Sleepless Nights

Author: Veronica

  • Seven things you should do while your blog is new.

    Or, do them now if you haven’t already.

    I’ve noticed I’ve got some new bloggers following Sleepless Nights now (hello!) and thought that I’d repost this. Originally I posted it in the forum at Aussie Mummy Bloggers (where you don’t have to be a mummy blogger, or an Aussie to join) but thought someone out there might benefit from the info too. It’s handy info and if you enjoy it, I might occasionally post more blogging stuff here.

    Seven things you should do while your blog is new.

    #1 – Sign up for Technorati and add your blog. Technorati used to hold more weight, as it was the only blog ranking system, but even though less attention is paid to it, it’s invaluable to have your blog listed and gaining authority. Most blog ranking engines (Top 100 Aussie Women Bloggers for one) will still use Technorati to work out rank.

    #2 Submit your blog to Google. Google is fantastic for driving search engine traffic to your blog.

    #3 Sign up for Feedburner. Absolutely necessary for obsessive stat checking.

    #4 Get a dedicated email address solely for blog related things and display it openly on your website. I’m not sure how many times I’ve gone to email someone, only to discover I can’t find an email for them. Very annoying. People need to be able to contact you. I’d advise NOT using hotmail, as eventually, they will impose a send/receive email limit and it will drive you batty. It’s apparently to combat spammers, but if you’re trying to email someone and can’t, spammers will be the last people you want to throw stones at.

    #5 Sign up for a stat tracking service. Statcounter offers a good free service that I use and adore.

    #6 Use Google Reader or Bloglines to keep track of all your bloggy friends updating. So much easier than clicking a link every single day to see if someone has updated.

    #7 and finally, subscribe to someone who knows blogging like a business and can tell you how to do it better. Sometimes the advice won’t be relevant, but other times, you will wonder why you didn’t think of it yourself. I recommend Problogger for one.

    What would you suggest that I’ve missed?

  • On the nature of living with a (mostly) invisible disability.

    If you watch me walk down the street, you probably wouldn’t know that I had Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. Mostly because I try not to get into positions that end up with me walking down the street – which strikes shopping off my list.

    If you notice me walking, I probably look okay, to you. You don’t see the slight hitch in my step as my hips sublux over and over again and you (hopefully) don’t see the intense concentration on my face that shows I’m placing each foot consciously, making sure they don’t turn in/fall apart/trip me over.

    Most of the time, I don’t even notice these things either. The conscious foot placing has become second nature, like making sure everything is in it’s place before I stand up. Falling isn’t as fun as it sounds. I’ve put up with them for so long, ignored them for so long that they pass me by. I don’t notice how hard walking is, or how my hips slide around in the joint.

    Until I have a major crash and I discover that I’ve burned so much energy being okay, that I can’t be okay anymore.

    When I dislocated my knee at the beginning of the month, I was crashing and crashing hard. I don’t pay much attention to my daily dislocations, mostly because they’ve happened so often that they’re nothing special anymore. I do however say fuck a lot as I busily try and relocate things and I have been known to kick Nathan in the shins for huffing when asked to reduce my many many dislocated ribs.

    My knee however was different. It was dislocated badly for almost 3 hours, leaving me unable to move. By the end of the 3 hours, I’d gone from being mostly okay with just some minor pain (when the fibula was totally dislocated) to openly sobbing as it slowly slowly relocated over whatever tendon was holding it out of position.

    That was the straw on the camels back. The next few days I spent curled up in the recliner, braced and taped to within an inch of my life, not really able to do much of anything except issue orders and dole out cuddles.

    I’m still not recovered from the big crash. It’s probably the hardest I’ve pushed myself and the farthest I’ve fallen since I was in High School and determined to be like all the other teenagers competing in our Rock Eisteddfod. Yes, I did it. I also spent a month in bed after it.

    It hits me hard after a big crash, just how bad my EDS has gotten. My left shoulder slides around in it’s joint and my pelvis feels like it’s a wobble board. My ribs fall out of place and my collarbones forget how to hold together, along with many many other things.

    And it’s stupid little things that drive me insane. Not being able to hold my arms up long enough to brush my hair, without running out of energy and needing to sit down where ever I am. Being exhausted, but at the same time, being completely unable to sleep. And if I do sleep, waking up with more dislocations than I fell asleep with and hurting oh so badly.

    People don’t see that when I’m out and about though. Hell, people don’t see it full stop. Even Nathan doesn’t see the bulk of what dislocates and how bad it is, day to day. If I told him about every dislocation I’d never get anything else done.

    Ehlers Danlos is an invisible disability and you can’t see it on me. Not unless you’re bendy too and can spot the symptoms across a waiting room. Unless I’m wearing a bright pink wrist brace (which I’m totally going to start campaigning for, the beige colour is shit) you can’t tell.

    Unless I’m exceptionally grumpy, no one knows that I’m feeling crappy. On days when I simply cannot brush my hair without needing to sit in the middle of the bathroom floor exhausted, I don’t leave the house. Easy as that.

    May is Ehlers Danlos Syndrome awareness month, so this is me, making you aware. Because this month, I don’t think we’re seeing any doctors and I’m getting a little tired of having to go over the same thing over and over again with our doctors. EDS affects everything. My collagen works like sun soaked chewing gum, unlike most people’s, whose collagen works like snappy rubber bands. Things hurt. My pain is bad, my joints are bad and I’m tired.

    And people can’t see it.

    Which is a curse and a blessing in the same breath.

    Thumb Hypermobility

    Wrist and thumb hypermobility

    Little Finger Hypermobility

    Ankle Subluxation

    More photos here

  • Sleepless Nights goes naked.

    So, I’ve been watching all my friends strip their makeup off and show themselves bare for everyone to see.

    And I wanted to do it, but I canNOT take photos of my face with my DSLR, I end up photographing the curtain behind me or focusing on the lightbulb. Not great. So I thought some more and wondered what I could photograph instead.

    But you know, no one wants to see my post baby belly, nor a photo of my naked feet. Promise, you don’t.

    AND THEN!

    I realised, you know my avatar photo? Guess what? That was taken after dinner on a day when we’d not left the house, so not only have I not got any makeup on, but I probably haven’t brushed my hair either. (I do run my fingers through it and tie it back, but meh)

    So, here I am, naked of makeup. Thanks to Nathan for the photo, taken while I was sitting at this very computer.

    Obviously I was having a ‘good skin day’.

    So that’s me, naked of makeup.

    Thanks to Mummy Mayhem for coming up with the idea! (and yes, I know I’m a day late. Shush in the back)

  • So, mothers day. What a fuck up.

    Mothers Day.

    I was meant to sleep in, be woken nicely by a cup of tea and snuggly children, before enjoying a lovely relaxing day.

    That however, was not what happened.

    Amy woke up and I got up with her, to grab her breakfast before diving back into bed and prodding Nathan awake. After Amy had come to bed too and stuck her hideously cold feet on my stomach, I was more awake than asleep. Isaac woke up shortly afterwards and despite kicking Nathan out of bed to deal with the kidlets, I was soundly awake.

    Seven also spent a good deal of time barking outside my bedroom window.

    So I sucked it up. I got up and had a cup of tea sitting outside with Nathan. I probably should have realised then that Susie wasn’t about when I didn’t have to fend off muddy puppy paws and LOVELOVELOVELOVE. Heh.

    I showered, interrupted lots by my small children, before getting dressed and realising Nathan wasn’t about.

    I didn’t think anything of it until he came inside looking shaken.

    Someone had hit Susie with their car. Stopped to move her off the road, and yet, they hadn’t bothered coming to knock on the door to let us know.

    You know, whoever you are? Thanks for that.

    Now, it’s not like I live in the suburbs. There are 2 houses within a 500m radius and we’re right next to each other. And Susie was hit right outside our house.

    Sigh.

    From the look of her, she died instantly and for that, I’m grateful.

    Needless to say, I wasn’t expecting to spend mothers day morning watching Nathan dig a grave for my dog.

    We went out shopping anyway, grumpy as we were, vowing to kick people in the shins if we got a chance (we didn’t).

    That was a crap shoot too. Insane drivers – a P plater who was more interested in talking to her friend than staying within the road lines, a HUGE SALE that was more a bunch of junk thrown into bins and priced and two children determinded to disappear in different directions. We won’t mention the many and varied dislocations. My ribs, I think they’ve forgotten what their purpose is in life. No longer are they a protect the lungs and heart cage of bone, instead they’re a slidey held together by chewing gum bundle of pokey bits.

    After we’d found both Sushi places closed (what? I wanted sushi for lunch), we gave up and went to McDonalds. At least we know their chips are GF for Amy. It wasn’t even pleasant to have burgers, which are normally a pretty large treat.

    I finally convinced Nathan to take me driving through the Derwent Valley, so that I could take some photos, only to discover a few minutes down the road that I’d left my SD card at home, so photos weren’t on the plan after all.

    Sigh.

    Fucked up day.

    After finding Susie dead, the rest of the day didn’t really have a chance did it?

    Tomorrow. Tomorrow will be better.

    Susie

    ***

    Other news, installment #2 of my Welcome to the Interwebs series is up on the other blog. You should read it.

  • The Awesome Power of the Internets

    Remember waaaay back on April Fools Day, I mentioned that Sleepless Nights had gotten a sponsorship from Ferrero Rocher? April fools joke, definitely.

    However, a knock on the door yesterday morning revealed my postman, trying desperately to not get licked to death by Susie. It seems, SOMEONE heard my plea for a ferrero sponsorship and sent me a box full of them.

    So, like I promised, her button is now up on my sidebar and she is an official sponsor.

    As for me, I’ll just be here, like normal, only now, I’ll be filled with velvety chocolate goodness.

    Thankyou Kristin, the internet is an awesome place to live nowadays.

    ***

    Kristin’s button goes up and joins Warsaw Mommy who is also sponsoring me. If you’d like to be a sponsor and get random shoutouts here, then send me an email and we’ll talk. Write. Whatever. Something. Prices are good, promise.