Health update.

If you've been following my blog for the past couple of months, you'll know what this will be about. But if you don't know what its about, this is my previous post explaining everything. 

I finally got my appointment come through for my hospital referral, which was last Thursday (19th). My dad ended up coming with me as support due to my other half starting a new job and he could no longer make it. 

I got to the hospital and sat down in the waiting room which was absolutely packed full of people...and before I knew it, I was being called in. Dirty looks were thrown at me from all sides of the room as I presume they'd been waiting there for a while but hey, who cares. I had my weight and height measured by a pre assessment nurse and off I went back into the same waiting room. A couple of minutes later, I was called in again to see the consultant. 

Now, I used to be quite shy and embarrassed when talking about my stomach issues but the more I've come to terms with it, the easier I've found actually talking about it. I was in the consultants room for around 30 minutes talking about how this all started, how it effects me and also I had to rate what my poo looks like on a picture scale...on an iphone app. Wow. After a good conversation about my diet, general health and past health, the consultant agreed that I would need a endoscopy to see what was going on. At this point I'm blissfully ignorant as to what this actually was...

From there, I was sent to see a pre-examination nurse who sat me in a little room to go through a health questionnaire about my health, am I pregnant, have I been smoking or drinking, the usual questions which I always get the same looks when I respond. I genuinely do not smoke, and I very very rarely drink...not something that the doctors seem to believe! After the questionnaire, I was told I couldn't eat anything from 9am on Sunday morning until after my appointment on Monday...over 24 hours. And Sunday morning, I could only eat certain low fibre foods...whaaaat! Also for this procedure I had to be administered laxatives. In my mind I'm thinking wait, hold on...this is the reason why I'm here, I don't need laxatives! But this is needed so my bowel and intestines are completely clear for inspection. I was given a huge box with two sachets that I had to mix together in 1 litre of water (2ltrs in total...!)  and drink one at 5pm over two hours and the next at 8pm, again over two hours. In between those and after, I was to drink 500ml each time. Now I take absolutely AGES to drink anything, this was certainly going to be a challenge in itself! Next we were talking about pain relief and at this point I'm thinking wow, how bad is this?! I opted for Entinox (gas and air) as if it's good enough for childbirth surely it'll be good enough for this. I left the hospital with a little "goodie bag" of laxatives, information leaflets and also my consent letter for pain relief.

Fast forward to Sunday morning, I got up early to have breakfast which consisted of crumpets...one of the very few things I was allowed to eat. All of Sunday I kept myself busy to stop thinking about food, eating, smells, anything. However this backfired as I stupidly went food shopping with my boyfriend...! Before I knew it, 5pm arrived and it was time for my first sachet of laxatives. Sachets mixed together, the smell of sickly sherbet lemon oozed from the jug of water. I knew instantly I was going to hate this...I hate anything sickly and anything artificially lemon tasting. I literally gagged drinking this, however found it a little easier to drink with a touch of orange squash poured in to it. I somehow managed to drink the first litre and on came the 500ml of clean water. At this stage I'm feeling SO bloated...how the hell am I going to cope with another 1.5ltrs of water?! I decided to take a bath to give myself a bit of a break and then came the second litre. Now I'm going to be truthful here, I could not stomach any more lemony water. I drank hardly any of the second batch of laxatives. Now, reading through the leaflet, I was meant to have "movement" within an hour of the first sip you take. 5 hours later I still had nothing...a bit of gurgling but nothing coming out. Weird. 

I didn't have any sort of movement till this morning, and when I mean movement I mean, get me to a toilet NOW. Safe to say, I'll never take laxatives again. Ever. I only went to the toilet once but the pain was unbearable!

9:45am arrived and my hospital appointment loomed. I was sat in the waiting room with another older lady and a lovely old gentleman who was reading a book. I was called through by a lovely nurse and taken through to my bed and was then introduced to the doctor who would be taking out the procedure. I had my blood pressure and pulse taken and as usual, these were completely normal. There was a lady around the same age as me who had not long come out of the procedure and was crying, and I mean crying. I said to the nurse, jesus it's not that bad is it?! but she reassured me that she was in for something different. Secretly, I knew she wasnt. Around 30 minutes later, I was wheeled into the endoscopy room and was overwhelmed with the size of the machine. I saw the camera and thought...that has to go...up there? it's huge! As funny as it is, I really was nervous. 

As I mentioned before, I opted for gas and air but due to having IBS, I was administered Buscopan through a needle in my arm, but was also there just in case I needed to be sedated directly into my blood. The lovely nurse who I'd just been talking to was showing me how to use the gas and air...WOW. After 4 puffs I felt like I was flying, my head was spinning and it's quite the most light headed I've ever felt! If I ever have children I will definitely be using that. Camera...inserted.., I could see everything that was happening on a screen I was lay directly in front of. Next to this was a tiny screen showing what the "scope" looked like inside my body. Very, very off-putting. I kept my eyes on the screen where I could see inside my body and completely forgot about the gas and air. To be honest, it wasn't painful at all, it just felt like really bad trapped wind and like I needed to go to the toilet. I could feel this camera going round my bowel and intestines and it genuinely is the weirdest feeling I've ever felt. It was like a fingertip running itself around my insides. There was one part which was a little bit more uncomfortable where the doctor was trying to get into a smaller part of my colon, it literally felt like it was breaking through but I took another puff of the gas and air to help which soon made the pain disappear. However, at this point I became extremely hot and felt like I was going to be sick, but I let out one almighty burp and was fine again. 

The majority of my examination looked absolutely fine however there was one part that was slightly bloody...I don't know if this was from him trying to dig his way to China through my bowel or from the laxatives but it was nothing to be worried about. The next part was to take biopsies of different parts of my colon and bowel but it was the weirdest thing to watch. It was like a mini crocodile clip nipping away at my skin! Again, nothing too painful, just a slight tugging sensation. And at that, the examination was over. 30 minutes later and all my crevices explored, I was done.

I was wheeled back into the recovery ward where I was told as I'd only had the tiniest bit of gas and air, I'd be able to go home in about half an hour. However, I was also told I was to expect a lot of wind movement...and they weren't joking! My stomach was gurgling something chronic but I did not want to pass it as I was in a room full of people...who have just had the same thing done. It's just me, I have manners, haha! The nurse came back to check my blood pressure and pulse again but at this point my blood pressure had dropped...not sure why but after a cup of tea and FINALLY something to eat, it crept back up to a normal rate. She went through my results and informed me that my biopsies will take about a week to come back to me but I have nothing as of yet to be worried about. 

So here I am, an hour and a half after coming back from hospital having a camera literally poking around my insides and I feel absolutely fine. A bit crampy and windy but nothing that I haven't experienced before. I was told that this should pass in a couple of hours so that's fine. I don't know how to feel whilst waiting for these results...I am worried, of course I am, but I just don't know what to expect. I'm sure I'll share the outcome of it all on here, but for now I'm going to try everything I can to not think about it.

All in all, my experience having an endoscopy wasn't THAT bad but certainly something I wouldn't do again in a hurry! For now, I've got my new job to focus on which I'm REALLY enjoying and I'm also going to London this weekend to see my sister. 

Until next time!

♥

What's in my makeup bag - March 2015.

I've not done one of these posts since August last year and I thought I'd just do a quick update. (Link to previous post) I'm still using the same makeup bag (Cath Kidston) but some of my makeup items have changed. 

Let's jump right in to it! 

1. Nivea Pearl Beauty roll on deodorant. This was in my previous post however this is actually a new tin as I use this daily. Again, I repurchased this for £1.00 from Lidl which is where I tend to get my toiletries from nowadays! 

2. Rimmel Lasting Finish 25hr Foundation in Light Porcelain. I've been swapping between two foundations recently as my skin cannot decide whether it wants to be dry, oily or a bit of both. This is a perfect colour match for my skin and although my face does get greasy after about 6 hours, it is still a very good foundation. I actually picked this up from B&M bargains for about £2.00! 

3. MUA kohl eyeliner in jet black. I finally replaced my eyeliner a couple of months ago!! This is just your standard black eyeliner. This lid actually has a sharpener built in which is SO handy. Not particularly long lasting, but then again no eyeliner is on me! It's a very creamy eyeliner so is great for smudging. This was only £1.00 from Superdrug, so I'm pleased! 

4. I Heart Makeup Lip Lava in Forgiven. Oh my god I LOVE THESE THINGS. I've wanted these since they were released but only just got round to purchasing them. These are so pigmented, long lasting and such great quality for the price. This is such a handy sized tube, I keep this in my makeup bag all the time now. I purchased this off the MUR website for £2.99. 

5. Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge. I should really get a new one of these as my cat got hold of it...it now has tiny little teeth marks in it! I love this sponge, I was really against the whole beauty blender hype but now I would never go back. I have been switching between this and my duo fiber brush this month because I found that some days a brush just does not want to work on my skin. I'm pretty sure everyone knows what this does...I bought it from Superdrug for around the £6.00 mark. 

6. Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in translucent. This has been a staple in my makeup bag for years. It's the powder that I keep going back to time and time again but it just works on my skin so well. I very rarely have to top my powder up when I'm using this, it really does keep me matte! This powder has been around for years, I remember using it when I was about 16 years old! You can purchase this from Rimmel stockists for around £4.00.

7. Essence Get Big Lashes Vol Curl Mascara. If you've read through my top mascara post, you'll know that this is my firm favourite. I picked this up a couple of months ago when my local Wilkinsons store started stocking Essence. Now I'm really picky over my mascaras...they have to make my lashes look false, full and pretty much never flake off. This mascara does all 3 and for the price, I think that's pretty friggen amazing. I picked this up from Wilkinsons for £2.30. 

8.  Essence all about matt! oil control makeup base. I've never been a huge fan of primers however as soon as I hit my 20's, my skin has gone a little bit crazy. I suffered with acne in my teenage years but lately I've been suffering with oily skin. It's weird, one day I will have really dry skin, the next will be oily. I picked this up from Wilkinsons and really didn't know what to expect, however I was quite impressed. I wouldn't say it makes my makeup any more matte than it normally would be but it definitely keeps in it place longer! I notice if I ever forget to put in on before my foundation. For some reason I can't find a link to this on Wilkinsons but I'm pretty sure it was only about £2.00. 

9. Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil in dark brown. Good god I've had this for as long as I can remember...I've actually got a new one waiting to be used in my makeup stash and to be honest I think I'll swap this over pretty soon. I've used this eyebrow pencil right from the point of when I started filling my eyebrows in as I find it really easy to create definition with this. I do find, however, that when I use the brush it tends to actually wipe this product off? I don't know if it's because it's old but I do have to go back over with a powder. I picked this up from Superdrug for £2.99 but you can also get it from good Rimmel stockists. 

10. Makeup Revolution Foc & Fix Eyebrow Shaping Kit in medium/dark. Okay I know I'm not the only person that's head over heels in love with Makeup Revolution but seeeeriously this brand has me hooked. I love this mini palette, it's the perfect match for the eyebrow pencil I use but it just creates that little bit more definition which I need. It comes with 3 shades varying from light brown to dark brown. I have to say, I haven't actually used the wax as of yet because I find the powder has such good staying power in my eyebrows anyway. I picked this up from Superdrug for £2.50 but you can also pick it up directly from the Makeup Revolution website. 

11. Revlon Colorstay Foundation for Combination/Oily skin in Ivory 110. This foundation is one that I just keep coming back to. I previously used the Normal/Dry skin formula in my teens and found it was literally a perfect match for me. Now I've got more oily skin, I've opted for the combi/oily formula and I have to say I'm in love with this foundation again. I love the finish this leaves on my face, it's almost powdery? I know some people won't like that but I very rarely get oily skin from this foundation. The only time I do is if I put too much primer/powder on with it. This foundation has serious staying power on my skin, I can wear it for a good 14+ hours without it budging (yes, I really wear my makeup for that long!). Needless to say, I will repurchase this foundation time and time again for as long as it's made. I picked this up from Superdrug for £12.45 but you can also get it from Boots for the same price. 

12. Superdrug Compact Puff. These come in a pack of 3 and I've always used these to apply my powder. I have never found a technique as of yet that's more effective in applying my powder. Again, these were from Superdrug for £1.89 but you can pick them up from almost anywhere that stocks makeup sponges/tools. 

13. Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in shade Fair. Who in the beauty universe doesn't like the concealer? I'm going to admit, I've literally only started using it this month and it's safe to say I'm yet another person that loves it. It really does live up to the hype, however I find it a little too thick to use under my eyes as it can feel quite heavy if not blended out enough. I get extremely high coverage off this concealer and yes, it has incredible staying power. I picked this up from Boots for around £4.00 however you can also pick it up from Collection stockists such as Superdrug. 

14. Primark hair bobble. A statement in my makeup bag, alongside bobby pins. I'm forever searching for something to tie my hair up with as it really irritates me sometimes! I picked up a huge pack of these for £1.00. 

15. Collection Fast Stroke Eyeliner in Black 1. This is another product I keep coming back to time and time again, I even have a stash of these waiting to be used! I don't use as much liquid eyeliner any more as I tend to opt for a toned down look however this is one that I find works the best for me. Some people say this burns their skin but I have never found it to have done that on mine. It lasts all day on my skin until I take my makeup off. I picked this up for around £2.00 from Superdrug. 

16. Primark compact mirror. I've had this in my makeup bag for a while now, I find it really helpful to keep in there in case I have any issues with my contact lenses or if I need to have a quick look at something. Considering this was only £1.00, this has lasted so well! It seems pretty robust and doesn't seem like it's going to break any time soon. 

17. Boots Precision Grip Straight Tweezers. I actually keep two pairs of tweezers in my makeup bag purely for the fact I always lose one. I love the feel of these, they have a slightly rubberised texture to the grip so they're really easy to hold. Also, I find the straight edge helpful when taming my brows! I picked these up from Boots for £3.80. The second pair I keep in my makeup bag are from Superdrug for £1.80. 

18. Superdrug Eyebrow brush and comb. I only recently purchased this as the brush on the end of my eyebrow pencil has gotten a bit grubby. It's a basic eyebrow comb, but it does the job. I picked this up for £1.99. 

19. Wilko Premium Stippler Found Brush. I actually really like Wilkinsons when it comes to makeup accessories because even though they're quite cheap in price, the quality doesn't lack. I've used this brush so many times and washed it out time and time again, I'm yet to see one bristle fall out. Seriously, this has to be the only brush I've had where the bristles haven't fallen out! I didn't want to spend a lot on a duo fiber brush as I wasn't sure if I'd like one or not but I was pleasantly surprised. I purchased this for £4.00. 

My god, this makes me realise just how much I carry around with me, no wonder I get backache so often! I hope this has been an interesting post to read! 

♥