I’m finally emerging from a week lost to illness. Last Sunday I woke up at Boomtown with a very sore throat. As the day progressed I felt increasingly unwell so we headed home early and I went straight to bed.

I woke a few hours later in a lot of pain – my throat felt like glass and every swallow was incredibly hard work. I could only manage a few drops of water at a time.

When I’m ill my ‘ticcing fits’ increase a lot and within twenty-four hours of my sore throat starting they were almost constant.

After a very disrupted night, I woke and attempted to make an appointment with my Doctor. This was particularly difficult because I had no voice! My throat felt so swollen that making sounds even vaguely reminiscent of words was very tricky indeed. But eventually I made myself understood and got an appointment for later that morning.

In the past I’ve been slow to acknowledge when I’m unwell but this time I felt too awful to delay. My GP was lovely (as he always is) and my swollen, blistered throat and feverish state made him proscribe antibiotics.

I used to have recurrent tonsillitis until a few years ago when my tonsils were removed. This had a very positive impact on my quality of life and I went from being extremely ill every six weeks or so to just getting the occasional cold. My GP explained that some of my tonsil tissue had grown back and this seemed to be the source of the new infection.

After several days in bed the antibiotics have kicked in and I’ve started to feel much better. I’m still taking it easy, trying to be kind to myself and realistic with my expectations.

I’ve got everything crossed that this is a one-off episode and that I’m not going to sink back in to the cycle of recurrent infections.

This week’s been a reminder of how tough it can be being unwell with a body that’s always on the move. I’ve been looked after with great skill and care and I’m very grateful to everyone who’s helped.

Now I’m going to concentrate on recovering fully so I’m ready and able to go to Shambala Festival next week. Wish me luck.