Sharabelle bakes

Cooking when you have a  chronic illness When people talk about not being able to cook, you just assume there not confident in their food knowledge.  When I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia I discovered how much having a chronic illness could also affect my ability in the kitchen. I've had IBS for over 20 years, you never really get used to living with food intolerances.  It gets worse as you get older.  You can develop new symptoms and the food you can safely eat can change.   I've always been lactose intolerant however 2 years ago I had to add gluten to my do not eat food list. I'm basically a lactose and gluten intolerant pescatarian, who  follows a  Low Fodmap diet  to manage my IBS symptoms.  It's a bit of a mouthful to say, which means I rarely talk about it. Low Fodmaps is short for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols, which are more commonly known as carbohydrate. ...

The last 6 months has been hard on me.  My Depression has gotten worse, since being diagnosed with Fibromyalgia.  So I thought I would share some posts that have helped me.  Some times, we all need a little reminder of things we already know.Just to get us through the bad times.  1.  Let it go Tiny Buddha There are a lot of little reasons that contribute to my mental health problems, and sometimes it's hard for me to move on.  Through counselling I've learnt it's better to view them as a learning experience.  If I find myself in any of those situations again, I'll deal with them better.  As someone told me, why focus on the past when it upsets you.   2. Who are we to judge People are quick to judge.  I do not ever want to make people feel the way I have felt.   There is a negative stereotype about people that have mental health problems or other invisible illnesses.   The experience ...

For the most part this blog is about living with IBS and food intolerances.  However people with IBS and other chronic illnesses also have problems with depression and anxiety. I feel this is something Iv neglected.  I'm a big supporter of talking about mental health problems, in the hope of breaking the stigma.    So those of us with mental health problems no longer feel they need to hide it.  Or in some cases feel ashamed.    So as part of the  See Me Scotland  campaign I'm going to start sharing my own experiences. THE DARKNESS  Hollowness fills me, it feels like a bereavement.   One minute I'm angry, the next deadened. Eyes open but not seeing, all emotions turn numb for my own protection. My mind keeps turning, I don't know or ever have seen the point in living.  The purpose of existing. Yet we are all pre-programmed to survive.  Sadness slips in, I mourn.  Then it occurs to m...