More tests....

This week has flown by without me really knowing what day it has been. I managed to get to see a doctor on Wednesday afternoon. He prescribed me some stronger painkillers much to my relief. The back and shoulder pains are still there but a lot more bearable now. I have at last been able to get some much needed sleep. A bit too much sleep perhaps..I haven't been up and about much before lunch time all week. The doctor has also prescribed Gaviscon liquid to ease the pains I get in my chest. He thinks that they may be caused by excess acid but the Helibactor test was negative. Apparently this is quite a common occurrence with M.E. but he has referred me to the hospital for yet more tests. This time for a camera investigation. I think he is just ruling out the possibility of any other condition causing it. Better safe than sorry I suppose. If I haven't heard anything from the hospital in 4 weeks I have to let him know and he will get on to them.
I still have to get to the CAB about an appeal for DLA. Wednesday is the earliest I will be able to go..and just hope that there is someone there that can help with it. I'm not holding my breath that I will be awarded DLA.....the forms are a minefield open to all sorts or interpretation.

Endless nights....

Why am I sat here at my computer at almost 4.30 in the morning? I should be in bed getting precious sleep. The answer is simple.....I am in so much pain sleep is impossible. Saturday night saw me finally getting a couple of hours at 7am. I usually go to my eldest son and daughter-in-laws for Sunday lunch. Suffice to say I didn't make it. The pain I have been getting since carrying home a ream of computer paper has steadily got worse. It's now at the point where sitting or standing for very long is extremely uncomfortable because of pain in my lower back, shoulders and neck...I feel physically nauseous. My head is pounding and the tinnitus is almost unbearable. I can hardly focus my mind on anything. I went for a short walk on Sunday afternoon in the hope that some exercise and fresh air would help. It didn't. I've run out of painkillers...hence the reason I am on here. The time for the surgery to open can't come quick enough for me. Why do the hours go so slowly when you are in pain? The painkillers I take are not on repeat prescription so I am hoping that I can get past a receptionist and speak to one of the doctors and get a prescription. Usually you have to order them 48 hours before. Failing that it will have to be a doctors appointment.....goodness knows when I will get one....could be up to a week!! I definitely can't wait that long....I will certainly go mad.

Can it get any worse?.....

I'm in pain...and I want it to go away. It's so mind numbing I'm finding it hard to concentrate at all. It started last week with a twinge.....my own fault really. A ream of copier paper at half price was too good an opportunity to miss. Carrying it home was the problem. The pain started as a twinge in my shoulder blade. Thought it would ease with a warm bath and rest. It has now spread to my shoulder, arm and neck. I'm fast running out of painkillers which don't seem to be helping at all.
On top of this I have 3 Birthday cards which I hoped to get done in the next week....2 of them are needed by the weekend. I have everything I need to do them....images on my computer and new stamps which arrived yesterday...yay!...except black ink!!! I replaced a black cartridge in my printer fairly recently and have not used it much. It's printing with streaks and alternating between light and dark...so annoying! I have followed the manufacturers instructions to clean the nozzles but it's not working. I'm just wasting paper trying. I will just have to try and be patient until next week when I can purchase a new one. Can it get any worse I ask you? On second thoughts...don't answer that!!
Hope your start to the new year has been better than mine.

Aaaarrrggggh!!!!!...

It's only January and already the year is not turning out too well for me.
Still haven't heard from the the surveyor about my windows...I'm feeling like I've smacked into a brick wall physically.....got a decision from the DWP, my claim for DLA has been rejected..again..the decision was based on a medical I had 2 years ago!..and my son Karl has broken his hand. No great catastrophe except it his his right hand and he is right handed.He went to the skate park Monday night and came back with a very bruised and swollen hand. He went to casualty on Tuesday morning and came home with a cast on. Been back this afternoon after work...(yes he did go into work..no work no pay)....they've taken the cast off and put him a splint on. He's in a lot of pain though so I've told him he has to go back in the morning. Can it get any worse at the moment?
To be fair it's not all doom and gloom though. Will give the housing association another ring..see where that gets me. The reason for my increasing pain is due to the fact that I had a particularly busy week. Last Monday was an appointment at the DWP for a "work focused interview". It went ok...I think...and have to go back for another 5 appointments. I don't know how they think it will help me though. She did give my ego a boost though by querying my date of birth. She put me 10 years younger than I am.
Tuesday had to be up at the crack of dawn for a new back door being fitted. At least it doesn't rain in now and it closes properly.
Wednesday saw me shopping with son and daughter-in-law. It was bitterly cold but I had some Christmas money just crying out to be spent on craft goodies...and the sales were on!!! Two new stamps, medallion ones....one of them is the Marie Curie daffodil stamp..gorgeous!.. a corner punch, lovely holographic card, computer paper and basic card stock. Have also ordered a set of stamps online....they should arrive in the next couple of days.
Thursday was food shopping day...I hate food shopping.
Friday I wasn't fit for anything, was totally wiped out and am only just starting to recover. This morning was hoping for a lie in but the painter turned up to paint my newly installed door.
I've not made any plans for the rest of the week. I need to try and rest and gather up some energy from somewhere.
And finally....I've had a makeover.....do you like it? I do. Let me know....I know you're out there....

New year...

Another year over. What the new year will bring I don't know. All I do know that I will be trying my hardest to try and get my life on a more even keel health wise.
My test for the Helicobacter pylori bacteria infection turned out to be negative. So where do I go from here......back to the doctor or carry on with the tablets and hope that the symptoms subside? Another wait and see scenario I think.
Christmas was a very enjoyable and relaxing time for me. Christmas day spent at home with my 2 youngest and boxing day at eldest son's. New year's eve saw me at eldest son's again and came home New years day..my 2 youngest were off out doing their own thing.

I still haven't had any results from the housing association concerning the matter of my windows. A surveyor is supposed to be coming to look at the damage but so far no sign. I will give the benefit of the doubt and assume that the delay is due to the holiday period. I have had some good news though. I am having a new back door fitted. The present one is rotted at the bottom and lets in the rain. I know it won't be a UPVC one like the front...that will be fitted when the refurbishment of the house is done...but at least it will be more secure and dry.

Monday I have an appointment at the DWP for a "work focused interview." Failure to attend this could lead to my benefit being stopped. Now I know that the government is supposed to be clamping down and checking that claimants are genuine.....but for heaven's sake...do they think that I actually prefer to live on a third of what I was earning and not having the lifestyle or social life that I used to enjoy? I did query this appointment over the phone and was told that the name is misleading. The interview...apparently..... is to help me manage my disability and possibly train to be able to find suitable work.....eh????? The mind boggles!!

May I take this opportunity to wish you all, wherever you may be, a peaceful, happy and healthy new year.

Murphy's law

I didn't want to get out of bed this morning and perhaps I shouldn't have. What could go wrong today has gone wrong. It started with the Christmas tree lights. They were working fine Thursday night when I put the tree up. Annoying..but easily fixed. Checked the fuse in the plug then the fuse bulb..that was the problem. Had a spare one, so easily fixed. Then the heating, or rather the hot water. The weather has turned very cold so I have had the heating on today. The hot water isn't working though when the heating is on. Probably a faulty valve. Rang the repair department at the housing association and was told that someone would contact me to make an appointment for this. Will be Monday now as repairs are not done at weekends except in an emergency. I can cope with that. What I can't cope with is the incessant phone calls I have been getting today...every 10 minutes or so. They have been from an automated service with no dialogue, just an annoying beep, beep, beep, beep,beep, Aaaarrgghhhh!!!!! The phone has been unplugged until the morning.
On a more positive note I have managed to get all my Christmas cards finished. Just got to address and post them. I am tempted to pack away my Christmas craft goodies, but if I do that you can guarantee that someone will get in touch wanting a card made.
Just got a couple of pressies to buy and then that will be my shopping finished...except the food of course. Not too much of that to do....the freezer is fairly well stocked and it will only be me and my 2 youngest boys for Christmas day. They are both working Christmas eve and boxing day.

The saga continues....

My health continues to get worse. Some of it is probably due to the cold weather. My muscle and joint pains seem to be increasing, and my fingers and feet are swelling more often. I went to see the doctor again...not the one I have been seeing.....she wasn't available. I have now had to stop the latest medication in order to be tested for a stomach bug, which apparently is very common, most people don't know they have it as it doesn't usually cause any problems. This bug could be causing excess acid which might account for the chest pains, so the doctor says. I go for a breath test at my local chemist at 9.30 next Monday..... 9.30!!!!!...I don't do mornings! It's not too bad though and might solve the problem. I can't have anything to eat and can only have water to drink for 6 hours before...hence the time. The test seems quite simple.....I tablet....then breathe into 2 tubes....wait 15 minutes then breathe into tubes again. If it showing that I have the bug...... a course of 2 types of antibiotics....problem solved. Now I don't mean to sound pessimistic but......the doctor has has given me more of the medication and put them on repeat for me to be taken if and when I need them. Another case of wait and see.
The saga of the replacement windows continues. The manager has been out to see me and replaced the broken one, and given an apology for the damage done to my garden. The housing association have not been so forthcoming. After a few missed calls and left messages i finally managed to talk to the refurbishment manager. She is sending a surveyor to look at the work. The thing that has really got me spitting feathers is the fact that the window company told me that the cladding over the old wooden cladding was a temporary measure as they would be removed and the walls re plastered round the windows when the refurbishment takes place. The housing association has today said that this is not the case..the windows are staying as they are!!! I am totally gobsmacked by this. It sounds as though it is a case of passing the buck. as you can probably imagine..I AM NOT A HAPPY BUNNY!!!!! I am going to contact the window company and get.... in writing.....why the windows have been done as they are. If I get no satisfaction from housing association on the matter then I will be kicking up an almighty fuss...local papers and all!!!! OK... rant over for now, and I make no apologies for becoming a grumpy old woman!

New windows...

The last 2 weeks have been a nightmare. The estate I live on has been taken over by a housing association and is being refurbished. My house is due for modernization in 2009. The work is taking some time, but the company which fits the new UPVC doors are ahead. That meant a new front door..but no back door. When I queried this I was told it was because the layout of the new kitchens might mean an alteration in the floor level..hence the reason for no back door. No problem..I can understand that. Last week I had new UPVC double glazed windows fitted. BIG problem!!!! The old windows were taken out and the new windows fitted with cladding partially covering the original internal window frames!!! Why????? The old frames will be removed and the walls re plastered when the house is refurbished. What a waste of time and financial resources. The kitchen window was 3 inches too short and they've put cladding over my newly plastered and tiled window sill, even though a surveyor was supposed to have measured each window. What surveyor? I haven't seen a surveyor..unless it was the woman seen walking round the estate with a clipboard. The outside tiled bedroom windowsills have been damaged and loose broken tiles wedged in under the new frames, positively dangerous in my view, and one of the windows has a lovely big crack. To top it all the workmen plonked their heavy tool boxes on my front garden and proceeded to trample all over my plants. When I pointed this out to them I was told not to worry about it..plants die at this time of year anyway. Unbelievable!!!! These are just a few of the complaints I have about the work. I have been seething and cleaning up the whole house. The results of that saw me in bed the best part of 2 days..I was exhausted. A stern letter has been written to the window company and also the housing association. Window co. has been in touch and taken photos of the work. I'm still waiting for a response from housing....but I'm not holding my breath.
To console myself I bought some new stamps for my card making. shouldn't have really..but what the heck.....and I found a wonderful craft blog. "Fred, she said"..Tracy Miller..her designs are wonderful and she puts some lovely stuff on there for downloading. Any crafters out there.... check it out.

I'm drowning...in paper

Well the weather has definitely turned. Although we get quite a bit of sunshine the cold winds are here and it makes it seem even colder. It's been a topsy-turvey couple of weeks. I've been feeling very low and I've not had many good days lately....probably has something to do with the clocks going back one hour. It is dark by tea time now.

Last week I received a cheque from the DWP for the princely sum of £14. This was for income support that they owed me from the date I claimed, which was the end of September. It turns out that I have been entitled to this benefit for the last 2 years...but they don't tell you what you are entitled to unless you specifically ask them and make a claim!!! I'm not complaining though; an extra £3 a week is not to be sneezed at. This extra benefit has meant filling in a long tedious form for housing and council tax benefit. I already receive these benefits as I am in receipt of IB.....so why the heck do I have to fill in the whole form again??...they already have all my details!!!! Talk about saving the planet....how many trees have been used to manufacture these extra forms??? My application to the local council for a mobility buss pass was returned saying I did not meet the criteria and I would need a supporting letter from my GP, which will cost me £5, and non refundable if they still reject my application. This week has been spent mostly trying to complete my claim for DLA. I'm sure I will be turned down again...but this time I probably will appeal. I didn't last time as I was so exhausted and had a lot of personal worries.

I returned to my doctor to review my medication. I have been having some quite scary side effects with the new medication. Sharp stabbing pains in my chest and shortness of breath. At first I thought just a bit of indigestion...but the doctor doesn't agree. She wanted to send me for an ECG..until I reminded her that I had already had one a few weeks ago. She then asked if there was any history of heart disease or stroke in my family. There isn't as far as I know. Now she has prescribed more medication which hopefully will counteract the possible side effects of my other medication. If it doesn't I will have to have more investigations to find out what is happening. Now I don't normally worry too much about my health, never had any real reason to, and nowadays I tend to put any new symptoms down to the M.E....but I'm starting to get a bit worried now. Are these new symptoms to do with the M.E.....or something entirely separate? I see the doctor again in 3 weeks time..so in the meantime I will try and stay calm.

Soon be Christmas!

3 months!!! I really can't believe it's been that long since I posted on here. This year seems to have gone by so fast, one of the effects of getting older I suppose. My youngest has now turned 18.....and yes he did get very drunk....not that it takes much to do that. I have had another birthday and my neighbours and I have had to cope with an invasion of ants. Luckily they didn't come into my house but they did next door. The floods earlier in the year probably meant that overall water levels were higher than normal and has driven the ants out of their homes. I have been busy though. Coping with the garden has taken up quite a lot of my time and energy. The refurbishment (if you can call it that) has started. I now have a (small) "patio" halfway up my garden. This visually divides the garden which hopefully will make the tasks easier to manage. There is still quite a bit to do... money and time are the stumbling blocks here..but it will get done. Very careful pacing has had to be done. The weather has turned quite cold now, although we do still have days of fairly bright sunshine. Summer is definitely over now so I think the rest of the work in the garden will have to wait till next year.

Health wise it has been a bit haywire and my energy levels have been very low. The ECG results were more or less what was expected....a high pulse rate, so blood tests were arranged to test for the possibility of thyroid problems. The results of that were normal. Now what to try? A months trial of co-codomol taken with my other medication at night to help with the muscle pain and perhaps allow me better sleep. Well I have been taking them as prescribed. My pulse rate is still high and though I do sleep easier and longer, the quality is no better. We will have to see what the doctors next move is when I next see her. This last week has seen me almost zombie-like, sleeping long hours and unable to do much at all. I haven't been out of the house for 5 days now. A special effort will be needed from me to try and get out tomorrow, even if only for a very short walk to the local shop.

I have started making my Christmas cards this week. It's going a lot slower than I would like. The down side of hand made cards is that everyone expects it of me. No getting away with a shop bought one now. I got a lovely surprise posted through my letter box this morning. My friend, a fellow crafter, has sent me a halloween card and a present of a new stamp!! Yes..we crafters do get quite excited at a new product to play with. It is of quite an elegant lady in a full length gown. Can't wait to try it out. Ideas are already starting to form in my head at the different ways I can use it....oh the possibilities are endless!