Instagram My Life: Pictures Speak A Thousand Words.

I am a woman of many words, but today I am just going to say it all with pictures.

Instagram pictures that is! 

The following, are snaps uploaded to my Instagram account throughout time and just give you an insight into what I see around me. 

Go follow me @anythingbutordinaryleya. 

P.S. I have added screen shots of my Depop account if any of you would like to purchase my fashion items?

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 My Depop Account: Go buy my stuff :) 

Hello Instagram :)

Single Instagram Shots :)

 

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X

 

B12 Deficiency // Welcome To My World : A Silent Epidemic With Serious Consequences.

Hey guys!!! 
So today I have decided to do a 'Serious Sunday' post and talk about something that affects me and maybe a lot of other people too, that don't actually know about it. 

I found out that I have a B12 deficiency a few years back now, maybe 3 years? I cannot exactly remember, but yeah it doesn't seem like anything to someone just reading those words. However it can be a lot more serious than you think!!

I went to the doctors with my mum because I needed to see someone about my periods (we are all girls here, so I hope you aren't grossed out by that) ha. I was getting quite bad ones which were really painful and I still get them really painful to this day. On the second day I would start to pass out and it made me so ill I couldn't move. So when the doctor asked if I was anaemic, due to me being really pale I thought it was linked to my bad periods.

Nope.

If it wasn't for that doctor investigating my 'paleness' I most probably wouldn't even know to this day that I had a problem. I have always been pale, and maybe that's why but she checked the redness in my eyes,under my bottom eyelid and decided they were too pale and did some blood tests. 

For quite a while I had been breathless, I couldn't get upstairs without gasping for air and I went to the doctors time and time again about it, but nothing was done.

 I had continuous insomnia and just couldn't fall asleep, I was losing weight rapidly even though my eating habits hadn't really changed. I was getting dead legs constantly and pins and needles in my right leg. I kept forgetting the simplest of things. I was getting a lot of headaches and thought that was because I changed my pill. I was also getting a lot of palpitations which were really uncomfortable and at one point I could see a weird like 'popping' movement coming from the skin in my chest. And a patch of skin on my right foot lost all feeling. It went dead and that scared me. Actually...

It freaked me out!!

I looked awful as you can see. Ha. I did have a real bad picture but I no longer have it. My face was really thinning out.

I started to really notice these symptoms (but obviously thought nothing of it) when I was performing in my first ever singing competitions. I had all these effects going on and it really affected my singing. I couldn't keep the breath on notes and in Worcester's version of 'Britain's Got Talent' (Worcester's Got Talent) I was in the semi-finals singing Jessie J's 'Do It like A Dude'and I was soooo ill. I just couldn't hold the notes, I was dancing around too which made it worse and I was having to gasp for air. It was horrendous trying to perform when I was anxious anyway, my immune system was low too so I kept getting tonsillitis to top it all off. In the video which is on my old YouTube channel you can see at the end of the performance when being interviewed I almost passed out. I cried after I felt that bad. 

Not long after that I was in the 'Text Factor' competition, again another singing comp. And once again I wasn't well but I soldiered on, I was then called to come into the doctors to discuss my blood test results. 

I got told that the blood tests actually come back saying that I had a condition called Macrocytosis which is where my red blood cells have enlarged quite dramatically and that means not enough oxygen is being carried around my body. This explained the breathlessness and that fact I couldn't breathe properly. The doctor then told me I had to have more tests to determine what was causing this. I think I was put on some medication to reduce the size of the cells, but I can't fully remember. 

A few weeks later I was then told that I have a vitamin B12 deficiency and low folate too. The tests showed that my levels of B12 should be around the 1000 mark and mine were at 60. I was then told I was at the danger point of being permanently brain and nerve damaged. 

I was really upset as I didn't understand why I had this and how serious it was. If I remember correctly I did get told it was genetic. I was told as a test, to eat things that were high in vitamin B12 to see if my levels increased. It didn't. I was on folate and vit B12 tablets (folate and B12 work together) and neither of those worked.
 Obviously I was getting worried, but then I was told that my stomach wasn't absorbing the vitamin, and B12 can only be present through eating foods with it in. We as humans don't produce it ourselves. I was told there wasn't enough intrinsic factor in my stomach to absorb it. Therefore it is conclusive that I have pernicious anaemia (an autoimmune condition where the body destroys intrinsic factor, a protein needed for the absorption of B12). This was a lot to take in for one person. 

And if that wasn't enough I was then told that I would need to go to hospital as they think I have celiac disease and have a camera put down my throat into my stomach/intestine.   

I freaked out, there was NO way I was going to have anything shoved down my throat. I struggle to breathe through my nose as it is, and I was worried I wouldn't be able to breathe with that down my throat.  

Celiac disease I was told was linked to food intolerance. To this day I am slightly confused by it all. And to this day I still haven't had that camera down my throat. 

I now have to have B12 injections for the rest of my life and I will have to live with certain symptoms but it doesn't affect my working life or anything like that. It just is really annoying to have. The injections hurt, especially if the doc hits a nerve. It stings but it is bearable. I have mine in my bum as it has more muscle there and I thought it would hurt less. The injection gives me an energy boost and makes me feel awesome, it stops me being cold for a while too (I am always cold due to the condition) and I can sleep properly. I love having it because it helps my symptoms. 

http://wlsvitagarten.com/tag/anemia/

A lot of celebrities have it now because "they can". And it has been treated like a fad for weight loss and to keep their skin and hair healthy. It annoys me that celebs' such as Rita Ora and Victoria Beckham are using it like this. For people like myself it's a necessity for me to be of normal health. I just feel a lot of medicines are abused for the sake of vanity. 

The article is here.

http://style.uk.msn.com/health/vitamin-b12-injections-do-they-work-1

I would like to point out that this all happened in the start of me going to university and it really affected my first year as I had a lot of time off because I was poorly and I kept having panic attacks and real bad anxiety. 

I am now completely over that, thank God and although I am not 'fine' I am living with it and as I have said it doesn't harm my working and day to day life. 


If any of you have noticed anything that I have mentioned here or even all of it, then go straight to the doctors. That one doctor who took the time to investigate this has potentially saved me of something that could have been drastically a lot worse. A lot of docs don't recognise this condition as the symptoms that are presented can be linked to other illnesses. But I would push for tests because doctors aren't always right!!

If you have any questions that you would like to ask me regarding this, I will be happy to answer them. When I told people about it they didn't take it seriously and they still don't. They don't really understand the implications of this deficiency and how I see it is, if you don't understand, you can not belittle the problem that someone else has. 

A little life lesson people.


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Getting To Know Your Blogger!! 50 Facts About Me.

Helllooooo!! 

I thought I would do a different post today enabling you guys to find out a little more about myself and the person behind the words and pictures. 

If you don't want to know about me, that is totally cool, but if you do want to get up close and personal with me then carry on reading! 

Enjoy :) 

P.S. There ended up being 60 facts. Whoops.

•   I am 26 (27 on the 7th August), some of you may already know this but a lot of people that don't know my age actually think I am around 18-20. Without makeup I look about 10. One Chinese lady said to me once " you have magical powers". Too funny.

• I LOVE curry & hot food. Most of my food has to have chilli added to it. I have to have my food with a kick, whether that is in a salad on in baked beans, chilli is a must. I am the curry queen, I love the stuff and my favourite restaurant so far is in Worcester.

http://myfancypantry.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/chicpizza-04385.jpg

•  I am a singer/performer and I have appeared on the X Factor (UK)and I have been an extra in Skins 3 & 4 (for those of you who don't know what this programme is, it's a teenage drama series and it's awesome.) 

• I am a massive animal lover and will do anything for an animals' welfare. I rescue animals if I see them injured and I have a few pets myself (Cody my poorly Guinea Pig, Darla & Keiko my Chinese Dwarf Hamsters and Bear (real name is Saffi my Yorkshire Terrier). 

• My idol is Michael Jackson, he always has and always will be my idol. He is a genius, the master of music and the greatest man to ever live in my eyes. R.I.P.

• I am a big believer in the Illuminati & conspiracy theories. I believe in the New World order and the Mayan Prophecies, it really interests me and it's so fascinating.

• I am a hoarder when it comes to shopping. I buy new things and keep it in the bags for weeks until I decide to put it away. Usually by then I have forgotten what I have brought and get excited all over again.

• My favourite colour is red.

• I have a double jointed thumb. 

• I have met Adam Lambert (American readers will know who he is)! 

• My favourite band EVER is Placebo, oh my, I couldn't even begin to say how much I love them. I have been an avid fan for almost 10 years.

• My biggest crush is on Brian Molko (Placebo's hot lead singer, he's not everyone's cup of cha but for me he is IT)! 

• My first car was a silver Corsa called Rusty. Go figure. 

• I hallucinate often when dreaming, I will be semi-awake and semi-asleep and I wake up in the dream still but in the real world thinking it's happening. It usually involves spiders, where I hallucinate that they are on my walls. 

• I have a massive fear of spiders, flying, sunbeds, lifts and being involved in a car crash. 

• I am a nervous passenger in the car. 

• My favourite actor is John Travolta.

• My favourite actress is Sandra Bullock. 

• I have a girl crush on Kristen Stewart & Lana Del Rey.

• I would love to marry Brian Molko(obviously). I am still waiting for the proposal. Any day soon!! Ha.  

• My favourite film of all time is Labyrinth. 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/6b/Labyrinth_ver2.jpg

• My favourite Disney film is Beauty and the Beast. 

• I am a natural blonde. 

• I bruise really easily. One tap on my leg and a big, purple bruise will appear. 

• I love making video's of me miming to songs. 

• The sound of a glass nail file on nails makes me cringe.

• I have a B12 deficiency (a blog post about this will be up soon.) 

• I suffer with anxiety which I have learn't to control. 

• I get real bad stage fright and get real nervous before I go on stage. When I am up there though I am fine. 

• I love writing lists and have a million note books.

• I wish I lived in Hogwarts and was friends with Hazza Potter. 

• Fall & Winter have rapidly become my favourite time of the year thanks to my hay fever. 

• I LOVE CHRISTMAS & HALLOWEEN.

• I am attracted to anything shiny.

• Watching movies is my favourite past-time, especially with loads of food and in comfy clothes. 

• I have never been taken on a 'real' date. :(

• I used to want massive boobs but now I am glad I have the one's that I have.

• My favourite smells are the beach, hot chocolate, cinnamon, vanilla, burning wood, Christmas Trees, wood shavings, new catalogues and carpet shops. 

• I can't swim. 

• My favourite flowers are Roses and Bluebells.

• I have 4 tattoo's and will soon be getting more.

• My body rejects most of my piercings. I had to take out my belly bar and tragus piercing. The tragus I was gutted about as I tried so hard to keep it. 

• I watch my Friend's boxset on a daily basis. 

• The wind (in the sky) is the worst element possible.

• I am allergic to dust. 

• I don't like the cold.

• I would like to have a brace when I finally get a job.

• My eyes are my best feature.

• My favourite time of day is early evening.

• I never wash my face and it brings me out in serious spots. So I always clean it daily with a cleanser.

• I have a fear of the dentist.

• I am a bit of a tomboy.

• I find it hard to sleep at night and wake up every couple of hours which is almighty annoying. 

• I have dreams that movie makers wouldn't be able to conjure up.

• I have a degree in journalism.

• My bottom lip is actually bigger than my top lip, so when putting my lipstick on I have to even the top lip out with my lip liner. 

• I don't like my feet being touched.

• I've always wanted to be vet.

• I can predict/see things sometimes before they have happened. 

and finally...

•  Everyone used to say I looked like Avril Lavigne!!

I hoped you liked reading through those and have got to know me a little better. I am a bit unique but "hey" who want's to be a carbon copy of someone else?

Not me! 

♥