This week I…

For the 2 or 3 of you that thought “hmmm, I wonder what Gems been up to this week?” I’m very sorry I missed last week. Fact is I had an exciting and busy week, which then left me so tired I couldn’t keep my eyes open, and couldn’t bring myself to raise my hand to write a post.

This week I’m much better. I promise. 

So, this FORTNIGHT I…..

Topped up my eyebrows

They still looked great since the lovely Kelly at Coveted Beauty did them for free last summer before my eyebrows fell out from chemo. However I am not addicted to semi permanent make up, so I decided to book in for a top up, and have a lash lift and then tint at the same time.

The eyebrows I love, but the lash lift and tint is a bit pricy for me to keep up, so mascara and eyelash curlers it is!

Had a visit from my Mum & Dad

Last time they were due to visit they got their second dose of Covid just before they came and couldn’t travel (and the Airbnb owner wouldn’t give a refund. Boo.) 

This time they made it up for a few days, so we went to the pub. Hurrah! My Dad claims he can’t get drunk anymore. I, however, can. So I got quite tipsy. Ok, a lot tipsy. Yeah ok, I was drunk.

Ate Posh food

When we weren’t getting drunker than you should with your parents. We went to Farmyard restaurant, which is a triple AA rosette restaurant in Norwich that I’d wanted to go to for ages.

It was very hot, but the food was amazing. Mr Gem is still talking about the tomatoes!

Was officially menopausal

One of the potential side effects of stem cell transplant (and one that wasn’t really flagged to me by my team) is putting you into early menopause.

I’ve been getting symptoms for a few months now. Hot flushes, sweats, moodiness (how can we tell?), joint aches (my elbows ache, why do my elbows ache?). I’d mentioned it to my team a few times and nothing happened, so I went to my GP. She did a blood test which confirmed this was not just “your in your 40s now Gem accept it” peri-menopausal symptoms, but that I’d been skipped ahead to full on menopause. She prescribed me HRT, so I’m very much looking forward to not being sweaty and achey very soon…..

Did some painting

It distracted me. It also made me incredibly hot and sweaty and incredibly tired. Which is why I couldn’t even lift my arms to publish a post last weekend.

I shall show you what it looks like when it’s finished!

Went nuts in TK Maxx

Distraction effort mkII take myself out on a day date (I recently saw someone call taking yourself out on a date a Masterdate, but I’m not sure I can use that without cringing!)

I did a yoga class, I took myself for lunch, I went to TK Maxx and bought a million Halloween things, then I had a pedicure.

Then Mr Gem offered to pick me up from the gym, but a miscommunication meant he ended up on the other side of the city in rush hour. Then we couldn’t get my bike in the car so I had to wobble home with it anyway.

Celebrated

And then we went out for burgers and fizzy wine to celebrate the fact that it’s 6 years since Mr Gem went self-employed and we haven’t starved to death yet.

Then I was even more tired.

Was stable

Physically at least. There was a minor meltdown when I thought my appointment was Thursday, got hyped up for results day, and then it was actually Friday, but we made it through in the end.

My bloods are still stable, in fact my ParaProteins, which is how they keep an eye on my progression, dropped slightly from 1.7 to 1.6, though a consultant once told me it’s not that sensitive so not to worry about the point bit.

Still, I am going to try and stay calmer about these stupid results. It’s every month and it’s a lot, but I’m sure as time goes on I’ll get more used to it (Probably right about the time my blood decided to surprise me by going up again).

Did not get hacked

And then, just as I was preparing for a pleasant weekend now I could stop worrying about results day, someone sent me a message saying someone had copied my Instagram account.

They copied my profile picture and bio and my most recent few posts. Put HACKED AT 6.2K at the top of the bio, posted on their stories that everyone should unfollow my original account as I was the hacker, and then proceeded to message loads of my followers trying to hack them.

They claimed to people that they were reporting a hacking attempt en masse to Instagram, and asked for screen grabs of a password reset text. Once they have this screen grab they’re able to reset your password because it was them that initiated the reset request.

I know at least one person had their account hijacked in this way and I’ve been so upset. I sent 3 reports to Instagram which were all rejected as the account “did not violate community standards”, before finally finding an online form that asked for a photo of me holding some ID, and the account was finally removed.

Now I’m just hoping Instagram help anyone affected by Evil Hacker to get back into their accounts.

A reminder, switch on 2 factor authentication for your account, don’t click links in DMs or send screen grabs unless you are absolutely a billion times sure of what they are who you’re talking to. 

I don’t want to end on drama, sooooo….

Ate cake

Interesting? No. Tasty? Yes.

And that was a fortnight in my life.

How was yours?