Philip (Phil) England

1st : A new month, same issues. Feeling very achy and full of wind today, pain about a 5. Let me put this here as a reference to the levels of pain. 2nd : I should get out of bed, but hip killing and feeling strange again, neck also in agony. I'm going to try to push through the pain, had a gabapentin and two paracetamol about half hour ago (keep some at side of bed). Pain at a distracting 5 . 3rd : Slight pain, normal aches, a bit of an ok kind of day, pain at a 3 . Got lots done today. 4th : 4:30am - Hell, fibro flare up, in great pain currently, hate being woken up by it. Pain is at a 8 . I need the toilet but can hardly move. Gabapentin and paracetamol ( lucky I keep then by the side of the bed ) as soon as I can move a little and can reach the socket on the wall will turn the electric blanket on as heat helps. It's always the same after a day of relative normality, and a day of getting things done, wallop, my body hits back, why don't I ever see this on...

Well, fell asleep after arriving at accommodation. Didn't get anything to eat, no cuppa. Hey ho, must have been tired, was a long sleep from about 6:30pm to just now, very peaceful here. Need a shower before tackling the day and driving the Nissan.  Driving on the wrong side and using different arms to do that they normally do isn't easy. Love the motorways here, but they are toll roads, so need to pay to use them. WEDS 7TH MAY Pains when I woke up about a 5. Last night after all the driving they were about a 9. After a great holiday, and driving a car that I didn't like, its great to be home to my own pillow and bed. Also great to be home to a decent cup of tea! Visited Luxembourg and also visited Strasbourg. On the way to Strasbourg discovered a great radio station, Nostaglgie - https://nostalgie-radio.de Kind of missing France, the UK sucks 😞 

I'm 50 on 8th May, and what have I accomplished in life, not much, in fact things have slipped since my father got diagnosed with cancer. When I say ' not much ' I have done some exciting things in life. A months trial at Asian Sound Radio in Manchester, being at the change over from Radio Tircoed to SA Radio Live, getting my show on to Upload Radio on DAB in a few locations, launching my show on shortwave AND also being on Bro Radio. I've also been on the online spin off station Moorlands Gold, and currently exclusively on Islands FM. Back to my Dad, I quit my live radio show because I wanted to be there for him. Once out of hospital, I've been popping to see him and help with a few things around the house and taking him out shopping and just out for a change of scenery. I seem to be doing everything I possibly can do for him. My sister hasn't even been down to see him and that really gets to me, because it's all on me. I feel guilty because I...

2nd April : Trying to juggle fibromyalgia and life isn't easy. I have some wonderful friends who have been a massive help along the way, then there's Carl, who was a star and a massive help as he got the kitchen cupboards on the wall.  I also have friends who listen to my outpourings. Thank you to those, Neil and Carl.... big time.  I try to push on through the Fibro and pain, but am very aware of my limits and know I do push through them, then wonder why I am rendered useless the next day. I get very frustrated when I can't do what I want to do, in fact that is the general rule in my entire life. I'm so fed up of having to watch what I can do .  I do need to take some me time, but know this won't be possible for a while. I'm going away for a week in May, setting off late on the 5th May and returning at some point on the 11th May.  7th April : Finally picked up new TV for Dad from Currys, not the correct one as ordered, 40" seemed to illude the ...

APRIL 3RD: Woke up with thumping headache at 3am, my back in excruciating pain and left hip feels like it's itchy inside, want to crack it open and scoop the itch out, and got trapped wind too. Couldn't get back off to sleep. As day went on pain subsided just a bit, mostly due in part to gabapentin and CBD oil.

Wednesday 19th March: Well, I may have found a way to wake up not feeling too bad, but it's not sustainable. CBD oil every hour. Draw backs are lack of sleep, and I need to buy more CBD oil, almost used it all up. Have a feeling my need for CBD may rise ... so will need an oil tanker full. Pain is still there but I can get out of bed - it's at about 4 out of 10.  That was a stupid experiment.... I need sleep  #fibromyalgia #constantpain #chronicpain Thursday 20th March: Woops, I left my electric blanket on high heat, if I was a joint of meat I would be well cooked, it's as hot as hell under the duvet. I normally turn it down to half, but I was so tired due to lack of sleep last night. Can't tell what my body is doing as I think I cooked my back and other joints! I MUST phone Rheumatology at NPT hospital today, chase things up. So, after cooking myself when I slept, am up and moving about, but as I'm doing so can now feel the aches and pains, obviously the heat jus...

Wednesday 12th March: Had the initial persistent pain meet up, learnt about different pains, and different families of pain killers, most interesting. Good to meet with others in the same boat. Now to work out my pathway, starting with medication review. Thursday 13th March: Nero today, he knows when I'm feeling down, sat beside me most of today. He's such a good dog. When I do move to a ground floor flat or bungalow I need to get my own dog. Slight twinges set in early evening. Friday 14th March: 4am - waking up in early hours with your left arm feeling like you want to crack open the bone and scratch inside it.... another reason why I hate fibromyalgia. Neck and back in agony too but not as much, 8 out of 10 - need the toilet, but it's difficult to move. So need help with nights like this, but I can't predict a fibro flare up at all. Maybe I should have taken that flat in that complex, but wasn't ready for that. Looking at what the council have, I DON'T WANT...

A friend of mine commented on  my post last night... "...Did you know they are no longer accepting fibromyalgia as a disability as Labour states it can be managed?" IF it can be managed, what with? my doctor has no idea what to prescribe me for it. Fibro affects people in many different ways. In my case it ramps up my daily pain, causes me to feel my bones are itching on the inside, I get brain fog and forget simple things.  It causes me stiffness and stops me in my tracks. I get woken all hours of the night, can't get back off to sleep. Can't get out of bed in the morning, even when accomplished that I end up trapped in my flat.  How can it be managed? I would like to know. Chain saw to chop off affected part? Sledge hammer to my head? I use part of my PIP to get CBD oil to take the edge off my pain, but even that don't get shot of it. I also use my PIP for my Motability car. Without that I would really be stuck. I suffer with social anxiety so public transport i...

Been to Morrisons today, had forgot my inhaler. Why is it when I take it with me I hardly ever need it, yet when I leave it at home I need it?  I got in to a bit of a panic and couldn't catch my breath - home now and feeling calm. I have no idea what caused it, I just felt my self going, so I held on to my trolly and found a quiet part of the store to calm down. There is a table in one part of the store at the far end away from the checkouts, so I headed there and sat. I need to talk to my doctor about this. These attacks are causing me problems, especially as I have no idea what is causing them. I need to sort out my anxiety issues as a matter of urgency, I am aiming to do a bus journey ahead of what I hope to be a pathway in to work in the new year. Maybe something is telling me to slow down? As I type this I am feeling a slight pain on the right hand side of my chest, am sure I will be ok. Early to bed for me. Sometimes I hate what my body throws at me, I really do.

  I have just the other day had my 'Migration to Universal Credit' letter through the post, so have filled in the online form and now wait. Getting it has made me decide to push on with more of a blog on Fibromyalgia and Anxiety, to name just two things that run my life. Just yesterday I made a massive decission to stop doing my voluntary work with SA Radio Live, the local community station for Swansea. There is a very good reason for this. I am finding my new time slot a difficult one to cope with. My slot was at the end of the day, and getting through it leaves me totally exhausted. It hasn't been an easy choice to make as I do live doing my show with them. At the same time, I have decided to keep doing my home recorded 1 hour show for Islands FM as this will give me a bit of an escape and take my mind of things in a small way. I do need to put my health first. I have joined a few groups on line for Fibromyalgia and am awaiting my GP to get me in with the Persistant Pain ...

  Rhumatology department at Neath Port Talbot Hospital refered me to the Fibromyalgia Clinic. I had a phone call from the clinic yesterday, and thought I would do a blog to show how my life an Fibro co-exist. I can tell you I have reminders on my phone and bits of paper pinned to the wall. Forgetting what I got up to do is the norm for me, as is forgetting words. Here we go then with the first night time report and the start of the day. Thursday 1st August: A night of interupted sleep, was too hot in the flat to sleep, the downside of a lack of sleep is a body that won't function as it should, so lets see how the day pans out. Pain this morning is at about a 5 out of 10, I took all my dose of Gabapentin yesterday. The day continued, and when I went to bed the pain had risen to about 6 out of 10. Friday 2nd August: In the early hours of this morning woke up to fibro tingling, but because I took all my doseage of Gabapentin, it didn't turn in to much. When I got out of bed my p...

 Health Issues: Update Why is my right knee being a pain? It goes weak a lot of the time. I have had to get a crutch because when it plays up I feel a walking stick don't offer me the support that I need. I feel fed up , and when it goes weak when I am in my flat I am trapped inside . Sunday 30th June: Not long up, feeling a bit off this morning, hope that improves. Bit on the achy side, on my scale of 1 to 10, about a 5 Friday 28th June: Covered a show today, but as the afternoon went on my pain went from a 3 to a 7, hope it eases by tomorrow! Thursday 27th June: Pain at about 7 out of 10 this morning, did my Imraldi injection and within a few hours and a few gabapentin later pain had gone down to around my baseline pain level of about 4 out of 10. Wednesday 26th June: Really bad pain day - out of 10, its about a 9. Its more or less all over pain. Monday 24th June: Feeling wiped out, hardly no energy, pain at around a 7 out of 10. Knee really causing issues today, ok one mome...

  Visit from Police  Yesterday was a bit of an arresting day, well the afternoon was anyway. Following a recent bump in Tesco's car park, Motability and the insurance company had been in touch with South Wales Police who popped by to see if all was ok. Apparently as I have health health issues, they need to check on things. My Dad had just left within the hour previous, and had said he was feeling rough. This kind of stressed me out, PANIC PANIC PANIC.... and breath! I did tell them this, and as I have a blood pressure monitor checked my blood pressure while they were here. Their initial responce was ' we should get an ambulance ', I told them not to, and checked again just before they left, by which time it had dropped close to normal levels for me. I do think however the sight of a young man in uniform may have aided in the high blood pressure reading. I'm fine though, and so pleased to know that these checks do occur, just wish they hadn't yesterday in the light ...

Cons proposals for PIP Sunak and his government need flogging - end of! Here are his government's proposals relating to PIP. Awards for claimants with physical health conditions and those with mental health issues were called into question by Sunak. He argued that whilst some people need money for aids such as handrails or stairlifts “Often they’re already available at low cost, or free from the NHS or Local Authorities. And they’re one-off costs so it probably isn’t right that we’re paying an ongoing amount every year.” MY VIEW ON THIS: I need PIP for my motability car, also to get CBD and other natural remedies as I'm not a fan of co-codamol and other pain killers and things to make life easier that I can't get elsewhere, I buy my own walking sticks that go with what I wear, so they blend in and don't stand out, it helps my minds train of thought. In addition, claimants with mental health conditions are to be targeted because “for all the challenges they face it is n...

  I'm feeling fed up. My health is really getting to me big time. My fortnightly injection seems to not be as efficiant as it used to be, my medication seems to be less good at doing what it should be doing. Now I know I can't be put on anything stronger as my stomach wont be able to deal with it... damn having a fragile one! I decided at the start of the new year to keep pushing to find a job to do. Now I know I am limited, but do know what I am good at.  I have been looking for social media roles, because I know I am good at that, and back during the pandemic did an online course on it that I passed. I am also looking for radio and tv work, as I have experiance of both, and again during the pandemic, did a basic online journalism course. I keep getting knocked back, and know the reason why. It's not because of lack of skills or determination, it is the fact I have health issues and companies would rather take on someone who is fully able bodied and fit.  This makes me s...

The Post Christmas Lergy Since Christmas I have been feeling very down with a nasty cough that won't quit. Being diabetic, I keep a check on my blood sugar. I can see the date when the lergy finally broke, just by looking at my blood sugar readings Thursday 11th   11.8 / 12.1 Friday 12th 13.1 / 12.8 Saturday 13th 12.9 / 10.1 / 9.9 ( started new diabetic meds here ) Sunday 14th 10.8 / 9.8 / 9.9 Monday 15th 9.3 / 9.8 / 9.9 Tuesday 16th 8.2 / 7.8  Wednesday 17th 6.4 / 10.8 / 6.8 Thursday 18th 6.3 I think the infection broke around the 15th January. While I do still have the cough, it is not as bad as it was!

Damn the DVLA in Swansea dragging their feet over removing code 78 from my driving license. It's stressing me out and affecting, possibly, my holiday, affecting me getting a new Motability car AND me moving on in life in aiming to drive a coach as a job.  I've rediscovered my love of driving, and at.the moment the DVLA risk wrecking that for me. I discovered the code while at J&J Motors in Skewen while starting an application for my new Motability car. I got in touch with the DVLA that same hour, and was told an investigation would be started. It was a whole week before I discovered what had happened after I had phoned them. Now I know I messed up by ticking a wrong box. As soon as I discovered what I had done I tried to rectify the issue. I wrote a letter pointing out my mistake, putting that letter in an envelope along with my licence. I took it to the DVLA in Swansea myself and was pointed in the direction of a silver postbox by security. I dropped the letter in there. ...