#StomaChat | Ostomy & IBD Q&A

If you don't know, I recently started a YouTube channel (please go and subscribe!!) and I have a monthly series called #stomachat where I talk all things stomas. This month, I've filmed an ostomy and IBD related Q&A where I answered some of your questions. I really enjoyed doing it and some of the questions were really interesting and I'm going to be doing some more in depth blog posts and videos on them soon!

I hope you all enjoyed the video! Don't forget to like the video and subscribe to my channel to see more videos like this and feel free to leave your thoughts and questions in the comments below because I would love to hear your opinions on some of the questions raised!

McFly Anthology Tour

This post is a long time coming, I know, but two weeks ago I went to see McFly play Manchester Academy and it was the greatest thing in the world and the best two McFly concerts I've ever been to.  McFly have been my favourite band since I was six years old and it's been about 4 years since I saw them as McFly (yeah, I saw them as McBusted twice BUT IT WAS NOT THE SAME OKAY) and excited doesn't even cover what I was feeling for those concerts.

I went to see the first and second nights and saw them play Room On The Third Floor, Wonderland and Motion In The Ocean and it was so great to see them play songs which I'd never seen live and finally get to see my favourite songs being played up on stage.

The venue was Manchester Academy which, if you don't know, is a really small venue so it was amazing to see them in such an intimate setting rather than arenas and the Apollo where I normally end up watching the screen rather than the band because I can't see that well. Not this time - the first night we were about half way back and the second night we were not too far from the front and it was amazing. The atmosphere was buzzing and it's always a great feeling to know that everyone in that room has the same passion for a band that you do.

It was great to see the boys back as McFly and I cannot wait to hear their new album when it comes out!

Let me know in the comments whether you went to see McFly on the Anthology Tour and what your favourite McFly song is!

Autumn Netflix Picks

This summer I fell out of love with boxsets - I don't know how that happened or why - and I abandoned Netflix apart from my weekly does of Pretty Little Liars. However, autumn has come and I went back to uni and I have fallen back in love with Netflix and it is now constantly on. I thought I would share with you 4 boxsets which I am (or have finished!) binging on right now!

My First MRI Scan

On Wednesday I had my first ever MRI scan and I thought I would document it as it was another milestone in finding out what's wrong with my joints. I've been struggling with my joints for a little over a year now (you can read about that here) and I did try physiotherapy however I got told that I needed to go see a rheumatologist as my symptoms sounded a lot like arthritis. Fast forward a month and I saw a rheumatologist who sent me to get an MRI scan so they could look at my spine and see what was happening with my bones.

Let's start with the fact that I hate small spaces. I have claustrophobia and suffer from panic attacks so I was pretty nervous from the offset. I had my MRI in a mobile MRI scanner (basically a MRI in the back of a lorry) and my mum wasn't allowed to come with me into the lorry thing which made me even more nervous!

I had to lie flat on my back and had a plate thing put on top of my chest which allowed them to see my bones easier. I was also given a buzzer thing which I could press if I started to feel un well or just really didn't like it. The radiographer knew I was nervous so he gave me a test run of going inside the scanner fir a few moments to experience it. I HATED it. I asked to come out almost straight away and then proceeded to shed a few tears to which I was told that it happens a lot! I had another go and this time it wasn't as bad but it still wasn't as nice. I then was allowed to test the buzzer which made me feel a lot better!

I was given headphones and listened to the radio whilst I was in the scanner which was a definite life saver - I don't think I would have managed without them. In a weird way, I found it easier with my eyes open, which surprised me as I thought if I had my eyes closed I'd be able to forget about the small space but it actually made me feel even more claustrophobic! The machine was really noisy but I managed the whole hour in there which amazed me! I genuinely thought about pressing that buzzer probably every five minutes but I didn't because I knew I needed the scan to find out what's wrong so I stuck it out.

If you have an MRI scan coming up, try not to panic too much (waaaay easier said than done!) Yes, it's not nice and yes it's scary but you will get though it! Reminding myself that it would benefit me having it helped and I think the longest they do is an hour which, in the grand scheme of life, isn't that long (even if it does feel like a lifetime and the time!). Let me know in the comments below if you've had an MRI and how you cope with it!

These Boots Are Made For Walking with 4th and Reckless

Black ankle boots have to be one of my favourite types of shoes and now that autumn is just about here (apart from those scorcher days!) it means that I can wear them all the time. My favourite thing about black ankle boots is how versatile they are; you can wear them day and night, dressy or casual and they always look good.

How to Survive a Night Flight

We've all been there, save some money by getting that 4am flight home. You tell yourself that it'll be okay but as the holiday comes closer, you suddenly start regretting that decision especially when you realise that you have to be out of you're hotel room by 12pm. If you have one of these flights coming up, or are thinking about choosing the night flight option, here are some of my tips to make it a little more bearable!

How I Stopped My Stoma Bag Ballooning When Swimming with Comfizz

One of the biggest problems I have with my stoma bag is when I go swimming, it can blow up pretty quickly and you end up having to get out of the pool to empty the air out quite a lot so you don't have a balloon on your belly. When we booked our holiday to Lindos we decided that we'd spend a day at the waterpark so I headed to the ostomy support group pages on Facebook to ask whether anyone had any tips to stop the bag blowing up, but they didn't. I then found out about the Comfizz Waistband's which you can wear swimming and they have revolutionised how I go swimming!

A Week In Lindos, Rhodes

If you haven't been following me on Instagram (and Insta stories which I'm kinda obsessed with rn), then you'll have missed my holiday spam of pictures. So, to fill you in, I went to Lindos in Rhodes last week with one of  my friends and I had the most amazing time. Rhodes is such a beautiful island and Lindos is a little gem filled with amazing views and some really good food. I thought I'd share with you a little photo diary from the week I spent there!

Adding a little Hygge to Life

I have fallen absolutely in love with hygge. I love what it stands for, how it makes you feel and what it involves. It turns out that I've been all about hygge before I even knew what hygge was and when the lovely people at Penguin sent me a copy of The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well  I jumped at the chance to learn more about how to live a more hygge life.

If you don't know anything about this latest trend, then let me tell you! Hygge is a Danish concept which can't fully be translated into english but is about cosiness, feeling calm, centred & content in the colder months especially. You know that feeling when you're snuggled up with a good book by the fire with big wooly socks and a cup of tea and you just feel warm; yeah, that's hygge.

Maybe it's the anti social, introvert part of me, but I love the idea that you don't have to even leave the house to experience hygge - heck you can do it all on your own - and you don't have to spend loads of money either; the point is to enjoy the little things in life.

Candles are a big thing if you're going to experience hygge apparently. Dot a few round the room and maybe have a lamp or two on and relish in the autumn feels of candle light! According to The Little Book of Hygge, you don't have to go by all the expensive scented ones either, just your bog standard plain candle will be more than good to let you experience hygge.

Blankets, Cushions & thick wooly socks will all help to give the hygge feel to your room and/or house. Put on your favourite PJs, cuddle up with the candles and lamps on and feel that wave of hygge give you a hug.

Food and friends can also play a big part in the hygge way of life. Get some of your best friends round, cook your favourite meal, get the low lighting out (can you tell that this is a big factor in hygge!) and relish in that warmth.

As you can see, hygge is all about those little things in life. If you want to get the book, you can get it here and if you want to read more about hygge, the brilliant Hannah Gale and Rhianna have both written fantastic posts on the hygge life.

Let me know in the comments how you're going to be including Hygge into your life!

This book was gifted to me however all thoughts/opinions are my own. 
Read full disclaimer here