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Time Changes Everything – Long Covid Update

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When I look at how much my life has changed these past few years it can be easy to get a little bit low, frustrated and even angry but my life has changed also in some positive ways also so I am trying hard to focus on those aspects and most days it does work.

I have like many others suffered with mental health issues over my adult life, I have struggled with anxiety and depression on many occasions and although these things never really go away I have learned that I know far better these days how to cope.

In the last 2.5 years I have had serious physical health issues from Long COVID after getting my first Covid infection prior to vaccination in October 2020. I was the first person I knew to get Covid in my area and it was frightening, I was very unwell and as a single parent I was for the vast majority of it alone. It damaged my physical and mental health in many ways. Since that time I have been slowly and steadily getting more and more symptomatic of long Covid and previously when I’ve hit these kind of bumps in the road my mental health has been massively impacted, right now it’s not always easy but these days I do have a handle on it.

I credit that to being in a healthy, loving relationship as well as having the most incredible children who give me a reason to smile each and every day. I am stronger because of them. I am stronger for them. I have a great supportive network of the very best family and friends and I don’t know where I would be without all of that.

Long COVID is a debilitating illness. I went from being probably the healthiest I had been in my adult life, going to the gym several times a week and walking between 15-25000 steps every single day to now some days struggling with getting about the house. I can’t do any type of serious fitness activity right now and for a long time keeping fit and walking was my coping mechanism for when I was anxious. I don’t have that any more and I miss it. I miss my body feeling strong and healthy, I miss being able to do a long walk or chasing my kids around the garden. I am in pain more or less all day, every day. Pain levels vary but are steadily getting worse, my mobility can be compromised. My legs are weak, my skin feels so sensitive that even loose clothes can hurt. I can only compare this feeling to as if I have sunburn all over and the pain in my legs feels like toothache in the bones. Some days, more frequently now my legs give way or go numb and this is beyond frightening. I am not yet 40 but my body feels it has aged so much. I worry my partner will get frustrated with this and that it has affected his life too much, yet deep down I know he loves me and supports me in this. Love is constant and not in good times only. I hide the majority of my pain from my children, yet they still see a grimace here and there or notice when I stumble on days when my legs are weak. They worry me about me I know this, I hate this. I reassure them often but my youngest will often say when will your Long COVID be over mam? And the answer unfortunately is I don’t know. But soon I say, hopefully soon.

Doctors are frustrated too, they can’t help the way they want to. I am intolerant to every pain med which would help, nerve pain tablets, strong pain relievers and even most of the SSRI tablets which can also help in these cases. I can’t even take anti inflammatory meds. I manage my pain (poorly) with capsaicin cream ( a type of chilli based nerve pain reliever) paracetamol, long , hot baths and more or less constant heat or massage pads on when I am rest. I am on several waiting lists, neurology and pain clinics amongst them. I was too unwell to complete long COVID rehab clinic and was advised to stop by the medical team. The pain management clinic, the thing I need most right now I was informed last week that I have 1 year remaining on the waiting list. A year, a whole twelve months with no resolution to this pain, it almost seems too much to handle. I knew this news would possibly make me spiral a little into a low place so I decided to write about it, I know that writing is also for me a form of therapy and I know it may help others too. Yet even what used to flow easily for me, the content, the words they are hard to find as a lovely little side effect of long COVID is brain fog, poor concentration and severe fatigue. For someone who has been a bookworm all her life and therefore always had a multitude of words sometimes they literally just disappear or they make no sense. It is scary. Yet I am still determined not to let this illness become who I am. It is a part of me, that I cannot change, it is now classed as a disability as I have had this for over 2 years yet I cannot give into it entirely. I still have to fight even if the only way to do that right now is mentally.

Long Covid Long Haulers are people who had ongoing symptoms for 12 weeks or more but it was expected to last only for up to six months. Many long haulers are now in their third year of symptoms with no end in sight.

If you know someone who has been affected by long COVID, please take the time to research it, it is in many ways an invisible illness yet it is destroying lives and people like me, very normal previously healthy people ( more often than not women between 30-50) are having such massive changes to their lives because of it. Be there for them. Show support. Try to understand it. I have a support network, many do not and the stories I see on the LC support groups are horrifying. COVID killed many and LC is continuing to change lives. If you know someone who has it and could benefit from reading this, please share. But above all please try to help understand this illness because many do not even some people who I know and love have belittled it unintentionally and that is very hard to take. It is very real.

Long Covid – Recovering From Covid 19

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Recovering from Covid 19 or Long Covid is not something I ever imagined writing about. I tested positive for Covid over four months ago via a home test. I’ve written about that here. At the time I was slightly worried but not overly so. I thought I may feel rough for a few weeks and then it would be done and I’d be immune for a little while.

Photo by CDCon Unsplash

However I was wrong and four months on Covid is still very much affecting my everyday life. Here are a few of the main symptoms which affect me every day:

Joint pain. All over but my legs in particular. Excruciating pain which feels like it is deep within my bones.

Endless fatigue. Just woke up = tired. Middle of day =exhausted. Mid afternoon= tired. Evening=knackered. It doesn’t matter if I rest more or rest less the fatigue is the same. It doesn’t seem to matter if I eat healthily or just junk.

Brain fog. Oh my word the level of distraction and confusion is insane. Just to give you an idea, I have been working on this draft for two weeks. Constantly editing completely random words or where I have clearly lost my train of thought.

Breathlessness. Whilst this has eased from the panicky times a few months ago it still affects me every day at some point.

Chest pain. My chest feels bruised and sore and almost like a heavy weight is on it most of the time.

Smell and taste. My sense of smell is still very much changed as is my sense of taste a lot of the time. Food tastes blander and my morning coffee often tastes like hot milky water.

Low mood/anxiety. This is a hard one to address some days but I try to get out in the fresh air no matter what the weather. Or I read things which can help pull me out of it or talk to someone.

Photo by Zach Reineron Unsplash

What am I doing to aid my recovery?

I thought it may be useful to put on here the things I am doing and taking to help my recovery process. I will update this from time to time.

  1. Supplements:

Vitamin D3 highest strength. All adults in the UK should be taking a vitamin D supplement through the winter months, especially now. I take the highest strength as recommended by my doctor. If you are also taking a multi vitamin make sure you adjust the strength accordingly.

Vitamin B12 oral spray. B12 is important in recovery of most viruses and can be absorbed better via an oral spray than as a tablet. It is more expensive but also more effective.

Magnesium body spray. Magnesium is important for the joint pain most people with long covid experience. Magnesium can be taken as a tablet but absorbed better via a spray onto your skin.

2. Medication:

This is prescribed via my GP so obviously discuss with your GP what would be appropriate for you.

Pregablin. I started this on a very low dose as I am intolerant to a lot of similar medications. I am now on 100mg in the day and 150mg at night and its likely i will need that to increase. Side effects can be rough especially at the beginning of each dose increase and particularly if you are sensitive to meds as I seem to be. These side effects do ease as your body gets used to the level of medication.

Naproxen. This is a strong anti inflammatory. I take this to ease my leg pain as and when needed but generally 3 x a day.

Omeprazole. This is to protect my stomach from the Naproxen.

Paracetamol. As and when needed again to help with pain. I can’t tolerate stronger pain meds such as tramadol or cocodamol.

3. Apps and support groups.

I use the Covid 19 recovery app released by NHS Wales recently to log symptoms etc.

I joined the long covid support group on Facebook which has been great for feeling less alone in what I am experiencing.

I have downloaded word apps\games to try to help my brain get back to normal and fight the brain fog.

4. Exercise/mental wellbeing

I try to walk each day if I can. Most days I only walk to the end of my road, crazy when prior to covid I was walking 15 thousand steps a day and going to the gym. walking and being outside is vital to my mental wellbeing so I am really hoping to be able to walk longer distances soon.

I do stretches morning and night to try to help my joints.

I try to do some very light exercise at home if I am able to throughout day and if not just get up and down from sitting position as much as possible to avoid DVT. Clots are quite common in long covid sufferers.

I record my thoughts and issues in a diary called The Positive Planner. It helps to keep me focused and record my moods and pain.

I talk to my parents and friends\family about how I’m feeling but some days I very much need to not talk and that is also ok.

5. Diet.

I am trying to eat as well as I can but some days my body seems to crave all the wrong kinds of foods. Covid can affect blood sugars, taste buds and metabolism. I have recently increased my intake of fresh fruit and veg and have tried to cut down salty, overly processed foods. I drink water all day. No caffeine after 2pm and limited to two cups of coffee in the morning.

On the Long Covid recovery group I joined recently, I asked if other sufferers had tips on how to recover from Long Covid. This is what they suggested:

Rest, rest and more rest. This was said over and over again by numerous people. With some illnesses it is recommended to push yourself afterwards to build up your strength but this does not seem to work with long covid. Most people who do this appear to suffer relapses more frequently. What some people suggested is finding your limit and doing slightly less than that to let your body fully heal.

Photo by Sincerely Mediaon Unsplash

A healthy diet. Some people cannot tolerate dairy or gluten for example after having covid. Keep food diaries and if something upsets your system then eliminate it for periods of time to see if it helps you.

Breathing exercises. You can find these on many youtube videos and on sites such as the NHS. I found when I was very breathless that the only thing which helped was lying on my stomach.

Many people have found help via daily anti histamines. Discuss anything like this with your GP.

Keep hydrated.

Many recommended supplements such as I have suggested above. Again discuss this with your GP.

Try to remain positive and talk to people about how you feel.

If you are suffering from Long Covid I’d love to know more about your journey and what you are doing to aid recovery. It is by far the worst illness I have had and I was previously fairly fit aside from an issue with my back. Don’t underestimate Covid and what it can do to you. Stay safe, protect your loved ones and don’t think that just because someone wasn’t hospitalised with this illness that it can’t have awful long lasting effects for them. Be supportive, help where you can and just be patient if someone you know is struggling with it.

We don’t talk about (Long) Covid no no…

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There are a lot of people who would prefer not to hear the word COVID again which I understand. It is the only thing to have happened in my lifetime at least which impacted every person regardless of wealth or location. We all felt the loneliness COVID brought into our lives, we all suffered in different ways. Many lost people they loved and others lost businesses, then you had the incredible impact on the mental health of those who went through a pandemic alone. It destroyed lives in so many ways that people don’t want to hear about it anymore but where does that leave those left with long COVID?

You even still have people who believe COVID wasn’t real and yet if that is the case why am I and millions of others now left with disabling symptoms which have forever changed our day to day lives?

As much as I along with everyone else would like to forget that period of time I cannot.

My life has changed immensely over the three years since I first contracted COVID in October 2020. I was the fittest I’d been in a very long time when I tested positive and I remember thinking well this is the best time for me to get this virus, I’ll fight it and then I’ll be immune to it for a while and get on with life. I was almost glad to get it out of the way because surely I’d be fine. That wasn’t the case and it’s now clear that the people affected with LC still, were for the majority very fit before infection, it also seems to affect women from 30-50 more than any other age group. We still don’t know why. I just know I went from going to the gym 3-5 times a week and walking up to 25k steps per day to being breathless walking to the end of the street. To learning to live with constant pain, fatigue and unbelievable brain fog. Then the scarier symptoms appeared like fast heart rate, palpitations and shortness of breath. I’ve had COVID three times and with each reinfection I’ve had more and more issues. It has’t gone away, it was a big deal and more needs to be done to support those still suffering. We need more research, more treatments available ( and not just for those who can afford private healthcare) and for there to be options other than this is now your life.

As I’ve said before if you know someone with Long Covid please support them as much as you can, please don’t belittle their condition. It does not mean just being tired or a little breathless, it is a disabling illness and for some it gets worse not better. I have written quite a bit about this subject so if you want to learn more please click here and if you want to get in touch please do, ask questions, get support and educate yourself. Coming up soon I’ll be sharing more about what I do daily to help manage my pain and symptoms.

Covid Then…Covid Now

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It is 3 years and 4 months since I first contracted Covid in October 2020. I was the first person in my family and friend groups and the only person I knew personally to have it, it was scary but I was the fittest I’d ever been and felt like if I was going to get it I was in the best shape to fight it. I expected to feel rotten for a week or two and then be glad it was done with and I’d be immune for a while. That was not the case. In January 2021 I was diagnosed with Long Covid and began experiencing the symptoms I still deal with daily today. I’ve had three further infections of covid since that time and with the third in June 2022 my symptoms worsened extremely quickly and they affect my daily life in so many ways. I am in pain every day at a level which although I am now used to is incredibly exhausting, I have become a master at masking my pain but it is there and it is constant. Some days are far worse than others of course. Here are a few of the symptoms which I deal with each day:

* Significant joint pain, particularly in my legs and feet. As someone who loved to walk up to 25k steps a day this has been a hard pill to swallow.

* Dysfunctional breathing. I have too much carbon dioxide in my blood and I have shortness of breath frequently.

* Heart rate issues. I have a much faster heart rate and irregular beats and palpitations.

* Fatigue. Now fatigue doesn’t mean you feel sleepy, fatigue is like walking through wet sand every day. I am never not tired on a level which I’ve only ever experienced on the worst days of very early pregnancy.

* Brain fog and concentration issues. I was an avid reader and writer pre covid. Now some days I find it hard to find the simplest of words and I have alarms for everything I need to remember.

* Neuropathy and hyperesthesia. Two big words which basically mean I have hyper sensitive skin, my skin can feel like it has sunburn or be sensitive to the lightest touch as well as pins and needles or crawling sensation and numbness.

* PEM or post exertional malaise – is the crash that occurs anytime I do too much of anything. Perhaps one day I feel a bit better and so I give the house a good sort out or I try to take my kids out somewhere, I may feel the effects of that exertion for a week or two and it causes a relapse in all of my symptoms. Some days that crash occurs whilst doing said activity like shopping, I feel like my battery goes from 50% to zero in a second.

* Digestive problems – stomach issues are common post covid and for many the use of anti inflammatory medication used to help with joint issues causes additional damage. I have severe acid reflux now which I’ve never experienced before and a sliding hiatal hernia which causes significant pain. Doctors believe gut issues are due to the fact that the stomach lining has a large amount of the receptors that the virus uses to invade cells.

* Histamine intolerance. Histamines are the cause of the acute inflammatory and hypersensitivity responses in Long Covid. It may mean you develop allergies or repeatedly get hives or rashes. I get very sore hands and as soon as the weather gets a little warmer they get a lot more painful with bumps and blisters.

* Hair loss and skin changes. I’ve experienced significant hair loss since having Covid. Luckily I have very thick hair and a lot of it otherwise it would be very visible.

There are more but I don’t want to bore you.

I am writing this whilst at the end of my 4th infection in January 2024. This time around felt very similar to the first, it is an incredibly nasty strain. Early symptoms included : incredible body aches, a high persistent temperature, very sore throat and a pounding headache. I am worried because I know it’s very likely that my LC symptoms will worsen. The latest LC studies show that of those who still had LC at the time of reinfection 80% saw their symptoms worsen, around 85% saw old symptoms return or new additional symptoms. In the 60% of people who were in recovery or remission, reinfection caused a recurrence of LC.

And to be honest this is why I’m writing this now. A lot of people think Covid isn’t important anymore, that there is no point in testing and no point in isolating. But it is important, in fact avoiding covid is crucial to people like me. It is also important that I know when I have it so that my doctors and I have an understanding of why my illness is getting worse and to take relevant medications or supplements to boost me at this time. It’s impossible to shield completely but you can protect people like me by testing yourself and staying away. Ignorance is bliss I know and I’ve had many a debate even with people in my own family who know love me and see everything I go through with this illness. Continuing to get Covid is damaging to me, it impacts my future health and my ability to be a present and active parent and in some cases it will still kill people. And it’s not just people with LC, anyone with immunity issues, heart or respiratory conditions or anyone currently receiving treatment such as chemotherapy could be severely affected by being infected. Also I’m sure most of us know someone who works in a hospital environment, if you pass it on to them it could be causing such problems for the patients they deal with. I can’t tell you what to do but I will urge you to think more, if you had norovirus ( the vomiting and diarrhoea bug) you wouldn’t think twice about spending time with other people, you’d stay away as it’s highly contagious and could make certain people very unwell, the same goes for Covid. For me and for every other person who this affects I urge you to think about the consequences and be considerate.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

What To Eat For Acid Reflux/ GERD

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Recently on top of all of my long covid symptoms I’ve had some pretty excruciating pain and symptoms of Acid Reflux. It is likely I’ve damaged my Oesophagus so as well as trying medication from my GP I am on a really restricted diet and wow for someone who enjoys cooking ( and eating ) as much as I do it is extremely hard. For those who don’t know, to treat severe acid reflux you need to avoid or massively limit the following foods:

Red Meat

Dairy

Most fats

Carbonated drinks

Alcohol

Citrus fruits

Most spices

All pepper and peppers

Chillies

White carbs

Fast or processed foods

Garlic

Onions

Mint

Chocolate

Tomatoes

Caffeine

And many more

Fun..ha well the last one is an exaggeration but it is limiting.

You also can’t eat for the last 3 hours before bed so bye bye late night snacks and you are advised to stay upright or move around after every meal as well as avoiding tight clothes while eating and immediately afterwards.

All of these foods can relax the oesophageal sphincter which in turn means acid can rise up into your oesophagus and throat.

I first noticed I had an issue when I felt like I had a constant lump in my throat, as well as often feeling like my food was getting stuck and being very aware of liquids travelling down my throat. Then I felt nausea frequently as well as burning pain in my chest and then the sour taste of acid in my mouth. I called the doctor mainly to check what heartburn meds they recommended alongside my beta blockers and when I described my symptoms my GP was quite concerned and started me on an immediate course of Omeprazole with the understanding that if my symptoms hadn’t improved in 4 weeks I would have to have further investigations.

In that 4 week period as well as the medication i drastically changed my diet and lifestyle. I cut out all fats other than olive oil, avocados and walnuts. I switched from dairy to almond milk and reduced my caffeine intake to 1 small cup of coffee first thing and cut out all tea, juice and soft drinks. I completely avoided red meat and white carbs and all citrus fruits as well as everything above. I mainly ate the following:

For breakfast:

Porridge with almond milk, banana and walnuts or avocado, egg whites and wholemeal bread

For lunch:

Soup of some kind ( typically carrot and coriander) or a baked potato with fat free cottage cheese and salad.

For dinner/tea:

Chicken or salmon with brown rice or pasta, cous cous or cauliflower rice and an abundance of veggies. For flavour I used fresh herbs and himalayan salt.

Snacks:

Bananas, apples, probiotic yoghurts, rice cakes or crackers with almond butter, walnuts or baked pretzels.

Drinks:

1 coffee a day, lots of water ( sometimes I treated myself with Fiji water or similar) or warm water with honey and ginger.

I also had to use a lot of OTC antacids because as I discovered these things do not fix themselves overnight and omeprazole each morning.

What did I find:

Well I started using a nutrition app to make sure I was still getting all I needed and discovered most days I was eating around 1200 calories, those late night snacks make a difference hey and I lost around 13lbs in the first few weeks. My nails grew quicker and my skin was clearer but my symptoms remained the same. My goal wasn’t to lose weight but most of these kinds of health conditions improve with less belly fat so it was a bonus I guess.

Where I am now..

So I am now 6 weeks into my very restricted diet and I’ve lost around 16lbs. My doctor asked me to stop taking my Omeprazole two weeks ago to have a test which unfortunately cannot be done while taking PPI medication as it masks things. The omeprazole clearly has been doing something as since stopping I am in a ridiculous amount of pain. Peptic is my new best friend. I have had the test done today so am hoping to start back my medication soon. I have had one or two days where I’ve had to for various reasons eat something outside of my diet and I’ve paid for it but that’s life.

I’ll provide an update soon!

Guilt

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This is something that’s been on my mind for a long time. We all know that as parents parental guilt is something we all feel from time to time. For me though lately it seems to creep into every day. I hit a point last week where I just had a bit of a culmination of all of the feels and I spent the majority of the day in tears.

We’ve all had times where we feel we aren’t doing enough as parents, not doing enough activities, not taking your children to enough fun places or sometimes just not being present enough. For me being a mother is the most important role in my life, I am there for my children whenever they need me, whether that is for help with schoolwork or fun stuff or to talk about any problems they have. I know this, I know in my heart that I am doing everything and probably more than I am actually capable of at this time. But to me it’s still not enough. I am not well and haven’t been for the best part of two years but the last 12 months my physical symptoms have exacerbated to a point where most days I have physical limitations on what I can do. I have gone from being someone who walks 20,000 steps daily and is a regular gym goer to someone who really struggles on days with the school run. I can’t chase my kids around like I used to or go and do fun activities like climbing walls and trampoline parks. Does this mean I am trying less? No. Do they blame me for this? Also no. My children who are wonderfully kind and empathetic totally understand my limitations. And there for me that is the problem. I don’t want them to get it. I don’t want them to say mam don’t do that you are too tired or when will your long covid go? Or spotting my grimace when I stand or walk even when I try so hard to pretend I am fine.

Life is hard, we all know this but childhood should be free and full of joy. I try my hardest to make my children’s lives as happy and wondrous as it can be. But this, this is the hardest part of parenting I have ever done.

I know I am a good mother. I support my girls emotions. I am there for them every step of the way as they navigate growing up. I need to stop putting this stupid amount of pressure on myself to be perfect, to be what I cannot be in this moment.

I am doing everything in my power to get better, yet I may not, get better that is. I may be like this for the rest of my life or it could get worse. I am still hopeful that something will change, I cannot and will not give into it.

I hope that my girls know when they are older how hard I tried for them and look back and remember a happy and loving home in spite of this illness. I hope it doesn’t define any part of their childhood and I hope they never blame me for this.

I hope that one day this burden of guilt gets lighter. I hope I learn to give myself a break. For now writing this has helped, I know others will feel the same and I hope reading this helps you know you are not alone.

I will fight for my health harder for the ones that I love than I would purely for myself. I have to be better, for them. Not just my children but for my partner who supports me and deserves more and for my parents who I know worry about me and that is unfair.

I hope this hasn’t read as a pity party because it’s not. I know the way I speak to myself in my head is important and getting these feelings out will help me move on. I am enough, even when I am not. And so are you.

11 Years Of Blogging

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Today marks 11 years since I first wrote a post on Munchies and Munchkins. 11 years. When I first wrote a post I imagined I’d write for maybe 6 months then get bored and that would be that. My blog started following a period of time in my maternity leave with Izzy when I would share food photos and recipes on Twitter, this was before I had Instagram and well I guess you could say I was ahead of my time ( for possibly the first time in my life). I built up a small but engaged audience on Twitter, most of whom still follow and engage with the blog. I’d often get people asking why I didn’t write a food blog so I decided to give it a whirl, one of my followers even helped come up with the blog name – thanks Sian.

My first posts were random and well blurry but I can’t delete them as it’s all part of the journey. I didn’t imagine when I started that it would become such a big part of my life or that it would lead me onto collaborations and press trips and create friendships that I still have to this day. In times of sadness and darkness my blog has been my respite and therapy, there have also been times I haven’t looked at it for months at a time apart from when I want to make one of my own recipes..yes I use my own blog as a recipe folder for myself.

I remember so clearly the first fun opportunity I had from blogging. I had replied to a tweet from Camp Bestival on Twitter saying wow this looks amazing ( because it did) and that I may try to attend the following year when I was back in work because maternity pay doesn’t really allow for luxuries. They replied saying yes you should blah blah blah. Later that night I had a direct message from a man called Bruce saying how would you and your family like to attend and you can write about it on your blog in exchange for tickets. I didn’t want to give any false expectations, I had been blogging only about 6 weeks and I had less than 500 views so I told him this and he was like it’s okay let’s do this. That was the start of 4 years of being a Camp Bestival ambassador. In the following 12 months of that first opportunity it seemed I was getting contacted every other day offering me free food or toys for Izzy, I excitedly would say yes and write a long thorough article for maybe £5 worth of free food…I wasn’t stupid by the way I just didn’t realise that my site was of value to these businesses and really I should have been charging or building a relationship with them not just saying yay free pasta. We live, we learn.

I don’t accept 90% of what I get offered these days, sometimes because there is no fit for it on my site, sometimes because there is no value to me doing it and more and more these last three years I’ve realised my time and energy are valuable. But I do actually do more in terms of sharing things I’ve not been asked to share, promoting businesses I love while still occasionally doing reviews and product round ups. Don’t get me wrong if I get offered a product I love or normally the girls even if it’s a few pounds worth of value sometimes it’s worth it because it’s natural to promote. My blog doesn’t fit in any particular category, I may post a recipe today, a rant about the news tomorrow and a long ramble about life the next day. I write about food, family, travel, lifestyle, physical health, mental health and the world we live in. This doesn’t always fit with the PR scope for a brand and it has probably hindered my blog from being more successful- I mean I know that if I’d focused solely on food and recipes my blog would be a lot busier and I’d get more paid work. But you know what, it’s just not me. This is who I am, I’m not a neat tidy thing you can pigeon hole, my life is messy and I ramble in real life not just on here. I can’t pretend to be something I’m not and yet I am proud of this blog, this thing I’ve created that supported me and others like me. I mean how many bloggers write about air fryer recipes but also tackle birth trauma, depression, strep B, long covid with a chocolate salted caramel cake to finish it off?

The last 2.5 years I’ve struggled with writing, I still do. This post would have taken me 15 minutes to breezily write before I got ill. Now I will write it over the space of weeks with many re reads and edits and still it may not make perfect sense. My brain is not what it was but the only way to get it back to that is by exercising it so these posts are the equivalent of me doing yoga for my brain.

I want to thank each and every one of you that has read the blog and even more so those that have reached out and interacted with me on social media as a result of my blog, I’ve made some incredible friendships and you really have supported me through some of the roughest periods of my life.

I asked a few of the bloggers and PRs that I’ve worked with to say a few words about the blog and ah they made me shed a few tears I tell you. Take a look:

Jonathan from The Plate Licked Clean, Ask Barney and Find My Dine:

“ I have always enjoyed Becky’s writing : hers was one of the blogs I’d always read before starting mine, soaking up reviews, recipes and more for years. Lately though, I’ve admired the way her focus has shifted onto sharing her struggles with her changing health. Never in a self- pitying way, but in a way I know others wrestling in similar conditions will find useful and relatable. Practical and engaging, and even managing to find humour in her situation, she writes with empathy and clarity. Here’s to the next 11 years.”

Kacie from The Rare Welshbit:

“Back in 2018, Becky and I were paired up and sent to Belfast together on a press trip, as complete strangers. Luckily, we really hit it off and spent several memorable days exploring Belfast’s food and drink scene together. “We’ve been lucky to enjoy lots of exciting experiences together since, from wining and dining across south-west Wales with Food and Drink Wales; to drinking in Becky’s local pub until the early hours, and waking up to one of her banging bacon butties in the morning. “Thank you for all the happy memories together, Becky! I’m looking forward to seeing what the next 11 years holds for you and your blog.”

Me and Kacie on a press trip.

Sophie from SophieLeBrozec.com:

“I first ‘met’ Becky of Munchies and Munchkins on Twitter back in the early days of our blogs, and I instantly felt a connection. I loved the love and passion that oozed out of every beautiful word she wrote – whether in a tweet or a blog post – and she quickly became an online friend.

We got to meet in person for the first time at Britmums Live in June 2013 and it was as if we’d known each other forever. Becky was as incredible and amazing in real life as she was online, and it was fab to hang out together at this wonderful blogging event.

The blogging world is no longer what it was in 2012 when we first dipped our toes in the water, but Munchies and Munchkins is one of the only blogs that still holds my interest.

Lucie Herring from Gilded Herring PR:

Have worked with Bec on numerous campaigns for our clients and she is always an absolute pleasure. Her posts are as fun and engaging as she is, and ruthlessly honest. Look forward to watching the blog continue in all its glory!

Filed Under: Life ·

Turning 40

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I turn 40 in less than two months. 40. That age that when I was a child seemed like old age yet now feels like I blinked after turning 25 and here I am. I’m not worried about turning 40, it doesn’t feel like a huge change yet it is. 40 is very different to being IN your 30’s. It feels like a different statement is made when you say I’m 40 as to when you say you are late 30’s especially as a woman.

Women of my generation are lucky in that in most cases women are now getting celebrated at all ages. We see stories every day of women who started careers at 40 or 50, female actors winning awards and sometimes even not choosing to start families until they are my age. 40 is not over the hill by any means but it just feels different.

I think for me the biggest issue I have with it is that I don’t feel healthy or well and the older I get the more that seems like it may be something I can’t change. I am doing everything I can to better myself and get well but a lot of it is out of my control. I imagined having big parties and weeks of celebrations for my 40th but I can’t think of many things right now which wouldn’t cost me too much physically to do. I know my family, my friends and my partner will want to make it a big deal for me and I appreciate that in so many ways yet the thought of it alone is tiring.

In lockdown I had a few things I knew I wanted to achieve before my 40th, then I caught covid in October 2020 and quite honestly nothing has been the same since. I wasn’t hospitalised, thankfully I didn’t die ( obviously) but my life has been significantly impacted by a virus which honestly when I caught it I thought oh great I can get this out of the way now and thank goodness I am at the best fitness I’ve been in for a long time so I can beat it. Um no covid doesn’t work like that and long covid sufferers are more than likely to be women of my age who were previously fit. I’ve had to adapt my life and there are some goals which I’ve had to put on the back burner maybe forever.

I am determined that this next year will see an improvement in some way in my health. I am determined to make my life better for my girls and my partner and my family. It will not be easy but I will do it. Not sure how exactly but I will. For now I am going to look to my 40th and find a way to share that time and celebrate it with the ones I love.

I bet you missed my rambles? More to come I’m sure…

Ways To Manage Chronic Pain

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Not a post I ever thought I’d have to write but having suffered with chronic pain for the last two years I thought some of the little tips I have picked up may be of use to someone.

Long COVID (link will lead you to my latest update ) is very real and for many sufferers chronic pain has become the norm. For me my pain is mostly in my legs, it does spread to other parts such as my back and arms some days but every day I have significant pain in my legs and feet. I am on a very long waiting list to be seen by the pain management clinic and also the neurology department as most of my symptoms point towards nerve damage. I am unfortunately unable to take anti inflammatory medication and a lot of the common pain relieving tablets and nerve pain tablets. This is in itself incredibly frustrating as the only actual medication I currently take is paracetamol which as you can imagine barely touches the pain I am in. Because of this I have had to find other ways to help manage my pain, none of the things I do take the pain away but it helps to stop it becoming unbearable some days.

Here is a little list of my pain tools:

1. Heat. Heat helps my pain levels and is probably my most used form of pain relief. I have a heated electric underblanket on my bed. Heated throws on my sofa, a heat and massage pad, long water bottles and when out and about I sometimes use the sticky heat pads ( these aren’t always useful as my pain is over such a large area). Obviously these aren’t cheap and also the majority of them use an electric power source which as we know is expensive these days.

2. Water. The only time I get real relief for a period of time is when I am fully submerged in the bath. Being able to soak in the hot tub is also beneficial but a rarity these days as they cost so much to power and heat.

3. Magnesium sprays. The best way to absorb magnesium is through your skin so I buy a spray from Amazon and spray on my legs when the pain is severe. It does give an uncomfortable tingling sensation and unfortunately this can interrupt my sleep at times and definitely do not recommend using straight after shaving your legs!

4. Capsaicin cream. I get this on prescription from my GP. Recently it has been hard to source in the strength I need it due to national shortages. The cream is made from chillier and is quite burny to say the least. Also don’t forget to wash it off before a soak in the bath as it can be incredibly painful when added to hot water.

5. Clothing. Weirdly clothing has a big impact on my pain, I get extreme skin sensitivity and often tight gym style leggings are the best option as anything loose rubbing on my skin feels like it’s touching sunburn. Other days then I cannot tolerate the tightness on my legs so I wear bamboo pyjamas as it is the best fabric against my skin. Jeans are mostly a no go.

6. Massage or vibration. I have a heat and massage pad and also a vibro plate. Some days this helps enormously other days the pain is too much to tolerate the vibration.

7. A decent mattress. I have had to invest in a bamboo mattress topper, a new mattress was a bit outside my stretch financially but this mattress topper means I feel less pressure on my joints and is helping with my sleep too as lots of pain means you get very very tired.

8. Rest. Long COVID is one of the only illnesses where you are not advised to push yourself a little more each today to get fitter and healthier. In fact it will 9 times out of 10 make you feel worse. You have to rest but when in pain rest is difficult so this one is a bit of a battle.

9. Support. You need support from family and friends when you are in constant high levels of pain. My family are amazing and help with school runs and food shopping and I wouldn’t cope without them.

10. Taking care of mental health. Chronic pain can cause huge issues with mental health, feeling like you have no way out or no signs of improvement can make you feel incredibly low so you need to find your coping mechanisms and speak to your doctor to manage this.

11. With a growing number of individuals seeking alternative pain management options, medical cannabis has emerged as a popular alternative. According to research medical cannabis could potentially help manage chronic pain. If you’re looking to explore the possible advantages of medical cannabis and discover more about its applications you might find the Alternaleaf website to be a useful resource.

Do you have any tips for dealing with chronic pain? I’d love to hear any that you have and if any one needs advice or a chat about long COVID feel free to comment or drop me an email.

Living With A Chronic Health Condition

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At the age of 39 I didn’t expect to be living with a chronic health condition, much less one that resulted from a virus that 3 years ago I’d never heard of. I’m one of the many people worldwide who are suffering ongoing issues as a result of Long Covid.

The symptoms vary from person to person but most people have fatigue, joint pain, shortness of breath or chest pain and brain fog amongst other things. The same brain fog that has meant every post I write on here now is triple checked because my brain quite simply does not work in the same way anymore. Posts that may have taken me hours before now take days, weeks, I have some in my drafts that I simply cannot complete as I just can’t do it. I am not putting pressure on myself in this regard just recognising that my brain needs to be exercised in order to keep it from deteriorating. For me the biggest issues by far have been the joint pain and fatigue, I never really understand what chronic pain meant but unfortunately I do now. My legs hurt every day, every minute of the day. Some times I can almost ignore it as I am so used to it but every day at some point it will be overwhelming. Most of you won’t see this as I do mask it pretty well and also it can become frustrating to constantly feel like you are complaining about an issue that has no end date in sight.

I am in a number of Long Covid support groups and it’s frightening how many people have had to completely change their lives as a result of Long Covid. Many are in a far worse position that me having to use wheelchairs and make adaptions to their home to be able to manage their new lives. Companies like Age Co Mobility are able to help with making changes to your home, such as bathroom improvements and even stair lifts.

I use various things at home to help manage my symptoms, I have a heated massage pad, a vibro plate and electric heated blankets on my bed and sofa as my legs are far worse when they are cold. I am thankfully at a point where I don’t feel I need to make any changes to my home but like many my symptoms have deteriorated quickly this last year and I know there is always a possibility I may need to make some bigger changes to my life.

It is one of the only illnesses where it has already been recognised that pushing yourself day by day to exercise is detrimental to your healing. Long Covid sufferers have to learn the art of pacing, knowing that even on your good days you cannot do too much or you will indeed suffer for days sometimes weeks afterwards. Rest is key, it is the only way your body will heal and as a busy mother of two this has been the hardest thing to accept. You can no longer do all of the things and expect to get better.

It can also affect your mental health, sufferers are more likely to be depressed and anxious and it’s easy to understand why. It is so important to recognise the need to look after your mental health as much as your physical health. Reach out for help, talk about it and above all do not feel guilty for the things you cannot do.

Have you been affected by Long Covid? How has it changed the way you live your life?

*Collaborative post with Age Co Mobility.

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