Hello and happy 2022! I know I’m a little late considering we’re halfway through January already but let’s not dwell on that. I hope the year has started off well for you and 2022 overall will be a bit easier.
Since my last post in November – Where I’ve Been… – I’ve felt out of the loop with blogging and haven’t had much motivation at all. New Zealand is in full on summer at the moment, getting up to nearly 30 degrees some days and the heat zaps and drains my energy which doesn’t make me feel like doing much at all. I cannot wait for it to start cooling down as I much prefer the cold.
In my last post I talked about some health troubles I’d had, high white blood cell counts and generally feeling lethargic. In early December I started feeling breathless, had sore chest muscles and pain swallowing occasionally. I went to the doctor and we concluded I strained muscles in my upper chest when overseeing a bar fridge delivery at work. I was prescribed some pills to help heal the muscles and some muscle relaxants. I feel fine now but it was an uncomfortable week or two.
I won’t lie, early in January I toyed with the idea of stopping blogging. Most weeks I don’t have the spare time I used to, I always feel ‘busy’ and since my mum got sick in 2020 our roles within the household have changed. It’s not something I’ve talked about before as most people don’t understand our situation and we’re both the kind that just get on with things and do things because we have to, there’s no one else to help us. Over the past week or so I did realise I want to keep this blog, it’s always somewhere I can come to and express what I’m thinking and the connections and friendships it has brought me over the years are very special. I also think my blogging mojo has been relatively non-existent since I’m not wearing makeup. With mandatory mask use when you leave the house there’s no point doing my face for work everyday and making a mess of my masks and making my skin feel more clammy and sticky. I do have some time off coming at the start of February so I will try and get my plan on and get some posts created and written so there’s not so much of a gap between content. If you’ve got any ideas of posts you’d like to see, feel free to leave a comment below!
In terms of goals for 2022, I’ve got a couple:
Read 45 books (I managed 43 in 2021)
Start driving lessons
Get back into exercycling regularly
I’ve also set up pages for the year in my bullet journal. That was something that fell by the wayside last year and when I keep up with it I feel more on top of things and like I’m able to let go of the events of the day more easily and have a clearer head. I want 2022 to be happy and good and I’m starting the year off on a positive note in the hope it translates throughout everything else.
Here’s to 2022 and the year I’ll (hopefully) make a blogging comeback!
Share any goals you’ve got for the year as well as one good thing that’s happened to you recently!
If you’re still here after all these years, thanks for reading!
Hello, hello! Long time no blog! In 2021 I haven’t blogged much at all, it’s not through not wanting to but I feel like I haven’t had much to say and I’ve been enjoying keeping under the radar a little bit and using weekends as chill out time to read and catch up on other things. I still read other blogs almost every day and do want to put out posts when inspiration strikes. This is kind of the reason for this post, bridging the gap talking about what I’ve been feeling and what’s been happening and a push to get me excited about blogging again.
I’ll start by rewinding back to April/May of this year when I felt things start to change. In April my mum was in hospital again, thankfully it wasn’t as serious as her admissions in 2020 but the situation doesn’t get easier. She came out a week later and over the past six months her and I have noticed improvements. She’s able to do more and walk further without getting breathless as fast and she came off prednisone after being on them for a year. At the end of April I had time off work and was able to recharge. Throughout this and a few months prior I’d been feeling really tired and sometimes didn’t know how I was getting through the day. My job can be intense so on top of feeling tired I was also incredibly drained. A few people suggested I might have glandular fever based on my symptoms and how I’d been feeling. In May I went to the doctor and mentioned the tiredness and she said it sounded like I was burnt out and suggested more time off work (which I didn’t take as I would have felt guilty) and a blood test. The results came back and my white cell count was up slightly so it looked like an infection of some sort. A few weeks later I had another blood test and the cell count had gone up. I was prescribed antibiotics and had another blood test after finishing them but the cell count was still the same so I was given more antibiotics. The doctor couldn’t figure it out as she said ‘I’m pretty healthy.’ In the end I had three courses of antiobtiotics and countless blood tests and still don’t know what was wrong. I asked to be tested for glandular fever but it didn’t happen. I haven’t seen a doctor or had a blood test since July so I don’t know what my white cells are like currently. I still feel tired some days but nowhere near as bad as I was.
While all of that was going on I made sure to be gentle and kind to myself and started taking more time at weekends to relax and started not to feel guilty if I stayed in my pyjamas one day or didn’t get the house all cleaned. I’ve started pacing myself and going with the flow a bit more and listening to what my body wants. I mentioned I feel like I’ve been under the radar a little bit and I’ve enjoyed it. I’ve still been quite active on Instagram and I’ve been trying to adapt to the new features of the platform such as reels but honestly sometimes I do lose motivation with it. Reels and video content is supposedly pushed to more people but I personally find they don’t get as many likes for me. I don’t know whether my followers aren’t seeing the content, they don’t like it or a mixture of both. I will keep perservering as they have been fun to make and I like watching reels from the people I follow. I am aware the feed content has been lacking since New Zealand went back into lockdown in August and I’m working on it.
The day the second lockdown was announced I was on annual leave and hours before had received my first Pfizer jab. Absolutely the right thing to do was lockdown the country as they didn’t know if it was a Delta case or not, that decision was ridiculed but it meant lockdown only lasted for a few weeks. If you look at where New Zealand is now, the day I’m writing this post we have had the highest daily total of cases since the pandemic started and most of the country is in Level 2 which means shops, cafes, restaurants and businesses can open with social distancing and safety measures in place and mask wearing is compulsory. Okay, more of the country is vaccinated now but the case numbers aren’t plateauing or going down.
Recently on an Instagram story I was sharing thoughts and feelings I’d been having and one of those was around the way I look. I’m not feeling too confident at the moment – perhaps that’s down to not wearing makeup for three months – but mask wearing makes me feel sweaty and overheat and I don’t like the way some things are looking on me. I don’t feel like I’ve eaten more or gained weight but I think it’s that mindset of Covid is still here there’s no point going out anywhere or putting a nice outfit on. I’m still staying home and keeping activities to a minimum. I’ve also not been in the mood for dating or trying to meet anybody, I’m happy by myself at the moment and socialising with new people during times like these makes me nervous.
Onto the last and most exciting piece of news in this post, I’ve ordered a new phone. I’ve been an Apple user for years and when I saw they had released a pink iPhone it was destined to be mine. I ordered it last week and it should arrive in a few weeks. I was tossing up between the 13 or the 13 mini but I went with the 13 in the end as it’s a similar size to my current phone but doesn’t weigh as much. It’s going to be strange not to have the home button but I’ll soon get over it. I treated myself to this phone as a) the model I currently have is 6 years old (I bought it in 2019) and it won’t last forever b) how often do you see a pink phone and c) the base amount of storage is 128GB, four times as much as my current phone. That will be useful for making more video content.
Thank you for taking time out of your day to catch up with me. Please say hello in the comments and let me know how you’ve been lately!
This post is not sponsored or affiliated with Function of Beauty. Products purchased by me and all opinions are my own.
In February I shared my experience with shampoo and conditioner I purchased from Function of Beauty back in 2020. I’d been using the products for a few months by that time and felt I was well informed to talk about them. In that post I mentioned the products were middle of the road, not the best I’d used but certainly not bad either. After writing that post I realised I had been towel drying my hair more often using my previous formula and went back to letting my hair air dry (which is what I normally do) and saw an improvement. I mentioned in my previous Function of Beauty post I noticed more split ends which could have been due to the increase in towel drying my hair.
I decided to give the brand the benefit of the doubt and thought I would make a second order and see if my experience was more positive. Spoiler alert, my revamped formula was really enjoyable from first use and I’m glad I gave the brand another chance! Again, I got the 8oz (236ml) shampoo and conditioner as this lasts me a decent amount of time and stuck with the Strike a (r)ose scent with light intensity. I was also more decisive with the colours this time and knew I wanted a girly, pink set!
I updated my hair type and hair goals this time around which is what I think has made a difference. I said I have wavy hair that’s medium thickness (rather than coarse which I selected last time) and my scalp doesn’t get oily or dry, it’s normal.
One hair goal I kept the same and others I changed. I will list the hair goals I chose first time around that I changed and then list the five I chose for my second formula.
First formula hair goals that were changed:
Deep condition
Fix split ends
Anti-frizz
Replenish hair
Second formula hair goals:
1. Straighten – Relax and style unruly hair with a biolipid complex that leaves a sheathing film which naturally disciplines hair even in humid conditions. 2. Nourish roots – Stimulate your hair roots and facilitate the transport of key nutrients to hair bulbs and shafts for healthier, fuller hair.
3. Hydrate – Restore your hair’s moisture balance, prevent future moisture loss and treat your hair with long-lasting hydration.
4. Shine – Enhance your hair’s natural shine, luster and reflection while improving your overall hair health without weighing hair down.
5. Strengthen – Increase your hair’s resilience and elasticity, stimulate healthy hair growth and protect your hair from breakage.
Delivery was super speedy! The products only took about a week to arrive from Amercia from the time my order was shipped. The products sat in my cupboard for a month while I finished my first set and I started using the second set straight after they were finished. I could instantly tell the difference and how much better these hair goals are suited to my hair. This time around I signed up for the subscription service so I will automatically receive another set of shampoo and conditioner in September. I’m extra excited for that as I will be trying one of the subscriber only scents Milk(shea)ke which is described as a rich and creamy shea butter and warm vanilla fragrance. I love vanilla scents so I can’t wait to smell this one. I’m also going choose the medium scent intensity to see how long the scent sticks around. Everything is customisable up until September so if I change my mind about colours, the size or the scent I can edit the formula as much as I like.
Function of Beauty shampoo and conditioner feels like a luxury treat that I’ve really been enjoying the past few months. My hair feels soft and looks shiny and healthy (partly due to a haircut in April as well). It does show it pays to pick the right hair goals as that can affect how the products perform.
It has been over two months since my last blog post, say hello in the comments and let me know how you’ve been! I didn’t mean to disappear for so long but I’ve had some stuff to deal with and in all honesty I’ve been enjoying taking a bit of a back seat from the online world and laying low. I’ve been meaning to get this post finished for a while but the weather wasn’t great for photos (blaming you winter) – I’m glad it’s finally up!
April has been a month of two halves, the first half was stressful with my mum getting sick and being admitted to hospital again and the second half I had 11 days off work and felt like I had to catch up and recover from the first half of the month. The week my mum was in hospital I pretty much ran on adrenaline and it wasn’t until afterwards I noticed the toll it had taken on me. I don’t know if this is as a result of that but recently I’ve fallen out of love with blogging a little bit, I haven’t felt motivated to write or post often and I want my blog to be the best I can make it be. I don’t want to stop blogging but for the next wee while posts are likely to be scarce. I’m still very active on Instagram and reading/commenting on other blogs so I won’t disappear entirely.
Onto this month’s favourites:
1. Benefit Roller Lash Mascara – At the beginning of the month I opened a new mascara and chose to go with Roller Lash from Benefit. I have heard so many good things about this mascara and I’m glad to say it hasn’t disappointed. The first time I used it I noticed the formula was a good mix between dry and wet and the product doesn’t smudge. It definitely gave length with the first use and the more I use it the more I like it. Now that it’s been open for a couple of weeks I notice the volume it gives as well and a second coat builds on the lashes really nicely. This does give a natural, fluttery curl too which looks lovely.
2. BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector Spotlight Wand in Champagne Pop – I have used this as a highlighter on top of foundation and it is quite a natural looking glow compared to the powder form of Champagne Pop. I have been loving using this under my foundation instead of a primer. I have been dotting it on my face along with foundation and blending both products in together. It gives such a beautiful, healthy finish to the skin and works well with MAC’s Studio Fix Foundation in particular. I have now finished that foundation so I’m hoping it works just as well under others.
3. Nescafé Scorched Almond Mocha – I have mentioned before I’m not a big coffee drinker but now and again I purchase some sachets from the supermarket. I love Nestlé’s scorched almond chocolates so when I saw they had that flavour in coffee form I was curious to give it a try. I like the balance of chocolate and the slight nutty element, there is sweetness and it isn’t bitter. There are 10 sachets in a box and I have had over half of these already.
April Highlights
I feel like I have made so many online orders this month but I’m also equally excited for everything to arrive.
I had some time off work and while I didn’t feel as productive as I would have liked it was nice just to potter around and do what I like when I felt like it.
I’ve also been using the exercycle again so hopefully I can keep this up when I return to work.
April’s Spotify Playlist:
(P.S. it annoys me that Spotify have changed their share playlist feature – I don’t know how to align the playlist in the centre anymore. If anyone knows how to do it with HTML please let me know).
Share one of your highlights for the month and what you’ve been up to in the comments!
February has been the strangest month I’ve had for a while. The first half I was upbeat and the second felt like everything came crashing down. At the time this post is published it’s been about 10 days since my boyfriend broke up with me. It feels like I only just told people I was in a relationship again. To say the break up wasn’t expected is an understatement, two weeks before the break up we had such a lovely night together and we spent Valentine’s Day in each other’s company. I don’t know what changed and maybe I never will but after sharing THIS photo and caption on Instagram everyone online and in person has been so kind and supportive. I didn’t like the decision and I can’t change it but I know I’ll be okay and I genuinely wish him happiness.
Onto this month’s favourites:
1. Silver stardust 15mm hoop earrings – These earrings were a gift for my birthday in January and they are beautiful. They are lightweight and dainty with a bit of an edge at the same time. The ball on the hoop is textured and designed to have a star dust effect. I love how pretty these look on, they go with everything and can be worn dressed up or down, I’ve been enjoying wearing them to work to add a touch of glam.
2. New bed – During the time I had off between Christmas and New Year I went bed shopping. I don’t think I’ve had a new bed since I was a kid and I was hesitant to switch from my previous bed as it was so comfy but I don’t regret my decision. The mattress took about a month to arrive as they are made to order and I chose a plush chiropractic model so it will be soft and good for my back too. I don’t have back problems but I did read plush mattresses are good to provide support for petite people and I didn’t want a medium mattress in case it wasn’t quite soft enough. The bed was delivered at the start of February and I have been sleeping well, most nights I don’t wake up at all (that’s quite normal for me) and it’s been easy to adjust. A practical purchase that will last for years.
3. BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector in Prismatic Amethyst – The lavender duo-chrome shift to this highlighter is stunning! Purple works really well with my skintone and I see myself reaching for this a lot when I’m wearing pinks and purples on my eyes and lips. I tend to stay away from pink highlighters (apart from Rose Quartz also by BECCA) as they can emphasise redness, purples don’t do that. The formula is up to the usual dreamy BECCA standard and I’m even more pleased I purchased this with the news that the brand will be going out of business later this year.
4. MOR hand cream in Juicy Blooms – I purchased a MOR hand cream trio in 2019 and after recently finishing up a hand cream I selected one of the scents from the trio to use next. I tend to use scents that match seasons and this one seemed nice and summery. Juicy Blooms has citrus notes blended with sweet almond oil and cocoa seed butter. The hand cream is incredibly soft and soaks in quickly whilst still feeling hydrating and being non-greasy. I haven’t painted my nails for a few weeks and they look and feel strong which I think is partly down to the formula of this hand cream.
February Highlights
February 5th. Everything about this day was wonderful; I had a day off work, I slept in, I wore a cute outfit (including a skirt which I rarely do), I spent the night with my boyfriend singing along to music and he said he loved me which was a big step as he told me he hadn’t felt that or said it to anyone before.
I purchased the Pat McGrath Mthrshp Mega: Celestial Divinity palette. I’ve used it a few times but I’m excited to play with it more.
Again, I’m impressed with my strength and ability to bounce back when I’m faced with adversity. Every day I’m getting stronger and more resilient.
February’s Spotify Playlist:
Share one of your highlights for the month and what you’ve been up to in the comments!
We are already one month of 2021 down, hope you’re doing okay! January is a time I enjoy as I feel it’s a good chance to take stock of the previous year and reset and put things in place for the year to come. January is also my birthday month. I have treated myself to a few goodies for my birthday but would like to keep spending to a minimum for the rest of the year. I plan on doing a separate post dedicated to my birthday and will share what I treated myself to in that.
Onto this month’s favourites:
1. Pixi Rose Oil Blend – I received this facial oil in a package from a blogging friend who sourced two MAC lipsticks for me. The timing couldn’t have been better as I had been without a facial oil in my collection for a little while and I enjoy the benefits they have on my skin. Rose is a lovely ingredient for the skin and I do like how this makes my skin feel when I use it. During summer my skin still gets dry so when I need more nourishment I have reached for this. The one negative is you can’t see how much product is left in the bottle but it’s easy to get past that.
2. Maybelline Face Studio Pore Minimising Primer – This reminds me a little bit of the Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer in that they both have a slightly slippery texture. My dry skin doesn’t mind that and foundation applies and blends out easily over the top as a result. If you are oily skinned I’m not sure you’d like this as much but it’s one to keep in mind if you’d like to try a cheaper alternative to the Hourglass primer. This doesn’t erase my pores but it does blur them so they don’t look as noticeable and makes makeup look smoother overall.
3. Silver heart pendant necklace – My boyfriend bought me this necklace for Christmas and it’s so cute! I love simple, elegant pieces of jewellery and this fits the bill. The heart sits on an angle which is also cute and the necklace is a lovely length, I find some necklaces don’t sit right and I’m less likely to wear them if that’s the case. Jewellery is a very personal gift but he did such a good job picking this out and I’ve been wearing it a lot.
4. Leuchtturm 1917 journal in Berry – My previous bullet journal lasted three years but towards the end of 2020 I knew there wouldn’t be enough pages left for another year. I enjoy the Leuchtturm 1917 dotted pages and knew I wanted another journal the same, it was just a case of choosing a colour. I almost picked a bright yellow to represent happiness and positivity but then I saw this gorgeous berry pink which reminds me of my favourite lipstick shade. I have loved getting my creative juices flowing again and setting up spreads throughout the month. When I journal I feel more calm and like there’s less clutter in my mind.
January Highlights
Getting to set up my new bullet journal.
Decided on the first 10 products for Project Pan and made a list of backups to rotate in as I finish products up.
Enjoyed an evening treewalk with lights with my boyfriend on my birthday.
January’s Spotify Playlist:
Share one of your highlights for the month and what you’ve been up to in the comments!
By now on the blog it’s tradition that the first post of the year will be wishing everyone a Happy New Year and sharing some words of wisdom.
Nobody knows what 2021 will hold but we want it to be ‘better’. I don’t have any expectations so that way I can’t be disappointed. 2020 was challenging for a lot of people (myself included) but there were also good moments. I try not to focus on the bad but realistically it’s not always easy. I applaud myself for getting back up each time something goes wrong and the idealist in me never loses hope that one day everything will be okay and it will all make sense. I don’t want this year to start off on a negative note so, goodbye 2020, I’m not sad to see you go and let’s move on!
The past 12 months were relatively quiet on the blog and initially I feel 2021 will follow a similar pattern. I have post ideas in the pipeline and will write when I get time and feel inspired but gone are the days when I would churn out new posts each week. I turn 26 at the end of the month and I will have been blogging seven (!!!) years in June – it’s understandable that over that length of time circumstances change. Blogging doesn’t hold the place in my heart that it used to but I still enjoy it and don’t want to stop.
For 2021 I need to be more selfish with my time and do what helps me to be happy and stay relaxed and as less stressed as possible. I’m getting better at being assertive and saying no and not feeling guilty for it. Often I feel like I’m letting people down but at the end of the day that person is me 90% of the time. This is me saying I’m done and I don’t want that any more.
Keeping a bullet journal is one thing that fell by the wayside in 2020 and when I’m able to clear my head and have a place to organise my thoughts it helps a lot. I didn’t have many pages left in my current bullet journal so I purchased a new one to begin 2021 and I can’t wait to spend time setting it up. Exercise is another thing that helps me feel good within myself. I got back into a routine during April/May last year and over the past 10 days I’ve started using the exercycle again. I’m going to try hard to keep it up!
2021 is the year I wish to welcome proper happiness. I want to let go of some of the fear I carry with me daily and embrace new things and experiences with people… who knows what the next 365 days will bring!
What are you excited for this year? Do you have any goals for 2021?
I hope you all had a lovely Christmas Day even if you weren’t able to do what you had originally planned. Mine was very low-key, I was at home with my mum and one of my aunts and we had a big lunch. We didn’t really do presents which helps keeps things less stressful and the food was really yummy! I scored the crackling on the roast pork, was on cream whipping and strawberry cutting duties for dessert and also helped with general prep and cooking.
I’m ending the year strongly and going out with a bang with these favourites! These all make me happy and have brought me lots of enjoyment over the past few weeks.
1. Kylie – DISCO – I was meant to include this in November’s favourites but somehow it slipped my mind. I am a huge Kylie fan and every time I listen to DISCO I love the songs more. The overall sound of the album is very cohesive and Kylie co-wrote on each track as well as engineering vocals and synths at her home studio during the pandemic. The sound is very much in Kylie’s dance-pop lane and it is exactly what 2020 needs, 50 minutes of energetic fun that makes you happy and forget about any worries for a while. This is my favourite Kylie album since Aphrodite. Standout Tracks: Magic, Miss a Thing, Real Groove, Say Something, I Love It, Dance Floor Darling and Celebrate You.
2. Steps – What the Future Holds – Another album that I have not stopped listening to since release! This album is incredibly special as the booklet is signed by all members of Steps and 11 year old Chanelle never dreamed she would own something like this. It’s even more special as I was meant to be seeing Steps in May but because of Covid the show was cancelled. I was heartbroken but I’m determined to see them live one day. Steps represent so much happiness in my life and I’m thankful the album was released this year. Vocally I feel Lisa and Lee shine on this album (they all sound good but it’s clear to see the vocals are shared more evenly and these two have such beautiful voices as well). Standout Tracks: What the Future Holds, Something In Your Eyes, To the Beat of My Heart, One Touch, Under My Skin, Heartbreak In This City and Come and Dance With Me.
3. Fenty Gloss Bomb in Fu$$y – This gloss arrived in September as part of a mini set and I can’t believe I haven’t mentioned it in a favourites post yet. I’ve really enjoyed wearing gloss this year and found some great formulas that aren’t sticky and feel comfortable. Fu$$y is described as a soft romantic pink, it has a little bit of shimmer and can look quite sheer when worn on it’s own but it’s lovely on no makeup makeup days or applied over top of a lipstick for a bit of shine. The scent of this is amazing, it needs to be made into a fragrance (you can thank me later Rihanna).
4. In the Frow x Edge of Ember Birthstone Necklace and Nova Ring – In October Victoria (known as In the Frow on YouTube) launched a jewellery collaboration with Edge of Ember. I picked up two pieces and whilst I spent more than I tend to on jewellery I don’t regret it! The pieces are dainty and beautiful and the quality is up there too. I’m not a fan of chunky, heavy pieces and prefer things that are subtle and elegant.
The silver Nova ring is lightweight and simple but it goes with everything, the stone in the middle is a white topaz. Usually I prefer silver to gold but what drew me to the birthstone necklace was the simplicity of one stone on the chain. My birthday is in January so my birthstone is garnet and the red and gold work well together. The length of the chain is adjustable which is nice depending on how you like necklaces to sit and what you’re wearing with it.
December Highlights
I took some time to reflect on the year that has been and unwind and get ready for 2021. I know lots of people hate January but I really appreciate the slow period and setting things up to begin again.
Finishing work on Christmas Eve and knowing I have almost two weeks off. This is my first proper annual leave since February that won’t involve hospitals and where I can do things for me.
My boyfriend finishing work early on Christmas Eve and coming to see me after not being able to see each other for a week. He also came to visit on Christmas Day so we could exchange presents.
The first bite of pavlova on Christmas Day was amazing!
December’s Spotify Playlist:
How was your month? Share one of your highlights in the comments!
Read part one of my tonsillectomy journey that was published on Wednesday *HERE*. That post talked about events leading up to the surgery and what happened on the day of the surgery. This post is a diary documenting pain and the recovery process. They say it takes adults approximately 2 weeks to recover from a tonsillectomy and for the most part I agree. For the first week I didn’t have much of an appetite but a week after the surgery I hit a turning point and things started to improve.
Wednesday October 7
The pain isn’t unbearable but my mouth feels dry so I make sure to drink regularly. I managed to eat toast and fruit salad for breakfast and I was given my discharge papers around 9am. Mum picked me up an hour later and on the way home we stopped at a pharmacy to fill my prescription. I had icecream when I got home but it wasn’t very enjoyable. I was still tired from the anesthetic and had a sleep in the early afternoon.
Thursday October 8
The pain is definitely more noticeable and I feel like I can’t talk very well and have a swollen tongue. There feels like extra saliva in my mouth which causes me to dribble in my sleep. I spent most of the day relaxing in bed. I caught up on a bunch of YouTube videos and listened to some podcasts. I also had slight bruises forming on each of my cheeks near the back. For dinner I had an omelette and mashed potato.
Friday October 9
This was probably my least favourite recovery day. I’d say pain was at the highest on this day and I had two tramadol capsules along with paracetamol and ibuprofen throughout the day. This was the first time I had taken tramadol but didn’t notice any side effects which is good. I brushed my teeth for the first time since Tuesday, I wanted to to give it a couple of days so I wouldn’t hurt my mouth or disturb the wound. I really didn’t eat much or feel hungry today but by the afternoon I felt sick and lightheaded and knew I had to eat something. I spent most of the day asleep. I managed an iceblock in the evening but even licking wasn’t easy with a swollen tongue.
Saturday October 10
I woke up quite early and went on my phone for a while. I was a little frustrated that I couldn’t eat much at this point and earache like pain started which made me a bit grumpy. Mum and I watched a movie in the afternoon then I went back to bed and had a nap. I felt well enough to have my first shower since the surgery in the evening and also started a new book.
Sunday October 11
This is the first day I didn’t need a nap since surgery. My tongue was still swollen and I had pain in my right ear when I ate/chewed. I was back on tramadol and took one capsule when I woke up. Mum and I popped out to vote and pick up our groceries. In the afternoon I watched The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and really enjoyed it. Perhaps I’ll check out the other films in the series too.
Monday October 12
I reached for another tramadol again today but it is the last one I needed to take during recovery. I woke up with a bit of pain but the regular taking of painkillers keeps on top of everything. I think I sneezed for the first time since the operation which was extremely uncomfortable. In the evening I painted my nails for the first time in months using Silky Negligee from Revlon.
Tuesday October 13
This was the pivotal day in which everything started to turn. Still taking painkillers at regular intervals and managing pain ok but my tongue didn’t feel as swollen. I placed a couple of online orders, one with MECCA (MECCA is like the NZ/Oz Sephora) and one with Colourpop. I had my first proper dinner in a week and managed butter chicken (cut the pieces up small), rice and naan bread and it was delicious!
Wednesday October 14
Yesterday was definitely the turning point. I was able to eat larger portions of food, had minimal mouth and ear pain but still a little sensitivity if having something cold. I posted photos of makeup items I’m keen to pass on to Instagram and watched the 2018 film Whitney about Whitney Houston. I love watching music documentary films.
Thursday October 15
This is the first day I noticed there wasn’t any pain with eating and the tooth and ear sensitivity had calmed down. The dribbling in my sleep seems to have calmed down too. It was really cold and wet weather wise. I finished my second book of recovery, I haven’t read as much as I would have liked but for the first week I was very tired.
Friday October 16
A relatively pain free day. Had to run a couple of errands; popped to the supermarket and picked up the bits I ordered from Mecca on Tuesday. I did give authority to leave the box in the mailbox but the courier didn’t see that instruction which was a little frustrating. Also treated myself to a couple of jewellery pieces from In the Frow’s Edge of Ember collection. I like simple jewellery pieces and I tend to prefer silver so I chose a dainty little ring with a white topaz stone and a birthstone necklace. The garnet pendant looks elegant on the gold chain.
Saturday October 17
Woke up at 6am and couldn’t get back to sleep. Pretty much pain free from this point on. Did a full face of makeup for the first time in almost two weeks. Listened to music for the first time properly in ages and even managed to sing a little.
Sunday October 18
I didn’t have a very peaceful sleep. Had quite a productive day getting a few jobs done around home like laundry and washing my makeup brushes. Picked up the grocery order in the afternoon and had fish and chips for tea. My appetite had well and truly returned by this point.
Monday October 19
I returned to work. My biggest worry was what to take for lunches as I’m still trying to eat food that’s easy to swallow and nothing too hard or crunchy. I coped fine and it was nice to see everyone again! One of my colleagues left a packet of my favourite chocolates on my desk which was so sweet and thoughtful. I spent most of the day catching up on emails.
Tuesday October 20
Two weeks since surgery! I had an annoying headache most of the day, possibly due to not sleeping well the previous few nights. Nothing much else to report.
I hope you enjoyed reading these posts and getting an insight into what recovery has been like. In all honesty the pain wasn’t terrible and I’m thankful it was mostly manageable with paracetamol and ibuprofen. If you still have your tonsils and get regular bouts of tonsillitis it’s worth considering getting them removed. Give yourself a good couple of weeks to rest and take it easy. Regular painkillers are the key. You will be over sugar and sweet food by about day three but push through and be kind to yourself and your body. Everyone has a different rate of recovery and while I noticed a big change after a week it may take someone else 10 days or two weeks to start making progress. At the moment I can’t say whether the removal has made a difference but it will be interesting to see what happens the next time I get a cold.
I promise I will stop going on about my tonsils and getting them out eventually. I wanted to write this post as I thought it would be helpful to anyone else going through something similar. The post will be split into two parts, this part will give a brief history of my experience with tonsillitis and talk about the procedure and part two will be a recovery diary.
Up until this past year I didn’t have trouble with my tonsils, if I got a cold it was always my nose that was the problem. On March 1st I woke up with the driest, scratchiest throat I’ve ever had and no matter how much I was drinking the dryness wouldn’t go away. It turned into a cold and a few days later I went and saw a doctor who told me it looks like tonsillitis. I was given antibiotics which were too high a dose so I ended up with stomach pains and cramps and couldn’t keep the antibiotics in me. This meant the antibiotics weren’t effective and the tonsillitis didn’t completely go away. A few weeks later I returned to the doctor and was prescribed a different antibiotic which did the trick this time. Fast forward to the end of June and I come down with tonsillitis again. I had been fine all throughout lockdown but once you start mingling and being around people again you’re more susceptible to catching something. It was the same for lots of people at work, the week before I was off about eight staff were sick some days. At this doctor’s appointment I was referred to the hospital to get my tonsils out. I was all for it as it’s going to stop recurrent sore throats every few months.
From the time I got referred to getting the actual procedure it was 3 months which is quite quick in my opinion. I had my initial appointment with the surgeon in July, a phone call with the pre-op team in August and then it was a matter of waiting for a surgery date. Originally I could have had the procedure done at the beginning of September but my mum was in hospital when I received the call and I didn’t need that pressure. A couple of weeks later I got a letter in the mail with a new proposed date of October 6th – I accepted.
On the day of the procedure I was up early and at the hospital before 7:30am. I changed into a gown and robe and was told my surgery would likely be late morning, any children having the same procedure that day get done first. An anesthetist came over for a chat and then it was a matter of waiting to hear my name called. I went into the operating theatre shortly after 11am and was out less than an hour later – the operation itself is very quick. When I woke up I remember initially feeling pain in my throat and was very sleepy from the anesthetic. Most people are allowed to go home the same day a couple of hours after the procedure but my oxygen saturation levels dropped a little bit so they wanted to keep me in to monitor those.
I spent the next few hours dozing until I was more alert. My mum was by my side the whole time but left to come home at around 4pm. After she left I went back to sleep and shortly before 6pm it was dinner time. I was nervous not only to eat in case it was painful but anxious to see what food was on my plate. Dinner was pork and apple meatloaf with mashed potato and vegetables with lemon curd tartlet for dessert. For hospital food the meal wasn’t too shabby and it didn’t cause me pain to eat. I was offered an iceblock after the procedure but I was too sleepy so didn’t feel like it at the time. I wasn’t offered an iceblock or icecream after that.
After dinner I was wide awake so I killed some time on my phone (thank you hospital wifi) and did some crossword puzzles in a magazine I had with me. I went to sleep around 10pm but didn’t have a restful sleep at all, I woke up several times during the night and even started reading an ebook for an hour to pass time. I went back to sleep around 4am and woke up properly between 6 and 7. Breakfast came around at 8am and I ate most of a piece of toast and some fruit salad, I wasn’t brave enough to face the cornflakes. A doctor (coincidentally one of the doctors my mum had during her hospital visits) and a house surgeon came to discharge me just after 9am and gave me a script for three different types of painkillers. After that I was allowed to go home.
Stay tuned for part two which will be up on Friday and will document each day of recovery for two weeks after surgery and how I was feeling.
Chanelle Hayley 