scarfman

[scarfman]

Finally cracking my hellish pelvic pain case, with exercises and pelvic floor relaxation

Just as I was starting to think my old chronic pelvic pain problem was a thing I needed to completely forget about, wham, it came back and hit me where it hurts last December time. Step forward my specialist pelvic floor physiotherapist Helen Shepherd. This wonderful medical professional has given me hope like I have never had before. I am too scared to say this out loud just quite yet, but I…

[scarfman]

Super Starsailor, meant an OCD triumph

Just over a decade ago, I no longer wanted to be here due to my severe contamination OCD. Fast-forward to Saturday, 15 February 2025, where I saw Starsailor at The Tung Auditorium in Liverpool. It’s proof at how far I have come in terms of my OCD recovery. Motivation remains the key for me. I wanted to go and see one of my favourite bands in a city I love. I was moved to tears listening to…

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My OCD has improved so much, but how do I get over my health anxiety?

Last Tuesday, for once in my life I received good health news. My sore fingers are just chilblains the doctor said. What if he is wrong though, because they have been in the past?    My health record Type 1 diabetes OCD Prostatitis Spondylolisthesis Lymphoedema Chronic Pelvic Pain Sinus surgery Gallbladder surgery Hernia surgery Sciatica I am scared to believe in my good health news,…

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Thankful Thursday, fascinating Friday, and troublesome Tuesday

This is going to be a short piece of audio where I give you a life update regarding my chronic pelvic pain situation, some mental health work I will be doing soon, and me being nervous about a medical appointment I have next Tuesday.

[scarfman]

How do I find a woman to date, being a white British man of 48?

Finally admitting to the world, I hate being a straight, single, middle-aged man, living in Britain. ‘I am going to fall in love this year.’ This has been my same New Year’s resolution for the past 20 years or more, can you believe? At one point I almost gave up, but I am a good guy and know I deserve to find happiness. Ill health So, why am I still single you may ask? It is because in my…

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Have you heard the news today? My type 1 diabetes is A-OK

A blog that celebrates my great self-care of my type 1 diabetes. Unexpected news ‘I am ringing-up about your diabetes’, said my diabetic nurse to me at around 10.30am today. I took a big gulp and braced myself for the worst. The worst did not happen though because her next words were, ‘your average has come down to 58, you’re doing really well.’ No longer feel like a prisoner I felt…

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Can Bob Mortimer, be as funny at writing novels as he is on TV? You bet

[scarfman]

Initial utter devastation at my new prostate illness prostatitis, but this time I fight back

A blog about the trauma of getting prostatitis again, but how I am determined not to let it ruin everything this time around. Panic At age 48, my whole world came crashing down around me just before last Christmas time. I got a prostate infection called prostatitis and severe pelvic pain again, for the first time in over 25 years. I thought the living nightmare of this illness was…

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BBC One gives event TV a new lifeline on Christmas Day 2024

We need to celebrate the resuscitation of event TV because it unites us as a nation. Event TV is where you watch a much publicised TV show on the date it is broadcast, so you are then part of the ongoing conversation. It made a big comeback at the end of last year, as BBC One had the top ten viewed programmes on Christmas Day. Gavin & Stacey was watched by a reported 12.32 million…

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INTERMEZZO by Sally Rooney – A review - 4/5

Intense grief, brotherhood, and sex Intermezzo, the fourth novel by critically acclaimed Irish author Sally Rooney, is an absolute triumph that explores the impact of grief, family conflict, and unconventional relationships. Having never read a novel by Sally Rooney before, I therefore came to it with little preconceived ideas about what to expect. Sure, I had heard bits about how her much…

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Embrace change, embrace the FreeStyle Libre 2 for type 1 diabetes care

Well. You know you make me wanna shout Time to shout from the rooftops about my joy of using the FreeStyle Libre 2 Sensor by Abbott. It has completely revolutionised my type 1 diabetes care, and so had such a positive impact upon my life. If using this product has taught me one thing then it is to always embrace change, never fear it! Waiting 120 seconds for a blood glucose reading Hello, I am…

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Sea, sunshine, seagulls and … Sneaton Castle, a triumphant OCD story in Whitby

Last week I went on my first holiday in over thirty years. This was a huge achievement for me because I once suffered from severe contamination OCD. I broke from the shackles of this debilitating illness and proved to everybody (as well as myself), just how far I have come in my recovery journey. In 2018, my recovery journey featured in a press article and at the end of this article the…

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The Librarianist by Patrick deWitt - A review - 4/5.

DeWitt, at his most poignant, brilliant best! If you want a novel full of murders, laughter, or sex, then take a look elsewhere. However, if you want a read that is full of poignancy and gripping emotion, then The Librarianist by Patrick deWitt, is an absolute must read. DeWitt has yet again proved he is one of the greatest fiction writers of his generation. As titles go, you might think The…

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Knocking knees and perfecting the figure of 8 - My first ever driving lesson

I woke up this morning all of a quiver. You see, after weeks and months of planning, I had my first ever driving lesson. How would I best sum up the experience? Well, I would say it was a classic case of … knocking knees and perfecting the figure of 8!!! As a proud and perhaps now dated metrosexual (it is often used to refer to heterosexual men who are perceived to be effeminate rather than…

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I wish my dad could see me now

I wish my late dad, Harold Lloyd, could see me now. I wish he could see the man I have become. I wish I had him back in my life right now, even for just one fleeting moment! Father’s Day this year (2024) seems harder for me than usual if I am honest. I cannot exactly put my finger on why though. Could it be that I have just come out of a major depressive episode (post norovirus)? Or, could it…

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Norovirus is not going to break me, it is going to make me

Norovirus is not going to break me, it is going to make me!  Two weeks ago for the first time in over 15 years, I was thinking some very dark thoughts again. I felt like my OCD recovery journey had collapsed all-around me and that I was a fraud. However, two weeks further on now and I am now feeling so much stronger, I want to live again! For those of you who don’t know, I suffer from…

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WHY ME?

Why me? I’m nervous about writing this blog. I guess I’m nervous because there’s so much I want to say to you all, but I’m not sure how. I’m lying, I do know how, but it’s been that long since I wrote my last blog (April 22, 2022), I don’t know where to start. I want to write in my raw brilliant best.  I want to tell you what’s been happening in my life and why I stopped blogging. Things have…