Table of contents for 03-May-2018 in Chat

I always had to worry about where the nearest toilet was Looking at my reflection in the mirror, my eyes focused on my belly. Bloated again. It had ballooned, was solid as a rock and as painful as always. I’d suffered with bowel complications since birth. I was often constipated and in a lot of pain. By the time I was 4, I’d had two surgeries to try to strengthen my bowel muscles. But nothing had worked and over the years, I’d become used to the excruciating pain. I rarely left the house. I was too frightened I’d get painful stomach cramps and have to dash to the loo. If I did go out I wouldn’t eat or I’d starve myself beforehand. That way, I won’t need to go to…

B Gentle Eye Makeup Remover, £7.99, Superdrug Tough on make-up but not your face, this contains moisturising ingredients to soothe your skin and nourish your lashes. Bioderma Sensibio Deo Anti-perspirant, £7.50, Escentual.com  Using clever technology, this deodorant is gentle on sensitive underarms and helps to make them less sensitive in the future. Super Facialist Pure Sensitive Overnight Skin Recovery Cream, £15.99, Boots Well worth the extra money, this works as you sleep to hydrate and repair your skin cells for a smoother complexion. Simple Rich Moisture Sheet Mask, £2.95, Tesco Simple's aim has always been to care for sensitive skin. Free from artificial perfume or colour, this mask is brilliant for dry skin.…

Makes: 16 Preparation time: 15 mins Cooking time: 25 mins Cost per serving: 24p 1 Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4. Grease and line a shallow 20cm square tin with baking paper. 2 Put 150g butter, 75g light soft brown sugar and 3tbsp golden syrup into a medium pan and gently heat until melted. Stir in 250g oats. 3 Tip into the tin, then level and press the mixture evenly and firmly with the back of a spoon. Bake for 25 mins until just golden around the edges. 4 Remove from the oven and cool for 10 mins, then lightly mark into 16 pieces with a knife while still warm. Cool completely before turning out on to a board and cutting again with a sharp knife. Top tip Flapjacks will…

Serves: 4 Prep: 15 mins Cook: 10 mins Cost per serving: £1 1 To make burgers, mix together 500g turkey mince, 1 bunch spring onions, chopped, and 2tsp Thai red curry paste. Divide and mould into 4 burgers. 2 Heat 1tbsp oil in a frying pan and cook burgers for about 10 mins, turning, until lightly browned and cooked through. 3 Split and toast 4 wholegrain baps. Mix 2tbsp mayo with 1tbsp chopped coriander. Put a few salad leaves in baps, and top with burgers. Put a dollop of mayo on top and serve with lime wedges.…

By 7, she knew she was different to other kids As she smiled up at me, my heart melted. It was mid-June 2007 and Lois, 4 days old, was my first child. Only, at one of her newborn check-ups, the midwife had bad news. ‘There’s something wrong with her hearing,’ she told me and my husband Darren, then 33. ‘Is she deaf? I asked, worried. We hadn’t picked up on anything. But Lois needed more tests. At 8 weeks, she was fitted with a hearing aid. To me she was perfect, but doctors warned her hearing problems were a sign of other issues. Over the course of a year, doctors did further tests. ‘She has 18q deletion syndrome,’ a specialist doctor finally told us, when Lois was 14 months old.…

We confided our loss, the agony of what should have been Nattering over coffee, Lisa and I looked like any other friends in the coffee shop. Only, our bond went much deeper. Ours is a friendship forged in tragedy… It’d all started so differently for us both. In July 2013, I’d gone to the doctor, suffering bleeding. ‘I think there’s something wrong with my periods,’ I said. ‘Have you done a pregnancy test?’ he asked. An hour later, I discovered I was 9 weeks pregnant with my second child! It was a lovely surprise. My hubby Damion, 42, and I already had Jax, then 3. Yet further tests showed I had placenta previa – a low-lying placenta that can cause haemorrhaging at birth. It had attached itself to scar tissue…

When I came round, I was lying, naked, in a stairwell For the first time since I’d been raped, I felt I had control Juggling my laptop under one arm and a bag of snacks under the other, I fumbled in my pocket for my room key. It was January 2014, and I was away on business as a sign-language interpreter. My husband Jeff, 38, was at home with our kids Julia, 16, Spencer, 14, Mackenzie, 11, and Noah, 8. I’d been away for a week and missed them all like crazy. But, thankfully, this was my last night at the hotel, before I made the four-hour journey home. Only, unlocking the door, I felt someone behind me. Turning around, I saw a young man in his early 20s. I…

Stephen Allwine was found guilty of murder, yet before he was sentenced, he still insisted he was innocent. ‘I didn’t hurt Amy,’ he said. ‘I loved her so much. The grief of losing her is tremendous.’ But the judge remained convinced of Allwine’s guilt, telling him he was, ‘incredibly cold and incredibly calculating’ and handing him a mandatory life sentence in prison. After the verdict, Amy’s family released a statement saying, ‘We can summon no words to describe life without Amy. We loved her and miss her tremendously. We now turn to the path ahead of privately healing and grieving.’…

He used to be a safe driver, now people tooted him WhenFlower ofScotland played, his face lit up As the plane came in for landing, I looked out of the window and smiled as my home town got closer with each passing moment. I was back. My parents emigrated from Glasgow to New Zealand in 1956, when I was 3. Now, in 1980, aged 27, I was back in Scotland for the first time in 20 years. First stop, visiting my Aunty Margaret and Uncle Jimmy, then seeing friends. We met at a local bar, but I was soon distracted. Within the group, I spied a cutie! He had beautiful, blue eyes and a gorgeous smile, with a gap between his teeth. Instant attraction. Butterflies fluttered around in my tummy.…

Scrolling through Instagram, my eyes were drawn to one star’s profile. To me, reality queen Kim Kardashian had the perfect figure. I stared enviously at endless pics of her curvy bum and tiny waist. ‘What I wouldn’t give for that body,’ I sighed. It was July 2014, and I was no stranger to cosmetic surgery. I was only 23, but already had a boob job – going to a 32C – plus Botox, lip fillers and laser treatment. I was slim, and I mostly liked my figure – apart from one thing. My bum. It looked flat, shapeless and unattractive. Desperate to change it, I’d often find myself searching for bum implants online. But the surgery seemed so expensive. Determined not to give up, I finally found a clinic in…

Skyping my daughter Stella, 52, I watched three of my granddaughters dancing around in the background of the screen. ‘I miss you all so much,’ I said. Blowing kisses and saying goodbyes, I shut the laptop. It’d been three years since I’d seen them properly. Skype was the only way we could connect. I really did miss them. You see, my daughter and her kids live in Philadelphia in the USA now. That’s 3,479 miles away. But we Skype as much as possible and I’m always receiving photos of the fun they’re having over there. Plus, my other two children Christopher, 50, and Darren, 46, are here in the UK. They visit me and my husband Steven, 62, whenever they can. I have nine granddaughters so I’m kept very busy,…

Sipping my tea, I thought about my boyfriend Shaun’s news. He’d been offered a new job on an oil rig in the Shetland Islands. It meant he’d be away from me and our daughter Caitlin, 1, for three weeks in every four. Will I be able to cope on my own? I worried. But it was a great opportunity for Shaun, now 32. Besides, we could do with the money. We knew it wouldn’t be easy. ‘But we’ll talk on the phone every day,’ Shaun promised. And we’d make the one week of each month we had together extra special. Still, getting used to a new long-distance relationship was hard on both of us. Shaun had been my childhood sweetheart. We’d met when I was 16 and had barely spent…

Keepsake keyring  After celebrating my 50th wedding anniversary, I turned the champagne cork into a keyring. I screwed a small hook into the cork, then added the ring. It's a great memento of the day! Richard Emerson, Grimsby DIY drain unblocker Put a dishwasher tablet in your plughole, pour boiling water over it - and any blockages will quickly be cleared. Elizabeth Chellingworth, Jersey Look sharp  If your scissors need sharpening, here's an easy way to do it. Simply snip through some kitchen foil a few times. They'll be good as new! Lee Kendrick, London Go bananas  Soften an unripe banana by poking it all round, unpeeled, with a sharp knife. Put it on a paper towel and microwave for 30-second intervals, as needed. Cool before handling. Jacqueline Wilkins, Frome…

Aries 21 March - 20 April Whatever you do this week will have a real impact. If that’s what you intended, then well done, it’ll be noticed. But make sure that your aim is good - hitting the wrong target could create all sorts of trouble! Call 0905 817 0690* for more Taurus 21 April - 21 May You know how you get down a crowded train carriage, smiling and saying, ‘Excuse me, sorry, thank you so much’? That’s you this week. You’ve four people to get past, in various ways. Breathe in and turn sideways... Call 0905 817 0691* for more Gemini 22 May - 21 June You and somebody at work come up with a plan, the sort that makes you high-five each other. Whether it’ll work is…

As he shook me like a rag doll, I felt my skin ripping open For almost 16 years, I’d lived in my one-bed flat, and I’d always enjoyed a natter over the garden fence with neighbours. When my elderly neighbour Derek died, in July 2016, I wanted to pay my respects. ‘Such a sweet soul,’ I told my daughter, Leanne, then 36. But with a heart condition, osteoporosis, and no car, I didn’t think I’d make his funeral. ‘We’ll give you a lift,’ another neighbour Patrick offered one evening, as we sat in my garden having a drink. ‘Thanks,’ I smiled back. Patrick had moved in with his girlfriend Leeanne a few years before with their huge Japanese Akita dog Kioshi. As we sat chatting, I stroked Kioshi’s head. We’d…

Pus on my finger Q The side of my fingertip became red and swollen where it meets the nail. My GP gave me antibiotics but now there's pus. Carol, 43 A Sounds like a paronychia, an infection between the skin and your nail. Antibiotics can nip it in the bud but, once pus forms, you'll probably need it cut and drained in A&E - don't try it yourself! Feeling stiff QI'm getting stiffer every morning, especially in my hips, knees, shoulders and back. It wears off during the day, is it just old age? Marilyn, 52 A It could be mild wear and tear combined with lack of fitness, in which case exercise should help. But morning stiffness can also point to joint inflammation from conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis,…

Co-op Chicken Tikka Masala with Pilau Rice, 450g, £2.75 This had a deep colour, thick and rich texture and a good amount of meat. Aldi Indian Cuisine Chicken Tikka Masala with Pilau Rice, 450g, £1.79 A great-value option, with a rich flavour and a generous portion of tender chicken. M&S Chicken Tikka Masala, 400g, £4 Deep, rich spices give an authentic flavour, with just the right creaminess. A pricier option, but worth it. NEW Morrisons Yogurt Coleslaw, £1.50 This new coleslaw from Morrisons is made with yogurt, giving a fresh flavour with 45% less fat! A great side dish for a spring BBQ!…

CALL THAT JUSTICE?! Fractured his victim’s jaw with one punch Bit her fingers leaving her in terrible pain How did he escape a jail sentence? Locking eyes with a handsome, brown-eyed man across the pub, my heart skipped a beat. Damian Bridge. An old school friend, I’d known him since we were 14. It was August 2012, and I was having a drink with friends. Damian and I got chatting. He was so charming. ‘We should spend more time together,’ Damian said. Grinning, I agreed. Two days later, he took me out for dinner. We clicked, and there and then, he asked me to be his girlfriend. ‘Of course!’ I replied. Two weeks later, he moved into my flat. At first, we were really loved-up. Damian treated me like a…

Stepping into Risley Prison in Warrington, nerves shot through me. The stench of urine, faeces and tobacco made me retch, while the noise of the female inmates shouting and screaming was deafening. It was 1968, I was 25, and it was my first day at HMP Risley. Or ‘grisly Risley’ as the inmates called it. Only, I wasn’t a prisoner, but a prisoner officer. I’d spent a few years as a police officer in Doncaster – one of only four female officers at the time. But nothing could’ve prepared me for this. I worked in a female-only part of the prison. The inmates wore uniforms and lived in tiny cells with a chamber pot. And they were allowed one bath a week. Family and friends had been shocked when I…

Sitting on the side of the bath, I let out a groan. ‘Are you OK?’ my boyfriend Jack, then 24, called from outside the bathroom door. ‘I don’t know...’ I started. But I couldn’t finish my sentence, had to lift the toilet seat to be sick again. For months, I’d had terrible abdominal pains and attacks of vomiting. ‘You really should see the doctor,’ Jack said when I eventually staggered out. ‘I know,’ I sighed. Actually, doctors were very familiar territory for me. Born at 26 weeks, I’d been in Intensive Care and had tummy problems my whole life. So I made an appointment. ‘It’s probably just IBS,’ my GP told me. ‘But we will do some tests.’ It was September 2016, and I was sent for a transvaginal ultrasound…

Passionate pensioners! Doreen Wendt-Weir is an inspiration! It's great that she's so open about the fact people past retirement age are still actively enjoying ‘physical pursuits' (22 February issue). It gives us younger ones reassurance that life won't stop, no matter what your age. Irene Wheeldon, Ammanford, Carmarthenshire WE PAY CASH It makes me mad... All the major charities spend vast amounts on advertising. It’s such a waste of money, and makes me cross that any donation I give might be used for adverts instead of those who need it most. Tony Harper, Plymtree, Devon Modern wedding I went to a colleague’s wedding recently and when it came to the part where the couple say ‘I do’, they handed their mobiles to each other to update their Facebook relationship status.…