Several people have mentioned having severe longterm health problems so i thought i would open up a topic for people who wanted to speak about their health prob and the various limitations their particular illness imposes on them. No need to read if you are in good health and really dont want to know ( I dont blame you if this is how you feel) but for those wanting to read, it can give some insight and maybe help you help a friend or family member should they fall ill. I have had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for 12 years. The name does not really describe the illness very well, the 'fatigue' you feel is like no other tiredness you have ever felt, it is like running on empty completely, like your battery has gone dead and there is no spark left anywhere in yr system. Nor does the name convey the myriad of other symptoms along with fatigue - muscle soreness, joint pain, dizziness, memory problems, weakness, noise andl lght sensitivity are just a few - and of course,depression can strike when you lose yr ability to do even basic things, like have a shower. I am much improved now thanks to having reflexology and reiki and through carefully and commitedly following a programme designed by M.E. clinical practitioners, which is running at various hospitals throughout the country. (Get details by googling M.E.Clinical Champions...) I have gone from taking a complete morning to have a shower and get dried ( and then spending the afternoon in bed recovering) to being able to do a little something every day, or at least on most days. It has taken many years to get this level of recovery, and I would ask people to have empathy, as gainsborough said in a recent topic. It is sometimes hard to feel sympathy when it may not be obvious at first glance that someone has a health problem, but take my word for it, this is a devastating illness leading to so many losses, including loss of self esteem, salary, life style - even to loss of friends who dont want to know when you are suddenly made different by illness.
I'm currently a postgraduate podiatry student specialising in Diabetes. I work for 4 years in Singapore before coming over to further my studies. As some of you may have already know, diabetes is a pretty prevalent disease and is more common as we grow older due to the accumulated effects of over-eating, under-utilising our food intake and sedentary lifestyle. Although I deal mostly with ghastly ulcers related to diabetes, I speak to patients and their family and understand how diabetes can affect their entire life, as well as their carers or family. Diabetes indeed is an awful disease to have as it affects almost all the organs in your body you can imagine. From stroke, heart problems, kidney issues, eye problems, nerve problems, ulcers, sexual dysfunction, to secondary issues like depression....what can be worse than it? Although I do not discount the other chronic disease and their impact on the person itself, I definitely feel and admire people who can overcome all the odds to try to have a normal life as much as they can. Rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, chronic fatigue syndrome etc...persevere and remember that you are not alone. There are always support groups and people you can talk to, which are definitely helpful. Speaking to peers with similar issues are beneficial as they may be able to give you tips on how to cope with your problems. Press on & take care!
Gainsboroughgirl here. Yes, I too have all these symptoms. Fell low about the effects on ME people of proposed Incapacity benefit changes.Too ill to prove I'm ill!
Yowzer, I am in awe of you. I cant believe you have been so ill, and still are, yet you are so upbeat and cheery in your opinions. You are definitely an inspiration to me, I am really going to try and be more positive and happy in my putlook towards life now. It is hard when you have a longterm illness, as with my arthritis, one minute you can be feeling okay but the next the pain can start and you cant move. I think thats why i worry that people dont believe me that i have the illness because often they say "Well, you were alright yesrterday" but that is what the illness is like.On a good day, i can walk almost like anyone else it just hurts when i bend or stand for a long time. On a bad day I cant walk very far and end up either using a walking stick or a wheelchair.I feel like maybe i have gone on and on about my illness too much on toluna and I should stop mentioning it so much as it must really annoy people and they think "Oh here she goes again." Yowzer, you are a total inspiration and I just hope that I can be more like you.
wELL YOWZER HUN I CAN REALLY SYMPOTHISE HERE WITH YOU HUN, i HAVE SEVERAL CHRONIC ILLNESSES, heres a list i have Rheumatoid arthritis, Diabetes, sjogrens syndrome ( for those who dont know look it up on google) wich is an anti immune disease, wich has already damaged my hearing, and with taking a certain medication for my arthritis, wich damaged my lung, but the spacialists say i have rheumatoid lung, depression for 14 years, so i personally can sympothise with yowzer on the fatigue, muscle & joint pains it is crippling, and to be told by several specialists that you will only deteriate & never get better is kind of guttering to me , all the medication you have to take , and i have not hit 40 yet but feel as if im in my 60's... But you have to keep going aint ya girl , best wishes to you yowzer & chin up hun
I don't really have any health problems as such ,but have suffered with depression for a number of years. What I really wanted to talk about though is my two youngest children who both suffer with very bad and at times very painful eczema. Now if your anything like me, before my children were born I thought of eczema as nothing much , just people with a little bit of flaky skin, oh boy was I wrong. My three year old daughter suffers quite a lot and wakes constantly throughout the night every night crying and scratching. She is so used to this happening so quickly settles back down to sleep. Her wrists look as if she has tried to slash them as they are always very sore and inflamed , she scratches her head a lot as she also gets eczema on her scalp, regular shampoo can at times have almost a burning affect on her skin so she has to use Tgel a coal tar shampoo which doesn't smell the best for little children. She has just started nursery school so I often worry that people will think she has head lice because of the scratching and smell of the shampoo. Her skin on her body is bone dry and sore always. Each night my children have to be plastered in moisturising type cream it's just like lard they also regularly have to use hydrocortisone ointment. when my little boy was a few months old he had a massive open wound from eczema covering his full left cheek. People often used to look horrified and ask if he had been burned. My children are happy little soles but it makes my heart bleed to see them suffer. Heat makes them miles worse so although I cover them in bed they always end up without covers even on the coldest of nights. I could fill lots more pages of tales of their suffering but I wont. I mainly wrote about my children so people who don't know much about eczema could have a little bit of insight. This really can be a most horrible skin complaint indeed. xx
i am a lucky old so and so, nothing cronic ... fingers xxxx ... i think you are so strong to say and do the things you do, and you have a brill sense of humour, a girl after my own heart, a right good northern lass, sorry for the ones who live down south, some folk have to live there ...joke Honest. so i,ll leave your opinion to those who can tell you more, but please .. keep chatting.
Health