Philip (Phil) England

  1st : 1:45am - My stomach feels like its on a spin cycle, my head is running a marathon and I can't seem to sleep 😩 Later - managed to get to Dad's house, its getting harder to go there, need to go back to do last few bits, but a break is needed. 2nd : Feel like I've been running after my mind all night, exhausted, and woke up crying. My back and neck killing me. I feel like shit this morning. 😭 Edit -  I need to get out of bed for my meds, and just discovered my right hip hurts too 😩 Finally.out of bed at around 11am, achy and my mind elsewhere. Been asked to decide on insurance cover for my father's house for the period going forward, how on earth can I even think about that in my mind state? I feel like going back to bed 😥 feel like 🤯 3rd : Day of Dad's funeral - Not too sure how I will get through today. Got a thumping headache and I feel sick again, neck and shoulders in agony and left hip too.  My sister worked wonders for after the funer...

New month, sane old problems, September... what will you bring? 1st : Health, bit achy, thumping headache. Issues going on (cant metion them) but.... Waiting on calls 😩 Not knowing whats happening 😩 Not knowing how to proceed 😩 Just need contact thats all, just a reply to an email, a quick text. 2nd : My back is killing me this morning but I have got things to do. Not too sure how I will manage but lets see shall we. Been a long and stressful day, with wmotions pulled from one way to the other. Put my head on the pillow tried to close my eyes, couldn't. Gonna be a long night. Cone on tablets make me drowsy... please   5th : Not been update to my blog last few days due to my Dad being in hospital, sadly he passed away this morning. I wasnt there when he passed, I wanted to be, I am sort of beating myself up for it, but it was out of my control. I think he went when he did so I didn't see it, he knew what I was like when Mum passed. I will miss my Dad. I feel holl...

We are in May, the month of my 50th. The month started ok, not too achy or in too much pain, about a 4 on the scale of things. 2nd : Had runs in the middle of the night but didn't get out of bed quick enough again. Just as I thought things were looking better.... false sense of security on that one. Pain at about 5. . Over did it again today, the pain killers patches not working, as pain is at about a 7 right now, things to do but can't. Here's a reminder.... 3rd : Woke up feeling sick, but not sick because of pain, pain level by the way at about 4, the sick feeling feels more like anxiety. Why is it setting in? well my mind is getting prepared for my birthday break. I need a few days to get myself in the right frame of mind. It's not easy and can't just be done. I also had to change the sheet on my bed again, had another accident in bed and couldn't get out of bed fast enough. I'm fed up of this. Over did it again today, pain in the ...

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 😞 

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 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.

  Mental Health Update - September 2024 I'm wondering if the ammount of physical activity in ones life can affect your mental state? Here's two days from my Fibro blog: Saturday 14th September:  Pain at about 6 out of 10 this morning. Off to Radio Tircoed for about 4pm to train a few people up on Myriad system, then do my show. Felt totally drained when I got home. Pain at about 8 out of 10. May have over done today. You know, going to do something while good to be busy, it totally can floor you mentally and physically. Sunday 15th September:  Off up to Radio Tircoed today, pain first thing at about 6 out of 10, didn't sleep too well last night, but must get to Tircoed for about noon. Done a bit more training then covered for Karl between 1pm and 4pm, the emails didn't want to be opened this afternoon on the main studio computer, lucky one in the production room was letting them be opened!. Not a bad show, but by the time I got home felt drained and my pain was at about...

  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 ...

So after months of having Karl Burtonshaw trying to get me to start back at Swansea's only community radio station he has succeded! I'm back!  Karl is a very  persistant chap! I startted back on 20th April with my show, In The Groove , which airs on a Saturday evening between 6pm and 8pm, LIVE. If you have followed me for a while you will know what the show is all about, it remains that but with added extras, such as local content. Also on board at the station is Shaun Tilley, ex-Swansea Sound & The Wave plus BBC and other stations. He is a radio legend and someone I have been following the career of over time. He has big plans for the station, which, at time of typing this blog, is not public knowledge, so won't be put here until it is. I've been made part of the management team going forward, which is a massive honor for me, and shows that someone who is in the know in the radio world has faith in me. I've been a big part of Radio Tircoed's past. I was the...

 Recipe: Chinese Style Pork Strips Slice and dice a red onion and a pepper, also cut up a bunch of spring onions, and thinly cut up a few cloves of garlic. Add to a large sauce pan and fry off, along with some salt and pepper, also some paprika. Add to the pan some strips of pork. After about 15 mins add an egg cup full of red wine vinegar, soy sauce and apple juice. Bring to the boil and then simmer for a further 15 minutes, then turn the heat off, leave covered. As with all one pan dishes, time is your friend. Leave for around 4 hours to a day. When ready to eat, bring to the boil again and simmer for 20 minutes. To serve cook some microwave rice or maybe even some rice noodles. Enjoy your meal 😊 Here is the full recipe list 1 red onion 1 bunch spring onions 1 pepper 1 pack pork strips 3 cloves of garlic Egg cup full soy sauce Egg cup full red wine vinegar Egg cup full apple sauce To season add salt, pepper and paprika Serve with rice or rice noodles

Minced Beef & Tomato In this one I have used a double helping of tomato  First of all I gently fry my herbs and spices Salt Pepper Chives Fennel seeds  Cumin seeds Herbs De Provencal You can use whatever ones you wish to use. Once lightly fried, add some chopped onion and thinly sliced garlic. Make sure you mix these well with your herbs and spices. Add about a coffee cup (third of a mug) of water, then throw in your sweet potato and carrot. Stir in and bring to the boil, then turn heat down and simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes. Chopped Onion Thinly Sliced Garlic Diced Sweet Potato Diced Carrott Minced Beef Chopped cherry tomatoes Tin chopped tomatoes The next thing to do as soon as your veg starts to soften is add in your minced beef, stir this in well, keep turning until the beef has browned and then add your chopped cherry tomatoes and a tin of chopped tomatoes. Serve with either wholegrain rice or maybe wholewheat pasta or whatever you desire. Let me know how yours tu...

At this time of year, normally people's attention turn to family, feasts and fun. Spare a thought for those living with conflict, those living in war zones, they won't be having a 'Merry Christmas' With Isreal continuing their ongoing bombing of Gaza, the Palistinians are getting killed, there is no chance for them to have a peaceful life, they didn't start the war, yet they are getting killed every day. Why are they getting killed? Israel is targetting their homes trying to eradicate Hamas terrorists. While the terrorists may be getting killed, thousands of innocent Palistinians arebeing killed. Moving to Eastern Europe and Ukraine, the war with Russia. This conflict has been going on for so long now, maybe it is time for Putin and Zelenskyy to sit at a table and sign a deal. Give Russia the bits of Ukraine it wants to link up with Crimea. All that is left is rubble anyway, if it will stop the war and stop the killing then why not do it? 2024 is on the horizon, and...

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. ...

  Oh damn, fibro flare up, can hear the pain in my head, painful tingle all over... welcome to the new month 😓 Well, 1 st of the month, and after being woken up in the early hours, I got some cleaning bits done! Then I was looking in the hall cupboard for a trowel which I thought I had, as was going to go outside and take out dead growth from my tubs, and came over sick and seemed to have made my pain levels rise again.... damn it! I had such good intentions for this afternoon.   2 nd day of the month, its update time! Eyes: got more laser zapping tomorrow on my good eye to keep it good, will chase my bad eye appointment at the same time! Health: feeling better today than yesterday, I didn't really pace myself yesterday, as soon as I felt better, I threw myself into doing things, will I ever learn? Friday 3rd Feb: at the diabetic eye clinic for more laser zapping on my right eye, the good one to keep it good, but also had a scan of my left eye. It seems some...