Apologies in advance to all the nice medical professionals out there, the doctors who listen, show empathy, respect their patients but  really, I've had enough of the other kind.

I've unfortunately had WAY too much contact with doctors in the last while, starting with the time my Dad was in hospital.

My Carotid Artery Dissection has meant endless visits, monitors, checks and more and a recurring theme has been lack of understanding, lack of interest in learning, and above all, arrogance.

I'm unlucky in that I have a condition which isn't very common so knowledge is thin on the ground - my GP admitted that he had never come across it before and the hospital locums (although they like to pretend otherwise) know little more.

What I would like above all, is to be heard and to have my symptoms taken seriously. A recent unpleasant experience was the final straw for me. I sat and described many of my ongoing symptoms - burning scalp, droopy sore eye, pressure behind and around my eye socket, unbelievable fatigue that makes the smallest of tasks an ordeal and the response??

 'Well, there's nothing to treat here.'

Seriously??

Perhaps in the truest sense, it was a logical and correct response because it's possible (probable even) that nothing can be done.

However, the casual dismissal of symptoms that have made my life pretty miserable seemed intensely callous at the time and not only that but I had the strongest sense that I was being pegged as a neurotic who had nothing better to do than obsess and possibly make up symptoms.

That was the thing that annoyed me most, enforced inactivity has been the hardest part of this whole experience - I'm a person who hates to sit still for any length, I'm always doing things and have done my utmost to remain busy and keep positive. The reality of my physical ailments is undeniable though, no matter what I do, they are slowing me down and making me feel vulnerable.

Even now, writing this, my head feels sore, my scalp incredibly sensitive, my left eye is really bothered by the light and I've had to pause numerous times to close my eyes because looking at the screen is making me feel horrible.
And yes, I could step away but blogging has been incredibly therapeutic for me so the benefit outweighs the pain right now :)

I was told in the hospital that my initial taste issues had nothing to do with the tear in my artery. I had to research myself to find out that it was very much connected and was due to damage to cranial nerves.

I don't expect the doctors to know everything, that would be impossible - what I do expect is that they would show a willingness to learn and inform themselves of a condition that they may come across again.

To not pretend that they know everything.

And finally, to maybe once in a while actually read my file before I come into the room so that I don't have to repeat the same story again and again.

Is it too much to ask?

Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net and Dream Designs

Sometimes I think, you forget what's on your own doorstep. I'm so lucky to live in Kilcullen, I've loved it from the moment we moved here many years ago.
There are lots of great shops and places to eat in the town and as today was so gorgeous we decided to take a stroll down to the town and have some lunch. Mark had some paintings exhibited in An Tearmann so I wanted to have a wee look and also have a ramble around the nature walk in the Bridge Community. This is such a fantastic amenity to have near us, it's a really peaceful place to have a wander or even to just sit by the river. Today it looked particularly beautiful as the sun shone and lots of flowers were still in bloom.

It's been a while since I've done a craft/small business post and today I thought I'd share my favourite apps, the ones I absolutely can't live without!

First up is Camera+ - although this isn't strictly a business app, you'll know that if you have a craft business, taking good photos is essential. What I love about this app is the editing facilities. It has a great selection of filters with the option to buy more and it's excellent if your light quality is not great. A little bit of tweaking in the 'lab' will make your photo much brighter and clearer.

Here are a few photos I edited in Camera+ recently:




My third choice is one I couldn't live without - it's invoice2go. I'm currently using an older version which I bought some time ago - the link I've provided is to the newer version which has some costs but you may be able to find an alternative. This one is really indispensable for me as I use it to create and email invoices for shops. I can also keep track of payments and send wee reminders if invoices are overdue. It's great when it comes to end of year tax time and all the invoices are in one place and it also provides a link if customers would like to pay through PayPal.




Speaking of PayPal, my next selection has got to be PayPal. This is a scaled down version of the website so obviously doesn't have the same range of functionality but it will give you a list of payments, allow you to send/request payments and transfer money to your bank. I've also used it at craft markets to accept payment, quick and easy, especially if the customer has the Paypal app.



Last but not least, Mailchimp is a free mailing app - again there is more functionality on the web but if you're like me and try to fit in business tasks on the train or on the go in general, this is so handy for checking how previous campaigns are doing or for creating a newsletter to send to customers.




Here are some more #craftbiz posts:

Crafters Guide to Markets

Pricing your Craft

Selling your Product to Retailers

You'd have to be living under a rock not to be aware that the refugee situation/problem/crisis, call it what you will - is a huge news topic at the moment. That's not surprising.  The fact that so many human beings no longer have a safe place to live and need help is a humanitarian crisis on a massive scale.  Reading this BBC news article on Syria, I was shocked to see that over 4 million people have fled Syria since the start of the conflict. I can't even imagine the terror and fear these people have experienced, it literally is beyond my imagining.

What I do know, though, is that every human being should be allowed to live in safety and dignity, have enough to eat and a roof over their heads.  I feel incredibly privileged to live in a country which is safe, where my rights are for the most part respected, where I can voice my opinions and democratically select our country's leaders.  I take it for granted most of the time and then when I see how others are suffering I thank my lucky stars that I'm so blessed.



Which brings me to the point of this blog post. I have been uplifted by so many positive stories of people donating and offering their time. What has not been so edifying, though, is the amount of racist posts I have seen in my Facebook timeline. To say that I'm disgusted actually doesn't even cover it. In fact, seeing one more of these posts this morning led me to put the following message up as my status:

'Ok I'm unfriending anyone who shares racist crap from now on because frankly it's offensive and I don't want to see it on my timeline. I don't want to see ridiculous 'homeless vs. refugee' bullshit. I also don't want to see 'all those foreigners with different coloured skin must be terrorists and are coming to blow up our countries' nonsense. Seriously, what kind of morons buy into that crap.'

It was a bit of a 'last straw' post but I meant it. It's astonishing how many people are willing to regurgitate gutter press right wing sentiment without question. Many such posts are prefaced by the classic 'I'm not a racist but..' statement.

Wait a minute though, you know what? You ARE a racist.

From the Oxford Dictionary Online:

'Prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is superior:'

We're not superior, through blind chance and fortune we have our safety and prosperity and I firmly believe that this should be shared with others, who, through no fault of their own, are fleeing for their lives.

If I could sum up the last week, the one word I'd use would be tiredness, not a great word to sum up a week perhaps but it hasn't been all bad. My lack of energy seems to have emptied my brain of any inspiration and I was feeling guilty for my lack of blog posts so here's my easy way out - a summary of my week in photos :)