We've got two cats at home, Tigger and Cleo (whose name technically is Cleopatra, but we hated that so shortened it). When we first got them the RSPCA told us that they were sisters and that they were four years old. WRONG! When we last took them to the vet for their boosters/ check-ups, he told us that Cleo is actually about fourteen and is most likely Tigger's mum. But they're both perfectly happy and healthy. Cleo used to be really shy at first but now she's full of it; she loves attention and will follow you around wherever you go. Tigger also loves attention, but a bit too much. She is ALWAYS on my bed which I really don't mind- I actually love it. But there are times that I wonder if a wet nose wiping itself around my face is really necessary at four in the morning.
The other thing about Tigger is that she is very, very fat (she's the one lying down by the way). She had a weight problem when we got them and we assumed that she'd been overfed in her last home. But it turned out that Tigger, being the more dominant one, was eating all of Cleo's food. She still does it and we've tried everything, from locking Tigger upstairs and letting Cleo eat first, to feeding them at different times, to putting their bowls in two separate places. None of it's worked; Cleo doesn't want it straight away and Tigger gets angry at being away from it.
I do love having my two cats though. ME is a very isolating illness; I'm basically hidden away upstairs in my bed ALL day and everyone's out at work or whatever, so even though I have carers in three times a day it can be really lonely. So Tigger and Cleo are pretty good company really, and they're very loyal.
I also spend time, when I'm able to tolerate it, on Facebook. I absolutely LOVE it; it makes it so easy to keep in touch with people, especially because I haven't got the energy to tell people the same thing over and over again separately. I can also still get all the latest gossip that I wouldn't get otherwise! Anyway, my best friend Alice is about to have a baby and is supposed to be induced on Monday. But she announced on Facebook this morning that she's on the way to giving birth right now, and I'm so excited! I'm supposed to be going to the pain clinic at the hospital on Wednesday; it's going to be interesting getting there to say the least as a team of people are coming to carry me downstairs and into the car, and travelling in itself makes me really ill. The person from the pain clinic won't come to me, they wouldn't even visit me on the ward for my last appointment, so I kind of have no choice. But I'll try and pop over if Alice is still there. One very hard part of ME is that you miss out on so much. I haven't been to a meet up with all our friends for months now- I've even had to miss my own graduation. So to go to see the new baby would be a very very special thing indeed. We'll have to see how it goes, because obviously the journey to/ from the hospital and my appointment will tire me out enough. But seeing the baby will definitely be worth the payback.
A good while ago now I joined a charity called AYME- Association of Young People with ME. It's such an amazing charity; to say they've been a big source of support is an understatement. There are lots of people under 26 there who all have ME and I've made some very close friends, a lot of whom I text and have on Facebook. One lovely person also lives in Taunton
and came to see me twice in hospital. That was really nice because I could talk about all the problems I was having and she understood. I mean she REALLY understood. I think one thing that brings us all together is the fact that we do all understand exactly where each other is coming from. It's one of those illnesses that to truly understand what it feels like you have to have been there yourself. That's not to say of course that all we talk about is our ME- far from it! We talk about literally anything, from what's on TV to trying to talk to each other in the third person (that's always hilarious)! They are such a fantastic bunch of people, truly inspirational and I have a lot of time for them.
If you're a severely affected member, as I am, you're known as a 'SAM'. You can join the SAMs database and get all sorts of special services; a pen pal who writes every two weeks but doesn't expect you to reply, email updates when you're too poorly too see what generally has been going on with everyone, birthday and Christmas cards, a teddy bear made by someone who's not severe and a special SAMs newsletter sent out to you, along with many other things. In the newsletter I got a few days ago, Rob told me that they're running a competition for the SAM who has the best decorated Christmassy bedroom. Obviously being bed-bound I spend a LOT of time in my room so of course I'm going to enter it! Rob's mum went and got me some gorgeous pink tinsel to start me off which Rob's put up around my bed. I'm getting VERY competitive on this one! (I think I might have a bit too much time on my hands!?)
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