'But You Don't Look Sick' - Metro series

So I've just come across a series of articles in The Metro called 'You Don't Look Sick'.

It features lots of different people with a variety of invisible illnesses and disabilities including Parkinson's, cancer, sickle cell anaemia, asthma, M.E., Multiple Sclerosis, COPD, Inflammatory Bowel Disease endometriosis and more.

It's really interesting for me to learn about how different illness affect individuals, but also the difficulty in having an invisible illness or disability - something that I can really relate to. 

In the articles it covers what the illness is, how many people are affected by invisible illnesses/disabilities in the UK and the impact having an invisible illness/disability has on individuals, for example how feel they feel that they have to quickly exist disabled loos to avoid judgement, their condition not being believed at work, worrying about disclosing their illness, and even one person giving up their Blue Badge (disabled parking permit) because of abuse they'd received.

A link to the articles is: https://metro.co.uk/tag/you-dont-look-sick/

It's really good to give invisible illnesses/disabilities the spotlight to raise awareness and understanding so hopefully the public can be more aware.

The M.E. Show Podcast

So I've recently discovered podcasts, which are especially enjoyable when I'm needing something to listen too, but need to lay in bed with limited light and sensory stimulation.

What's so nice about podcasts is that I find them easier to follow that an audiobook which may have a bit more of a complicated plot to follow and when I'm not feeling 100%, like recently they're also a lot shorter in length which helps when your concentration is lacking.

One podcast I've been enjoying is The M.E. Show (link to iTunes) which is run by Gary Burgess with the support of The M.E. Association. I've started from the beginning which was first put up last year. Each episode Gary interviews different people such as Jennifer Brea who shared her story of M.E. in the film 'Unrest', Dr Charles Shepherd who has M.E. himself and is a spokesperson for M.E. in the UK, Jane Colby from the Tymes Trust, Emma Donohoe who presented the Documentary 'M.E. and Me' which I blogged about last year and you can read it here and many others affected by M.E./CFS from carers to professional, to individuals with M.E. and even MP's and charity workers.

Gary himself has M.E. so it's amazing that's he's able to create the podcast for others like myself.

Gary also runs a website and blog called 'The Zonked Club' for people affected by conditions that cause fatigue such as M.E.

I'd really recommend The M.E. Show podcast. Each show is less than an hour and it really light going so it's easy to follow and it's quite informative at the same time.

April Birchbox 2019

This month's Birchbox came with a lift up lid, mirror and magnetic closure. I'd already been thinking of combining some old empty Birchbox's to make myself a jewellery box but in receiving this month's box it was just perfect to add as the top compartment.

This month in my box I received...

ESTATE Cosmetics 

Dew Me Baked Highlighter

Full size RRP £10

Silky smooth baked powder to swipe over your cheekbones, brow bone and eyes to give off a soft glow.

Benefit 

The POREfessional 

Sample size RRP £28

I've had this product before and I love it. It makes your skin feel ultra soft and smooth ready to apply your foundation and other makeup products.

Vitamasques 

Diamond Eye Pads

Full size RRP £4.99

A pend of caffeine and diamond powder (yes, really!) to hydrate, de-puff and brighten your eyes.

I'm feeling a bit ill today so when I went for a nap I put these on. They was nice and cooling. I left them on for longer than suggested. I did notice a difference when I took them off. Normally I have to put concealer under my eyes as they're a bit off colour but when I took them of I noticed the colour under my eyes was brighter and more blended with my skin tone and they looked less tired.

They was really easy to use and apply. A nice little treat for my eyes. It's not something I'd probably buy myself as they're a bit expensive for just two eye pads but it was nice to try them out and give my eyes a a bit of TLC.

Human+Kind

Body Soufflé

Sample size RRP £16.45

A lightly whipped cream to nourish your body.

Balance Me

Wonder Eye Cream

Sample size RRP £20

A multitasking eye cream using chamomile, coconut, cucumber, rose hip and carrot oils to de-puff, brighten and soften and smooth the eyes.

The M.E. Show - Call for Volunteers: M.E. Association

Our Gary Burgess is producing a special edition of The ME Show podcast to coincide with ME Awareness Week in May, and he needs your help:⠀
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"I’m looking to feature a number of people with ME speaking in their own words about what life with ME is really like.⠀
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It’s simply a case of making a recording on your mobile phone or other device and emailing it to me at garyburgess1975@gmail.com – most phones have a voice memo function.⠀
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Or you can send me voice message via Facebook using the microphone symbol in Messenger or on the M.E. Association's Instagram.
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Don’t worry about hesitations or needing to re-start your words. I will edit them all before they go live, I promise! If you’re interested. Here’s what I need:⠀
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Start with “Hello, my name is ___ and this is the real M.E.”⠀
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I’m then simply looking for you to speak for a minute or two about what your day-to-day life is like, warts and all. There’s no right or wrong thing to say.⠀
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It might be describing your domestic routine. It might be about how you manage your illness when it comes to seeing friends and family. It may be, if you’re able to do some work, how you do it. Perhaps it’s a top-tip you have that could help others.⠀
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By editing together a number of “Real” stories, I hope to create a picture of how M.E. affects different people in different ways.⠀
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If you can help, I’d be most grateful, and am looking for a recording by Friday 19 April.