn't often get me down; I tend to remain cheerful and undeterred. I know I'm doing it for my own good. I just made sure I got myself to each appointment, did what was asked of me to the best of my ability, and worked on getting through one day at a time. That's all anybody can do, right?

My osteopath is baffled by how every little thing causes me pain, and how badly my body responds to touch. He says from a musculoskeletal point of view (and his), it just doesn't make sense to him. Apparently having Bertolottis disease (spine fused to my sacroiliac joint), arthritis in my lower spine, torn, herniated, and degenerated discs, sciatica, and a few other problems isn't enough for this man! It's more than enough for me! Ha ha!

He was convinced that there was something else underlying that had yet to be discovered, and after he found the arthritis in my spine in December, we had a chat about my history of joint pain during a session of acupuncture. The short story is from the age of twelve, I regularly suffered horrendous aches and pains in my joints, particularly in my legs, feet, and arms. It was so bad I was often in tears, I often walked with a limp, and had to be signed off p.e. for my last two or three years of secondary school. My legs gave way from time to time, which led to me falling down the stairs at school on three separate occasions. My doctor just dismissed it as growing pains, the physiotherapist he sent me to just called me fat (I wasn't at the time!), and most people just thought I was making it up. It continued throughout my teens, but it did ease a little by the time I was in college... or at least I thought it had. I began studying animal care at the age of sixteen, a few days before 9/11, and for the next decade I worked with animals and in retail, doing back-breaking manual work on a daily basis. I did a hell of a lot of heavy-lifting, and when I came home from work in pain, unable to move most nights, I just thought it was because I was working too hard! I know now that it was mostly down to the undiagnosed conditions; the same ones that are causing my symptoms today! I don't know why I didn't make the connection until I went private and my conditions started to be diagnosed; I guess I'm not the brightest crayon in the box.

After going over that story, my osteopath decided to arrange for me to get blood tests, so he could find out if there was anything unusual with my inflammatories which might diagnose or rule out a few things. I had to go back to my (NHS) doctor's surgery to have them done, and something told me it wasn't going to go smoothly. 

The actual blood tests weren't a problem at all; it was going back to see my GP- twice- for the results that made me want to bash my head against a brick wall. The first time, he didn't have all of my results back, but he wouldn't explain the ones he had. He just mumbled something about rheumatology and arthritis before ushering me out the door. In the end, I had to ask for a copy of  the results and turned to Google to make sense of them! When I went back for the others a week or so later, he just told me they came back negative, which after last time made zero sense. Again, I asked for a copy of the results for my records, and he kicked me out within two minutes. I can't begin to tell you how stressful and frustrating I find appointments with that GP! Not in a distressing way; just that he makes me wants to bang my head against a hard surface. He's a nice man, but he's just so useless.

I went back to see my osteopath after both of those appointments, and he was equally confused by what the GP had told me. The first piece of paper told us that there were abnormalities in my blood. My plasma b proteins, for instance were over 27, but a normal level is less than 5 (!), which showed my inflammatory parameters were very high. (Meaning I have a lot of inflammation in my body). What annoyed me, more than anything, was that the piece of paper also listed my results from 1998 and 2011, and the levels were higher than average both years, but my GP had never informed me or investigated it. Who knows how different things might have been if he had.

The osteopath told me he was going to arrange a meeting with my spinal specialist (who would have a copy of the blood tests sent to him) ASAP. And I decided I would wait to hear my specialist's prognosis / diagnosis, too, because I just didn't trust what my GP had told me.

Before that session was through, my osteopath decided to try some manipulation on my back. I was concertinaed in to a foetal position, with my arms laced through one of his, and was manoeuvred about like a rusty old hinge. My body reacted so badly to the manipulation, that he couldn't "get in" to my joints and had to scrap the idea. My body is extremely and involuntarily tense 24/7, no matter how relaxed I feel, and because of that, manipulation just won't work on me. 

After we reached that realisation, he sat me down for a chat, and had to be blunt with me. He told me that although he had promised me that he wouldn't give up on me, and that he'd do all he could to make me better, he just didn't think he could do anything else for me. We'd already tried it all. And not one little thing had worked. I understood what he was saying, but the words still stung a little. 

He told me he was going to have a chat with the specialist, who would hopefully have some suggestions on what to try next. If not, then the only other option he could try would be to look at targeting my life style- diet, exercise, sleep, enrichment, and most likely, weight-loss; working me hard in the gym in my trainers. (Trainers? Me? Ha ha! Apart from Converse, I've not worn trainers in well over a decade!)

After that appointment, I left on a bit of a downer, and the realisation that I was running out of options scared me just a little. It really began to hit me that I might never get better, even though I've known and accepted that as a possibility for years. I felt like as I'd exhausted everything with the osteopath that I was getting closer to being sent for surgery- and that terrified me! My specialist has talked about surgery on several occasions, but I've always been adamant that it will only be a last resort; I want to know I've exhausted all other options first. I know it's stupid worrying about things that haven't happened yet or are even set in stone, but I just couldn't stop myself from thinking about it. I'm a naturally anxious person.

I got lost in a dark haze for a couple of weeks following that chat (last month). The depression awakened from its long slumber and hung over me like a little black rain cloud, drenching me with disdain every time I allowed myself to think about my health or health care. I hadn't felt that low in a couple of years, and no matter how hard I tried to fight it, I just couldn't seem to shake it.



Thankfully, the fog lifted a couple of weeks ago, and I'm back to my usual self again. To be honest, that episode was a walk in the park compared to how bad I suffered with it (depression) in my late teens and early twenties, and it seems to be lying dormant again now. I'm back to feeling content, laid-back, and cheerful.

Last week, I got a letter through the door. It was from my spinal specialist, explaining that my bloods showed an increase in my inflammatory parameters, which suggests an underlying inflammatory condition, and that this is the cause of many of my on-going symptoms! Finally, another break through!

I don't know why, but I wasn't surprised by that letter! I knew there was something else going on, and I knew my GP was wrong when he told me my results were negative. When I read the letter, I couldn't help but laugh. I would be mad, if it wasn't so hilarious! This letter just confirms how useless my GP is. This is one step too far for me. Too much has been missed and over looked over the years. I could've gotten better care from a goldfish than this doctor (and several others at the practise), and quite frankly, I'd rather chop off my arm with a rusty blade than go back to see him again. The last couple of months have just reminded me why we went private, and how fantastic my spinal specialist and osteopath really are. Going private really has been the best decision we could've made, and I'm so lucky to have found these amazing medical professionals. The difference between care, knowledge, and initiative has been huge.

At this moment in time, I don't actually know which inflammatory condition I have, although my guess is rheumatoid arthritis (since I already have arthritis in my spine). I need to go in and have a chat with the specialist, to find out and understand what it means for me. I was hoping to see him last week, but a bad cold has been holding me hostage. I'll be phoning up today to arrange an appointment, so hopefully I'll have my answers by the end of the week.

What I do know is that my next step forward is going to be with a rheumatologist. I don't know much about that kind of care, and I don't know where that road will take me, but I'm actually looking forward to finding out. Wherever it takes me, you can be sure I'll be giving it everything I've got, and doing what needs to be done with a shed load of determination. There's still a lot of fight left in me, and I'm not giving up just yet! I owe it to myself and my family to keep on fighting, and I plan to keep on fighting 'til the end.


If you've made it through to the end, thanks humouring me while I've emptied my thoughts, and thank you for reading. I promise to bring you a fashion related post tomorrow.

If you're living with the same or similar health conditions, are going through a similar health care journey, have any questions and / or want to get in touch, please feel free to message me. You can leave a comment, email me, or reach me through any of my social network accounts, that are linked to above in the left hand sidebar.

Goodbye 2014, Hello 2015!

Happy New Year, everybody! I hope it's already treating you well, but if it's not, I hope it does soon!

I can't believe that another year has come and gone. (I'm actually surprised by how quickly the days have passed so far this year; how is it already the fifth?!) I'm not going to lie, 2014 was not a fantastic year for me. It wasn't full of sunshine, rainbows, and unicorns; It was one of the hardest years I've ever had to face. 

I wasn't able to travel, make many memories, or reach any of life's milestones; instead I spent most of the year alone, bed ridden from constant pain with just a laptop for company. Yes, that's as glamorous as it sounds! When I did escape confinement, it was mostly for hospital appointments in an attempt to get myself better. It didn't work.

However, 2014 was the year I first ventured in to private health care. It was the year I finally found a doctor who would take me seriously, after almost three years of begging the NHS for help but getting none. I found an amazing spinal specialist in June, who immediately began getting a diagnosis by sending me for X Rays, MRI scans, and CT scans. Each one discovered something new, and within just a few weeks from my initial consultation, I learnt I had multiple spinal problems, most of which the NHS had never picked up on.

Soon after, I had my first round of spinal injections; they only had a negative effect and worsened the pain.

I was sent for a few sessions of physio at a different clinic, and for the first time I had massage, manipulation, and ultra sound therapy. Sadly, I didn't respond well to any of them, either.

Then, a couple of months ago, I was referred to one of my specialist's colleagues for physio instead, on his instruction. I trusted / trust my specialist one hundred percent (a whole new experience for 2014!), so he said "jump" and I said "how high?" Both men are the best in their respected fields, so I wasn't in a position to argue. I trust his judgement.

November and December were filled with physio sessions. I threw myself in to stretches, massage, manipulation, cranial sacral therapy, and acupuncture; the latter which I'm currently being given. (Okay, not right this second; that would be a weird time to blog! My next session is tomorrow.) Frustratingly, I've not experienced improvement through any of them.

My physiotherapist is stumped. Apparently from a muscular and skeletal point of view (and his), my body shouldn't be responding this way. From my scans and my known spinal issues, he can't understand why I'm in so much pain, or why particular stretches or activities aggravate my pain levels and leave me spiralling down hill. Last month he told me I react to touch the way a fibromyalgia sufferer does. He also diagnosed me with arthritis in my lower spine a few weeks ago! It was a big surprise, but in another way it wasn't; suddenly all the years of joint pain that began before I hit my teens made a lot of sense. It leaves me wondering what I'm going to be diagnosed with next! (I'm having more tests done this week).

He had a meeting with my spinal specialist to talk about my case, and looked through every scan. He told me he wants to see me get better and is determined to do everything he can to help me. I got a little emotional; nobody had ever said anything like that to me before. He and the specialist are the only two medical professionals who have given me fantastic medical care and have promised not to give up on me. I can't tell you just how much that meant/s to me after three years of being told to "get on with it" by NHS GPs, specialists, and physiotherapists in my county time after time after time. 

Even though I've not made any improvement in the last six months and their health care isn't free, I'm so glad I ventured in to private health care in 2014. I'm glad we found an amazing doctor who finally gave me some answers, and began suggesting routes to try; sending me down a road which led to a brilliant physiotherapist. It was a turning point in my journey, and it was definitely one of the best decisions my family and I made in 2014. I hope I can look back so positively and optimistically on my medical care this time next year! Fingers crossed I can! 

2014 was filled with dozens of hospital appointments, and days and weeks on end spent in bed recovering from them, but I did manage a little fun here and there, too. 

I got to see Fall Out Boy live for the very first time, and it was worth the nine year wait to achieve that goal!

I won a night's stay at a Travelodge (thanks, Rachel!), and spent a night in London with my sister and my best friend. We soaked up the festive atmosphere in Covent Garden, and took a boat along the Thames from The London Eye to Greenwich and back, sight-seeing along the way. We saw Linkin Park live at the O2, which was one of the best shows I've ever seen. I had such a great night away!

I explored a historic local church and graveyard I'd never stepped foot in before.

I enjoyed Bourton-on-the-Water in the summer sun, and in the glow of Christmas lights.

I made it to my local wildlife park, and survived the three hours. I saw my first baby anteater and it was adorable!

I made a few cinema trips through sheer determination to see my favourite book adaptations on screen.

I went to London for a CT scan... well, it was technically a hospital trip, but it was still nice to be in London during a 33'C heat wave! 

I was taken out to lunch a few times by the sister.

I even did a spot of window shopping here and there, mostly just to get some exercise, and fresh air...

Sometimes the boring little things are the ones that you cling to get through the difficult times. I definitely appreciated every chance I had to get out of the house and do normal, everyday things. It is kinda worrying now I realise that a trip to the supermarket has become one of the most exciting things in my life, though, (beyond these four walls)! What happened to me?? Ha ha!

As difficult as being house-bound for a third consecutive year can be, I refused to allow it to break me, upset me, bore me or anger me. I did my best to wake each day with a content persona, and filled my time as best I could. I read; I wrote; I attempted to cross stitch; I watched movies; I got lost in music; I took photos; I edited them; I dressed up; I experimented with make up; I spent approximately 9972159 hours on Pinterest; and I dedicated far more to this little blog. I was rarely bored. In fact, there were never enough hours in the day!

This little blog of mine was definitely my biggest distraction during 2014. It kept me busy every day, and without it, I don't want to think about how much harder last year would've been for me to deal with. It's a life line I don't want to let go of. I know I wasn't the best blogger in 2014; I wasn't best organised, I got behind on all your comments, and I didn't always bring great content, but I enjoyed blogging just the same, and had some amazing opportunities with some fantastic brands. I hope to be a much better blogger this year, and I'm going to do my best to make sure I am! I've got so many ideas and goals for the year ahead!

For the first January ever, I feel excited for the year ahead, and optimistic about where it might take me. I know it won't be easy, but I hope 2015 is a fantastic year and perhaps even the best year yet! Who knows where it might take me.

I hope that your 2015 is filled with happiness, good health, great times, great people, real love, and everything you could possibly hope for. Here's to 2015!

Where do you hope 2015 will take you?

Three Year Spinal Pain Milestone and Health Care Update

The last two months of my life have been both overwhelming and enlightening- and I mean that in a mostly positive way.

So much has happened and unfolded since I began receiving private health care at the beginning of July. I've learned more these past two months than in three years under the "care" of the NHS. It's been moving so fast that I'm still trying to get my head around it all.

It began with x-rays and MRI scans, which revealed the first of several previously undiscovered abnormalities. I'll call them abnormalities because I don't know how else to phrase them right now. 

I learned my spine has some slight curving, likely to just be a result of the pain and it's affect on my posture. (Although that isn't really a cause for concern right now). 

I also discovered that I have an abnormally shaped or extra piece of bone near the base of my spine, sitting against my sacroiliac joint, which is just above the pelvis. 

My Doctor wanted to get a more in depth look at what was going on, so he sent me off to London for a CT scan at the beginning of August. I was scanned from head to toe for two and a half hours, and had to push myself way beyond my physical limitations to get through an exhausting twelve hours out of bed.

A week later, I got the results of the CT scans. 

I got some more shocking news; the bottom of my spine is fused! And unsurprisingly, my spine is extremely inflamed. (My discs are all still torn, herniated, and degenerated, too).

As you can imagine, I was shocked to learn that there were / are more problems with my body than I was aware of. Shocked. Speechless. I guess I still am.

Two months ago, I thought I had seven disc injuries caused by years of heavy lifting at work, and that was it.

Today, I have (at least) seven disc injuries; a curved, fused and inflamed spine; and a bone at the bottom of my spine that shouldn't even be there. 

I know now that these issues are probably not a result of heavy lifting, but are likely to have developed naturally as my body developed. I've been told that heavy-lifting may have triggered the abnormalities to make themselves known, but I will have had them for a very long time.

Suddenly the past makes a lot of sense to me. As a teenager, I has awful pains in my limbs which the doctors dismissed as growing pains. I had back pain regularly from age thirteen, and if I sat on the sofa for ten minutes (up until I was twenty-six), I would be hunched over like a little old lady. I'd always just put any back complaints down to working so hard.  For some reason I hadn't made the connection until I went private, and everything began to unravel. I'm not the brightest crayon in the box.

I'm trying to get my head around the fact that I'm not injured like I've believed for three years, but I have natural irregularities or conditions I was probably born with. Injuries sound temporary, but natural conditions sound far more permanent, don't they?

I'm left wondering why the NHS never picked up on any of the underlying issues. If they did, they never told me. I had MRI scans of my spine, but I was never sent for x-rays or a CT scan- which would have revealed the true extent of my spinal problems. Not one Doctor was the slightest bit interested in helping me, and I'm sure financial costs paid a part it in. The system for back injuries (in my county, at least) is appalling, and it's just not good enough. I feel let down by them,

How many other people are there out there getting inadequate care for their back and spinal pain / injuries? I wish the answer was zero but I'll bet there are thousands.

At the moment, I'm not sure what the future holds. I don't know if anything will fix the problems. I don't know if anything will get rid of the pain, or at least ease it to a more manageable level. I don't know if I'll ever be pain free again, or if I'll have to deal with pain every day for the rest of my life. I just don't know.

My new Doctor, however is dedicated to helping me find out. There are options that we can try. 

One option has already been activated; a few of weeks ago I had facet injections, right in to my spine. They were done under local anaesthetic and x-ray, so the Doctor could administer the steroids in to the exact areas. I felt like a human pin cushion! I lost count of how many injections I had after eight. Thankfully only one of them hurt like hell, and it confirmed exactly where the pain is coming from- the sacroiliac joint and that extra piece of bone! I've spent three years thinking the discs were the source of my pain, so it's completely bizarre!

It's been almost a month since those injections, and I've yet to see any improvement in my pain. For the first couple of weeks, my pain was actually far worse than usual. I couldn't lie on my back, or sit up against anything because my back hurt so much. It was difficult to get through. The doctor said it can take six weeks for the steroids to take affect (after originally telling me two), so there's still a possibility that the drugs will work, but whether they will I don't know.

In the mean time, he wants me to begin physiotherapy with a specialist physiotherapist to help get my body moving.

My first appointment was late this afternoon. It was an hour long appointment, and it was mostly just a chat today, so that she could gather as much information as possible about my current physical state, and medical history. I also had to do some basic stretches so that she could see how my body is functioning, and as my body is so tense and shaky, I even got a ten minute back massage! Score!

She was shocked by how I've been left this way for three years, and how little physiotherapy I've had with the NHS. She's not sure that physiotherapy is going to sort me out, but she's going to at least try to help me. Her aim is to help me make my body stronger again, and to relax all my tense, spasming muscles. (My limbs shake constantly).

I've got another appointment with her next Monday, and in the mean time I have to try to go for a short walk every day, and do some basic stretches. It's going to be interesting since today's session has left me in agony, but I love going for Autumn walks, so I'm just going to embrace it! I want my life back one day.

My parents have been thinking about getting me a dog for a while, so that I can have someone to keep me company, and I think I've found another reason for the 'pro' list. I think it would give me the motivation to take these walks every day, even when the pain is through the roof. We've never had a dog of our own- though I spent a lot of time helping out with my sister's old German Shepherds- so nothing's set in stone yet, but hopefully I'll have a four-legged fur baby to encourage me to take those steps in the right direction before too long.

Today also marks three years exactly since the pain started in my back. It's hard to believe I've been in pain for three years straight! I don't know how I've made it through these three years, but I know that this blog has had a lot to do with it; I think I would have gone crazy without this little space to throw myself in to and give myself a purpose every day!

I have you all to thank for reading this little blog, and for giving me a reason to keep blogging, so thank you! And thank you to everybody who comments on my posts and has left lovely messages of support on personal posts like this one over the years. You guys are awesome, and your support has helped me get through some truly crap days, so thanks for you your kind words and for continuing to read Polka Spots and Freckle Dots! It means more to me than you'll ever know!

It's Not Always Rainbows and Butterflies

I was hoping to have an outfit post for you by Thursday this week, but sometimes I forget I can't plan anything in advance with disc pain controlling my every action. My pain levels can be unpredictable from one day to the next; some days are better than average, and other days are incredibly worse. On those days, the pain engulfs me like a flood, swallowing every last ounce of my strength and energy until even every rise and fall of my chest adds to my pain. On those days, I barely have the mobility to turn over in bed. 

This week, I've had six of those days in succession.

On Monday I had my fifth group physiotherapy session at the hospital. I was struggling before I'd left home, and had to push myself through the stretches. The physiotherapists who lead these classes always say that if we're grimacing, we're pushing ourselves too much, and should ease off or stop that exercise. They say they don't want us to push ourselves to a point which leaves us physically set back and immobile for the rest of the week. This week I felt like the male physiotherapist we had was pushing me far too much, and instead of stopping when I knew I'd reached my limit, I did as he suggested. Big mistake. I pretty much crawled out of the hospital at the end of the forty-five minutes, and have been confined to bed  feeling like I've been hit by a bus, ever since. Thus explaining my absence the last couple of days. The pain has hit me hard, much harder than usual, and it's taken the life out of me.

I had no choice but to pop in to town to pay a bill yesterday afternoon, which was exhausting and so painful I've actually worsened the pain. I did, however, quickly snap a few photos of my outfit before I crawled back in to bed. And I'm sure you'd rather see them then read my musings above. So, here you go...

Firstly, sorry for the quality of the photos. As soon as I grabbed my camera grey clouds decided to race across the sky to conceal the lovely blue sky and sunshine. And would you believe, once I'd finished they dissipated!

Anyway, I'm wearing a Dorothy Perkins pinafore dress which I got for my birthday last month. I realised I was lacking casual dresses in my wardrobe, and I thought this one fitted the gap perfectly. It's black with a white bow print all over the front and back, and it's made from a thick stretchy cotton. The waist is fitted, but it has some stretch, so it's so comfortable! It also has a pockets, which I think more dresses should have!

I will say that it's a dress best suited to cooler days, especially if like me you become easily overheated during Spring and Summer, as the fabric is quite heavy. 

I ordered this dress not expecting to like it, but it turns out I really love this dress. And not just because I think the square neckline is flattering on my broad shoulders (which I'm still learning- and failing- to love).

This dress was just £18.00, and I think I used a couple of discount codes, too, which brought it down further. DPBDAY will get you 15% off Dorothy Perkins dresses, and it seems to have unlimited use as I've used it many times over the last couple of years. This dress is only available in a couple of small sizes now online (here), but it also comes in plain cobalt blue, green, and heart print (which I also own).

I wore this dress with a pair of plain black New Look leggings, my Lovedrobe off-white shrug, and a double cameo necklace, which are all pieces I've featured recently in my outfit posts. I just needed a comfortable, casual outfit to run a couple of errands, and I think I found it. I forgot to keep them on for the photos, but I also wore a pair of gold flat sandals, and accessorised with my red heart print Zatchels barrel bag.

Outfit Details

Dress-Dorothy Perkins // Shrug-Lovedrobe // Leggings-New Look // Necklace-From Rachel's giveaway.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

Birthday Haul 2013

Earlier this week, I turned twenty-eight, and I can say with all honesty that I haven't quite got my head around that yet. That one additional year of life has turned my age in to two serious, ugly digits. I don't know why twenty-eight sounds so much older in my head than twenty-seven, but it does, and I'm finding it difficult to shake those thoughts of how little I've accomplished in my life. I only wish I was in a position to make up for lost time. I know I will do when the time is right, and in a day or two I'll probably have snapped myself out of this funk, but today I feel so old and unaccomplished.

Thankfully, I didn't feel this way on my birthday, even though it was a quiet, uneventful day spent in bed. I was hoping I'd feel up to pushing through a cinema trip or going out for dinner nearby, but it wasn't to be. I had a physiotherapy session the day before (the first in seven months), and I've been immobile from the extra pain ever since. Instead, I spent the day in bed watching movies, eating some tasty food, and being spoilt with some lovely presents. 

I didn't take many photos that day, but I thought you guys might like to see the ones I did capture, and the lovely presents I was spoilt with...

Some of my lovely birthday cards.

My mother gave me a birthday balloon!

I had the most delicious chocolate birthday cake which was decorated with chocolate stars. And for dinner, my little sister and I got an Indian takeaway. I had keema rice, a garlic keema naan, and samosas. I'd not had an Indian in over two years, so it was extra good. We sat watching Julie and Julia while we ate, which is one of the most feel-good films I've ever seen. It never fails to make me smile. If you haven't seen it, you must!

My best friend bought me this owl cross body bag from Accessorize, which I adore. She actually pestered me for suggestions until I eventually agreed to show her some things on my wish list. When I sent her links to a few animal-shaped bags, she replied with 'Now I know why you are my best mate- wonderfully weird and random.' I took it as a compliment! She's a mate in a million.

My parents bought me this Accessorize strawberry bag. I can't wait to use it! It has to be the most summery bag I've ever seen or owned.

They also got me a large box of Thorntons chocolates.

My younger sister got me some American chocolate. I may have already eaten a bar or two. 

My older sister and brother in law gave me this Per Una striped, polka dot, and bunting cardigan. I've wanted it since I saw it in store a couple of months ago; I think it's very me.

I also got some birthday money, which I've used towards some clothes...

I bought this black bow print pinafore dress from Dorothy Perkins. It was only £18.00, but I saved a few pounds with a few discount codes. (DPCARD10 gives an extra 10% off the total for card holders, and DPBDAY gives 15% off dresses.) It's a lovely casual dress that'll be perfect for wearing to my physio classes. I always feel over dressed at the hospital as I don't own many casual pieces. Everybody else turns up in t-shirts and tracksuit bottoms, and then there's me in a printed dress. Haha!

I also bought the navy heart print pinafore dress. I was initially lusting after this version from a far, but it turns out I prefer the black bow print version in real life. This one is still really cute, and will definitely get a lot of wear.

The third and last item from Dorothy Perkins I ordered was this red patterned skirt. It's knee length and made from a very light-weight chiffon fabric, so I imagine it will be perfect for a hot sunny day. It was on sale for  £12.00, but with discount codes I paid about £9.

These two frocks haven't arrived yet, but my parents have ordered the floral smock dress for me, and I bought the heart print number with birthday money. I hope they both fit! They're both currently on sale, and the heart print dress is a real bargain at just £15 (down from £50)!

In addition to everything shown above, I've ordered myself a little supply of Sally Hansen nail polishes from Fragrance Direct for next to nothing, and I'm contemplating buying a floral New Look maxi skirt.

I think it's fair to say I've been spoilt rotten this year!

Thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday on here, Twitter, Instagram, and elsewhere. All your messages really made me smile, and were greatly appreciated!