Nah, I'm not pushing myself, just doing what I'm able too 😉
Can't make sunday, downhlling on lecky in preparaton for an uplft day n a few weeks 😉
Bunnyhop - cheers, happy to share 🙂
flow - Member
Grum, are you into photography by any chance?
Yeah very much so. The only real positive thing to come out of theillness actually, is I realised I was going to have to occupy my time with something non strenuous, and I'd always been interested in getting into photography bit never pursued it.
Grum, do you go on Talk Photography under the same username?
Yup.
You have some awesome images on there mate, just recently got into it myself. Seem to be doing more and more now I can't ride. I sent a friend request.
Thanks 😀
Yeah it was a real life-saver for me TBH. Accepted your friend request btw.
Thanks Grum, you have a 5D I see, good choice, my brother has one and its very good.
Well I went to my old doctor the other day, she thought I was stupid for even thinking I had Lyme.
This afternoon I went to my new doc, explained my symptoms, he said its possibly Lyme without me even mentioning it.
Hopefully I will get somewhere!
Grum, how is the Tamron 28-75 on the 5D? I read that it is really soft in the corners on full frame, is that true?
I've not noticed it TBH, although I often use it at f2.8 so the corners are often blurry anyway. I don't pixel peep too much but I've found it to be very sharp indeed actually. The only slight disappointment is the AF - it can be a bit slow and inaccurate. It's a real bargain though IMO.
Lyme test came back negative, back to square one 🙁
Sorry to hear that Flow. Keep your chin up though.
Flow - it maybe time to get some dietary advice and cut out alcohol and sugar hth.
No Sugar FTW!
Hi peeps, thanks for the comments.
I spent an hour and a half at my new doctors today, he said I could still have Lyme even though the test was negative, and will possibly need to go to the hospital for some more tests. Something about fluid from spine? Anyway, he said whatever it is he will get to the bottom of it which is very relieving to hear because my last doctor left me feeling helpless.
I haven't had any alcohol for god knows how long now, I might try and clean up my diet a bit more though.
I have started taking this multi vitamin http://tinyurl.com/63yv8d9 and have also been taking quite a high dosage of vitamin c every day.
i did a western blot test for my diagnosis as well as the opinion of a lyme specialist.
if you need any details flow my email is in my profile.
Thanks Nonk, just mailed you mate.
Vm75 are good. I take them
Who was the person on here who went to the Breakspear Clinic?
Searching doesn't work
Well, it sounds as if I might have to have a lumber puncture which sucks. I'm not sure if this is to find if I have Lyme or something else, either way I'm not looking forward to it at all 😥
flow i have just seen your post mate i will get on it now.
Thanks Nonk, appreciated mate.
What else have they tested you for?
That might sound a silly question, but plenty of doc's don't bother testing for many things. My doc tested me for EVERYTHING (including HIV) as a precautionary measure... Needless to say everything came back negative, meaning CFS was the likely outcome.
By the way, this time round I made sure I didn't stop riding my bike, and I think that helped a lot with my recovery speed. Didn't push myself, but made sure I rode at least once a week even if only for an hour or so. Even at the expense of feeling tired the next day, but it really helped make me feel better. Exercise releases endorphins after all...
ygm.
Thanks Nonk I replied.
Mboy - current tests are, 2 ECG's, 2 FBC's, thyroid and liver function, chest xray, and a test for Lyme. I think I'm missing a few there too.
I would love to ride my bike but I can't 😥 it leaves me aching all over, the last time I did it took 2 weeks to recover and I was only riding for an hour.
Good luck Flow! Been where you are and wish you all the best
Thanks mate, doctor phoned today and has decided its probably not Lyme due to the negative test.
I just re-read your post, the symptoms you describe are pretty much exactly what I have.
I contacted college today and asked them if they could send me the work so I don't miss out and get behind. I'm basically going to just chill out as much as possible, try not to stress about it (which I am getting good at) and take it as it comes.
I don't know where I would be now without the help of the anti depressants, I wish I had started taking them sooner! The sedative effects are starting to wear off now so I might have to change to something else as I'm not sleeping well again.
I've had some similar symptoms described here. I seemed to get flu-like symptoms by just doing light weights. Essentially I'd be ok during the exercise, then I'd be knocked for six a couple of hours after. This was something that I could reproduce, and it wasn't just muscle aches. It felt like proper flu but would only last a day.
Have you experimented with diet? It's the one thing you can take control of and do something about.
Both myself and my brother have had some of the symptoms above that have been helped my changing diet.
We've both gone towards slow-carb foods (avoid white-carbs/sugar basically). Anyway, don't like to harp on about diet, but you've got nothing to lose, and it's something you can control without having to go back and forth to doctors.
Nickname, I am definitely going to clean up my diet, not that its bad or anything.
Buckwashed, I just watched Guptas intro vids and it all makes soooo much sense! Thanks for sharing that with me, I think I'm going to be purchasing it.
Bushwacked, do you have an email address I can contact you on by any chance. I AM going to get better and ride my bike again, but I might need some help 😉
My guess is stress/anxiety. How much of your day do you spend analysing/worrying about whats wrong with you? Mayby the only thing wrong with you is that you keep worrying/analysing what is wrong due to the symptoms you experience, but the symptoms are the effect of your previous worrying? And you are trapped in a loop?
😆 My guess is that your guess isn't a guess at all and you have just read/watched things about the Gupta Program.
Thanks for the input though.
😀 Nah never read it, just seemed like stress to me.
My guess is stress/anxiety. How much of your day do you spend analysing/worrying about whats wrong with you? Mayby the only thing wrong with you is that you keep worrying/analysing what is wrong due to the symptoms you experience, but the symptoms are the effect of your previous worrying? And you are trapped in a loop?
Oh you're a doctor able to diagnose over the internet? How clever.
A few random thoughts from a doctor who has been a patient too...
- No other group of patients researches their illness and spends as much time discussing it to quite the same extent as people with CFS/ME/PVF, Lyme disease (where there's no tick bite seen), total body candida (typically pronouncing it can-deee-da), etc to the point where such activity is almost pathgnomic. I don't say this as criticism, I seriously wonder if the level of analysis actually drives the condition. You might say that's because drs are useless and it's your only option but doctors miss lots of other things in lots of other patients and none seem to do their own research to quite the same level.
- Lots of nutters latch on to these illnesses too I suspect and you all end up tarred with the same brush.
- I'd be surprised if these conditions have a single cause (maybe a single trigger, e.g. EBV infection is present in some cases), I suspect they're complex, caused by multiple interacting factors and that's what makes them so resistant to treatment. If you know anything about complex systems you'll hopefully see what I'm getting at. There are lots of vicious circles going on in these complex systems, physiological, psychological, social - one thing feeds the other which feeds it back, as a single simple e.g. - fatigue -> no exercise -> poor sleep -> fatigue.
- Most doctors find dealing with the patients who have this condition very difficult and with good reason - no known cause, a 10 minute appointment and a patient quite clearly suffering but often with some very odd ideas is not a good combination especially when they absolutely refuse to do any of the things you suggest (the "yes, but" game). Doctors hate feeling like they can't help someone and some deal with that better than others, some are just plain rude (no excuse for that).
- Over investigation can make you worse, especially if the results are equivocal and/or merit further investigation.
- There's only one way to deal with complex illness of unknown cause IMO and that's monitoring and feedback, i.e. formalised trial and error. Use sites like patientslikeme.com to find your starting points.
Most doctors find dealing with the patients who have this condition very difficult and with good reason - no known cause, a 10 minute appointment and a patient quite clearly suffering but often with some very odd ideas is not a good combination especially when they absolutely refuse to do any of the things you suggest (the "yes, but" game). Doctors hate feeling like they can't help someone and some deal with that better than others, some are just plain rude (no excuse for that).
A good doctor is the key to getting better... First time I had it, no disrespect to the doctor I had as he was a nice guy, but he seemed more concerned with covering his ass and just signing me off work than he did taking any positive steps to helping me get better. Second time around, I had a different doctor that was much more determined to help me take some positive steps, and he helped me try various different things, and though not all worked he helped me find a way of getting better that worked for me much more quickly than I would have done otherwise. I certainly owe him a beer or two if I ever see him in the pub, that's for sure!
Doctors can often be too quick to go down the route of blaming your illness purely on depression too by the way. I went to see a "CFS specialist" who was overworked and stressed herself, and as a result when she asked me if I had any depression (as about 99.9% of CFS sufferers do in one form or another), she then refused to treat me until I'd taken a course of anti-depressants to "deal with my depression"... Thanks! She certainly WILL NOT be getting a Christmas Card from me this year... BITCH! 🙄
My guess is stress/anxiety. How much of your day do you spend analysing/worrying about whats wrong with you? Mayby the only thing wrong with you is that you keep worrying/analysing what is wrong due to the symptoms you experience, but the symptoms are the effect of your previous worrying? And you are trapped in a loop?
LOL, same old answer that everybody gives that's never properly had to deal with somebody close to them with CFS/PVF/ME in their life. It's a very complex illness, and is often different in its manifestation from one person to the next. I've known bushwacked above personally for a few years now, and we have both suffered from it at the same time (his first bout, my second), and it affected us both in quite different ways.
I don't know where I would be now without the help of the anti depressants, I wish I had started taking them sooner! The sedative effects are starting to wear off now so I might have to change to something else as I'm not sleeping well again.
Personally, I'm of the opinion that anti depressants don't help at all, and if anything can actually prolong the healing process. Of course, if you're that depressed you've considered killing yourself, then anti depressants are necessary, at least to get you back on a relatively even keel, but I'd stress that beginning to think positively for yourself and manage your depression proactively in your own way, however hard it may be, is definitely going to help you recover more quickly and effectively. I'm talking from personal experience here by the way!
I AM going to get better and ride my bike again, but I might need some help
This will help you LOTS... I went down FOD with bushwacked the other Friday, his first proper offroad ride in about 12 months. We didn't go that far, but he was straight back into it and loving it... Made me smile too, riding bikes is great and should not be underestimated how good it makes you feel!
No other group of patients researches their illness and spends as much time discussing it to quite the same extent as people with CFS/ME/PVF, Lyme disease (where there's no tick bite seen), total body candida (typically pronouncing it can-deee-da), etc
You might want to include thyroid conditions in there too seeing as, ime, GPs are very keen to write out a prescription for ad's.
Oh and a patient satisfaction survey from the practice too might help to get rid of the GPs with the lazyitis virus.
You might want to include thyroid conditions in there too seeing as, ime, GPs are very keen to write out a prescription for ad's.
I take it you're talking about people with hypothyroidism treated as depression without blood tests being done first? That's a simple cock up, a missed diagnosis, not a complex condition. It happens, and as I said other stuff gets missed too and patients pick it up after some internet research, but seriously nobody does research quite like people with CFS etc. Being very analytical seems to go with the condition and as I also said, I have wondered whether it might fuel it. One way to help yourself is to use that analytical mind for good - formalise the trial and error. CFS and its siblings are conditions with no silver bullet (at least not yet and I suspect not ever).
I agree TFTs should always be done pre- or soon after antidepressants are started by the way. I'd also say most antidepressants are a waste of time for most people but quite a few patients come in to get them and they give doctors a quick and easy route out of a 'heavy' consultation.
Oh and a patient satisfaction survey from the practice too might help to get rid of the GPs with the lazyitis virus.
They tend to have their followers though and most rate their GPs very highly whether they're good or bad. Of course there are lazy / shite GPs out there (we're humans after all) but honestly, the constant doctor bashing at the moment is seriously unhelpful and demotivating to those of us who do give a shit.
LOL, same old answer that everybody gives that's never properly had to deal with somebody close to them with CFS/PVF/ME in their life.
Lol, but just mayby I do know someone very close who suffered, and once they chose to stop worrying/analysing/discussing their condition they improved and made a full recovery. Anyways Im out.
I take it you're talking about people with hypothyroidism treated as depression without blood tests being done first?
The Royal College of Physicians directs GPs to carry out one blood test which is supposed to determine a thyroid condition. In practice it sounds simple - if the level is over x then you have a thyroid condition. If it's under x then you don't ... so I am not going to listen to your symptoms.
The very people that are having to fight to be listened to are the very people that don't have the strength to do that.
Please ... I'm not doctor bashing having just spent 3 days in hospital last week after coming off my bike ... I'm fed up with not being listened to!
Mboy - the only way the AD's have helped is they get me to sleep, I'm not depressed, although I think they also might have calmed me down a bit as I was starting to worry what was up with me as I have no diagnosis.
I just changed doctors and this one seems really good and actually wants to help me get better. He phones to ask me to go in and see him, he never forgets anything like my symptoms or our conversations. The last doctor couldn't even remember my name, let alone symptoms, and it was obvious she didn't give a shite.
Are you on the mend now then? How long have you been suffering with the bastard thing this time? Once is bad enough, let alone twice! I feel for you dude.
One way to help yourself is to use that analytical mind for good - formalise the trial and error. CFS and its siblings are conditions with no silver bullet (at least not yet and I suspect not ever).
Very good point.
I've got a very naturally analytical mind, and when somebody tells you you're ill but they don't know what it is or what's causing it, you do go about searching for answers. I did put my natural CI training into effect though, and started doing some root cause analysis on my problems and the effects, and started to eliminate the things that seemed to make me worse, and focus on the things that make me better. If you're going to sit reading wikipedia and focus on the negatives, it's obviously going to be a massive downwards spiral, but 2nd time round I decided to get better the only way I was going to successfully do it was to shut out any negatives in my life, and focus on all the positives and spend time making them happen.
I just changed doctors and this one seems really good and actually wants to help me get better. He phones me to ask me to go in and see him, he never forgets anything about me, like my symptoms or our conversations. The last doctor couldn't even remember my name, let alone symptoms, and it was obvious she didn't give a shite.
Just having a doctor that remembers your name and all your symptoms instills a massive amount of confidence, and stupid as it sounds, this could even be the catalyst to help you get better! It helped me a lot, and that he was prepared to try as many different methods as possible to help me get better too.
Are you on the mend now then? How long have you been suffering with the bastard thing this time? Once is bad enough, let alone twice! I feel for you dude.
Struck down beginning of April, so just over 6 months ago. I'd say I'm about 80-90% better now. First time I had it, took me 6 months before I was happy really even leaving the house, so recovery has been quicker this time. Part of my speed of recovery I'm attributing to no matter what, I made riding my bike the most important thing to me. So I'd sacrifice pretty much anything to make sure I got a ride in each week.
The single biggest step change I found though, and this is quite personal to me, has been having something to focus on, a positive influence in my life. You NEED to be able to be positive about something, and having discussed this at length with bushwacked, I can see why different methods work for different people. His theory about Gupta makes good sense, it might not be for everyone, but if it helps you to be positive then all good. Same as the lightning process, I totally poo pooed it at first (and to be honest I know it wouldn't work for me still as I'm too cynical), but if you're the kind of person that can find positivity in that way it could be money well spent. I'm not, so I knew I had to find some positivity for myself... I've gone back to uni, to do a Music Degree, something I'm totally passionate about, so now I live for studying and riding my bike and I'm bloody loving it! Only small problem is the fact I'm skint, and that's probably going to be the way it is for the next several years too, but money ain't everything...
Oh, and one thing you MUST remember that I didn't realise after the first time I recovered... I thought I had dealt with CFS, and that meant it was out of my life... WRONG! As someone who has suffered with it, you are very susceptible to a relapse providing the conditions are right for it to return. So now I'm going out of my way to make sure those conditions don't happen, removing negative influences from my life, focussing on goals that will make me happy (without being too unrealistic as they have to be semi-attainable), and generally not beating myself up for being who I am right now. I found that just giving myself a break for not being as successful as I wanted to be by the age I am now (31), has helped loads! It's all about taking the positives out of every situation... Happy Clappy sh*t if you like (like the lightning process) works for some, but for me I just go about it my own way...
Like I said mate, email is in my profile...
The Royal College of Physicians directs GPs to carry out one blood test which is supposed to determine a thyroid condition. In practice it sounds simple - if the level is over x then you have a thyroid condition. If it's under x then you don't ... so I am not going to listen to your symptoms.
Fair enough. Humans are incredibly complex and poorly understood, the problem comes when we pretend otherwise. Not listening is inexcusable.
EDIT: P.S. Why does an illness always have to have a cause, like a dodgy thyroid or a virus or whatever? Could illnesses not be complex in origin? The dogged pursuit of a cause is fraught with difficulty and danger...
Just having a doctor that remembers your name and all your symptoms instills a massive amount of confidence, and stupid as it sounds, this could even be the catalyst to help you get better! It helped me a lot, and that he was prepared to try as many different methods as possible to help me get better too.
You are definitely right there mate, as soon as I changed it was a HUGE relief knowing my health was in the hands of someone that actually gave a shite.
Because riding my bike, or any exercise makes me ache for weeks, I have really got into photography and have recently started a btech at college. At the moment because my sleep is so awful I have been missing a few days, but I have asked if I can do the work at home when I'm not up to going in, this has taken my mind off it no end.
Its good thet you have made a speedy recovery this time, I got ill a month after you did and have only just started getting better, but I WILL GET BETTER! I am going to keep telling myself that, there is no way this is staying with me forever like it does with some people, nooooo chance.
I have just been reading Dr Myhills site, some very interesting reading there, I will be following a lot of that info from now on.
Like I said mate, email is in my profile...
Thanks mate, my memory is so shite I forgot you said about it the first time.
Wishing good health to bushwacked, mboy and flow. 🙂
EDIT: P.S. Why does an illness always have to have a cause, like a dodgy thyroid or a virus or whatever? Could illnesses not be complex in origin? The dogged pursuit of a cause is fraught with difficulty and danger...
I believe they are complex. For example, during the last 3 years I have experienced most of the top 10 most stressful life events. This year I have seen the harrowing death of my father, my mother in hospital for 2 months, moving house to a new area, falling off my bike and possibly surgery required.
Actually what is keeping me going is whilst I was in hospital, there was a young guy who had been beaten up. He was in a wheelchair and had brain damage. He was in his 20's and his life was effectively over. Puts everything into perspective.
