Our beautiful rex rabbit, Jessie, sadly died this month. It was a shock to us all – she was a wonderful rabbit with loads of personality and will be sadly missed. She died in my daughter’s arms on 24^th, so at least we were with her when she went.

The house has been chaos as we’ve got the builders in doing a bathroom transformation (all will be revealed) and the rest of it all seems to be medical drama this month.

First of all, I received my Covid jab (wooohooo!) and I’ve also been to see neurologists and opthlamologists, plus I’ve had my adjuvant treatment for breast cancer changed. Let me explain…

Health life

In last month’s round-up, I mentioned that I’d been for an MRI scan following an increase in headaches and migraines. My oncologist was a little concerned that I didn’t get one headache or migraine while having chemo, but they’ve come back with a vengeance now that my treatment is over. Turns out she was right to get me checked out – the MRI scan found fluid on the brain and this was leaking behind the eyes, so I went to the opthlamologist to have my eyes properly looked at. They did test after test – and thankfully, it all appears fine; my eyes are ‘super healthy’ (in the opthlamologist’s own words).

I’ve been so worried that it was something serious, but it appears not. The medical examinations are ongoing at the moment, but for now they are treating me for migraine and have increased my nortriptyline dosage and are apparently going to try me on a nasal spray, which will act quicker than tablets as it bypasses the stomach. I’ll keep you posted!

Talking of changing medication, I was on monthly Zoladex implants following the chemo and radiotherapy and it was always a bit of a pain as I’d have to go to the doctors every 4 weeks – on the dot.

I’d heard that some women received Prostap injections (which is what men who’d had prostate cancer are usually offered) and mentioned this to my oncologist because I’d only have to have these every 12 weeks and it’s a jab rather than an implant. She said (at the time) that it wasn’t protocol – they had only put vulnerable people on them in the first lockdown so that they could do a better job of shielding.

As I’m classed as someone who is ‘high risk’, my oncologist suggested that given we’re having another lockdown, I switch to the Prostap jab so that I can shield better. This was music to my ears as it meant I don’t have to face the implant every 4 weeks (it comes round so quickly) and actually feel like I get a bit of a break in between treatment.

I’ve only had one so far and I’m not sure if this was a side effect or not, but I got cramping in my stomach. It reminded me of the period pains I’ve been free from for the last two years. The only other thing I’ve noticed is that I’ve been waking super early some mornings – but of course I’m seeing the silver lining and using it as an opportunity to get some extra work done.

Little finds

I was lucky enough to choose some personalised photo gifts from Asda-photo – and I thought what better way to trial a service than to order something for Mother’s Day.

For my mother-in-law I chose this mug (which mum doesn’t like a cuppa?), but what I loved about it was that I didn’t have to choose just one picture – I could have a montage which I thought was a fab idea.

And for my own mum I chose this gorgeous slate panel that I know will take pride of place on her desk. I love the fact that it’s unique and both mums will appreciate the thought that has gone into their special day which they both so thoroughly deserve.

In other news I discovered Refocus Bands – wrist bands that you wear to remind yourself of the message behind it. You can add your own bespoke message, which is printed on the inside of the band, or choose one of their own.

I opted for a couple of bands as you can see in the picture below – I think they make great gifts for friends and family too. The bands cost £8, but I’ve teamed up with the company to offer £4 off meaning each band costs just £4.

Blog and business goals

It’s been busy work-wise, more so regarding the community magazine that I run; lockdown has meant that I’ve had to go out myself delivering magazines through letterboxes, but it gets the exercise in, which is no bad thing.

I’ve also purchased some new technology for my videography business, Luna Creative Media, as well as a domain name and WordPress site, which I’m going to have to start populating soon!

This month I gave two business presentations – one at a women’s networking group and the other to my Tropic team members. It was on productivity – and how to make the most of our time using some great systems and tools. I came away buzzing from both events and the feedback was wonderful, which was the icing on the cake.

And finally, I’ve set up another sideline hustle with a friend called The Productivity Pod – and it’s all about ‘Getting Sh!t Done’. It all started at the beginning of the first lockdown when myself and a couple of friends (who also own their own businesses) would get together every couple of weeks on Zoom and chat about work. The chats soon turned into accountability sessions, where we’d start telling each other what our work intentions were – and then we’d start holding each other accountable for them. The concept worked so well that we decided to introduce it to a wider circle of people to get them being productive.

At the moment we’re holding them twice weekly – from 7-8am and the feedback has been great. The times may need to change when the kids return to school, but if you are interested in hearing more and joining us for a session, you can email productivitypod@post.com and follow us on Facebook and Instagram!

Life In General

It was so sad to say goodbye to Jessie this month – it was very unexpected and we believe she passed away in shock (rabbits tend to have weak hearts), but she really did have a great life and we gave her lots of love (and treats) every day. I just hope the other rabbits will be okay being without her. Time will tell I guess. I booked a call with a lady that communicates with animals to see if it would offer any closure for us. I’ll fill you in next month about what she says, but she’s offering £10 off for referrals for anyone looking for her animal communication services.

VIP and I have enjoyed watching some entertaining telly this month. We finished watching The Drowning on Channel 5 and then realised that Netflix had launched more episodes of Unforgotten, so we finished Series 3. We also enjoyed both series of Dr Foster and White House Farm. I’ve just started watching Behind Her Eyes (VIP isn’t so keen on this), but I’m also really excited as Goggglebox is back on our screens! Oh and I saw Netflix advertising the new series of You, which is coming soon – plenty to look forward to. Do you have any TV recommendations?

Finally, amongst all the doom and gloom lately, I had to tell you about a wonderful discovery. I let my driveway out for parking and since the first lockdown, I’ve been offering free parking to NHS workers (I live near a hospital). I hadn’t checked my account with them in a long while and when I did I was shocked to discover that I had just over £500 in my account.

I thought I had set up automatic transactions to move the money into the joint account, but in turns out I hadn’t, so, it was a wonderful surprise to discover we had an extra £500 for the month. Ever grateful.

What’s next

Who knows? I have a new neuro-ophthalmology appointment booked next month, so we’ll see what happens with that. I’m excited about growing the new Productivity Pod sessions and helping others become productive – and I’m pleased that lockdown will soon start to lift.

Even though it was a very sad month saying goodbye to beautiful Jessie, and it’s still difficult to get my head around the fact that she’s gone for good, I’m just grateful of the time we had with her and she’ll always have such a special place in our hearts. They’ll never be another Jessie. – rest in peace little one. X