Learning to take better care of myself

Maria
January 27, 2016

I am always on the go and not one of these people that can sit still for very long. It’s in my nature to be always be doing something. I have lots of mental checklists in my head of things that need doing all the time and of course the housework is always a losing battle!

I work, look after the boys, run the house (mainly), take care of the bills and paperwork etc… I seem to be living life at such a pace that I find it hard to just stop.

This week I’ve realised that I need to be taking much better care of myself.

I currently have a horrible cold sore on my lip, a cold and an eye infection.

My body is telling me I’m run down. My body is telling me to stop and rest. My brain however doesn’t seem to want to compute these messages but I know I must listen this time.

I’ve also been suffering on an off with migraines, vertigo and sudden loss of hearing in my left ear and tinnitus. This has been ongoing since November and doesn’t seem to be getting better.

I’ve been to the doctors a handful of times to try and get to the bottom of it but they keep telling me that the fluid in my left ear will eventually drain and that the migraines and vertigo are down to a condition called BPPV (Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo)

I’ve been prescribed anti-dizziness tablets for when the vertigo starts and I was told to learn the epley manoeuvre to combat this too.

Yesterday my husband read an article on the Daily Mail (I know, I know!) about a woman who seems to have the same symptoms as me and she was diagnosed as having a non-cancerous tumour on her brain called an acoustic neuroma.

That was enough of a prompt for me to take action and see the doctor again to ask to be referred to a specialist.

Thankfully this time they listened and agreed. They said that tinnitus that doesn’t go away after 6-8 weeks needs to be checked out so I’m off to see an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENTS) specialist tomorrow. Apparently, approximately 20 people out of a one million are diagnosed with accoustic neuroma so I am hopeful the specialist will rule this out or at least start the steps in finding out what I can do to offset some of these symptoms.

From now on, I am going to set aside some downtime for myself each week which involves not being in front of the laptop or phone. I am going to try and get to bed by 10.30pm at least once a week too and generally be more mindful of being kinder to my body. I am going to learn how to relax a bit and not feel like I have to be doing things all the time.

About The Author

Hello and welcome to Suburban Mum! I'm Maria and I'm mum to two boys - E who's 14 and M who's 11. This blog is about my family, the ups and downs of being a working mum and everything in between. If you want to find out more about me and my family head over to our About us page.

18 thoughts on “Learning to take better care of myself”

Coombe Mill (Fiona)
30th January 2016 at 10:29 pm

I hope you stick to your aims here, time for yourself is important #KCACOLS

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A Cornish Mum
30th January 2016 at 11:53 pm

Oh Maria, I hope it all turns out okay and you can start to feel better as well. It’s awful when you feel run down. I tend to get mouth ulcers and dry skin when I’m run down, but you’re really having a rough time of it by the sounds of it 🙁

Thanks for linking up to #PicknMix
Stevie xx

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The Years Are Short
31st January 2016 at 9:19 am

I hope you get the answers you need from your specialist and that they’re able to help you manage your symptoms (also that it’s not anything serious!) Great that you’ve decided to be proactive in the meantime and start managing your lifestyle in a way that supports your health. Hope you feeling 100% again soon! #kcacols

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Handy Herbs
31st January 2016 at 12:06 pm

I hope everything turns out positively for you Maria. How worrying 🙁 I think so many of us don’t take enough care of ourselves. I think we could all benefit from putting a little time aside for relaxation. Good luck 🙂 #KCACOLS

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Fi - Beauty Baby and Me
31st January 2016 at 12:25 pm

My goodness you have had a hard time of it chick – I hope you’re ok. I’m glad you’re getting it sorted it out and make sure you do take good care of yourself. It’s so important to do so and will make you feel better from the inside out xx #KCACOLS

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Someone's Mum
31st January 2016 at 12:39 pm

Hope you feel better soon and the doctor rules anything nasty out. I can empathise with this post a lot. I feel so run down and busy and there are a million little niggling things I know I should get checked out. I never seem to feel well but it’s hard to know how much of that is related to my very poor work-life balance and how much is actually worrying. Take care #KCACOLS

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Min
31st January 2016 at 4:50 pm

Hope all goes well. I have been ill so many times since embarking on parenthood, and I know it’s the lack of sleep and general wearing myself out. #KCACOLS

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Becky, Cuddle Fairy
1st February 2016 at 10:53 am

I’ve come to the same conclusion myself. I need some down town away from the laptop. I have been on social media during this time but that kind of defeats the point so I’ll have to leave the phone in the other room too. It can get all too overwhelming otherwise. I have the same issue with my left year & I’ve been waiting years to be seen. It’s a terrible nuisance! I hope you get yours sorted out soon. #PicknMix

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A Moment With Franca
1st February 2016 at 7:22 pm

Oh no Maria I didn’t realise that you were feeling all these symptoms! I’m really sorry to hear that! 🙁 I hope everything goes well at your appointment. Please let me know if you need anything! It could be that you are having also stress from doing so much! So it is a good idea to slow down a little bit! Good luck and fingers crossed it is just something silly. Thanks so much for sharing this at #KCACOLS. I would love to see you again on Sunday! 🙂 x

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Tin Box Traveller
1st February 2016 at 9:10 pm

Down time is so important and I’m just as guilty of being on the go all the time. How on earth you’ve managed with all these symptoms I’ll never know! You’re obviously one tough cookie and I’m sure that’s going to be just as useful in helping you get better. I hope they get to the bottom if it all soon and you can enjoy some quality you time as well as everything else you have to juggle! x #KCACOLS

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The Speed Bump
1st February 2016 at 10:51 pm

Sorry to hear you’ve been feeling poorly, fingers crossed for your appointment! x #KCACOLS

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Rachel B
3rd February 2016 at 8:33 pm

Oh Maria so sorry to hear your unwell 🙁 i hope you start to feel better soon. It definitely sounds like your body is telling you to ease off a little and relax 🙂 Rachel B. #KCACOLS

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MummyandMonkeys
4th February 2016 at 8:45 pm

Oh no you must be worried, I hope the specialist can help to put your mind at rest. I had tinnitus when I was pregnant it was very annoying. Turned out to be aneamia and very low bp causing it.Thanks for linking to #PickNMix x

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mommyslittleprincesses
5th February 2016 at 12:46 pm

Oh goodness me I hope you get to the bottom of it really soon and that you make a speedy recovery. It’s hard to look after yourself when you’re as busy you are. Good luck hon and I hope you feel better soon!xx #KCACOLS

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Lisa Savage
24th February 2016 at 8:51 am

Oh Maria! You poor thing – I agree wholeheartedly that you need to slow down a bit honey. You were right to listen to the signs your body was giving you! Good luck at the hospital (and hopefully its nothing). Do you have any holidays planned? Maybe its time to think about some? And when you’re up to it lets go for cake and coffee again xxxxx

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