Posted by TeeJay on November 28, 2003, at 16:41:42
Firstly, let me say hello and thank you for all your postings which have kept me occupied for some weeks now, you are all fantastic!
As with most people, i'm posting because I need your help.
I've been ill for around 15 years now. I went to stacks of doctors who did all sorts of tests and could find nothing wrong. Eventually I saw a homeopath who diagnosed CFS although he also mentioned a few other things over the years too such as an allergy to tobacco (I was a 60 a day smoker) and some candida problems.
I dont bother with doctors as they have given me little in the way of help over the years and the cash strapped UK government and over burdened health servide mean things only get worse, rather than better. I've not seen the homeopath for some years now, mainly because he is 300 miles from my home and therefore seeing him is both tiresome and costly.
Initially my symptoms were more physical in nature, ie fatigue etc and I had the motivation or willpower to just kick myself up the backside and get stuff done, but over the years this has faded and now I suffer a multitude of what I would call emotional and mood problems as well as the fatigue.
Some descriptions to help you out perhaps........
I feel like I have the flu almost all of the time with only the intensity varying. Its worse in the winter months and seems to peak in its ferocity around Christmas. The glands in my throat are almost always swollen and somewhat painful, acompanying that is a kind of tingling/crawling sensation in the area where ones cheek bones meet the nose. Also a kind of cold fullness in the ears with the foggyheadedness and depersonalistion seeming to ease as this fullness eases often with rapid swallowing.As briefly touched on above, I suffer what I describe as "the goldfish bowl" effect where it feels as though nothing is quite real, almost as though I'm viewing everything from inside a goldfish bowl (does that make sense?). With that comes a poor sense of balance, disturbed coordination, and a general sense that ones senses are not working to their full capacity. Sometimes I can just be sat in a chair and it seems as though I am falling or spinning.
A few minor visual problems too....straight line on my monitor dont always seem very straight, they often lean (minly to the right) or shimmer in my peripheral vision. I dont halucinate, but I oftn think I catch sight of something out of the corner of my eye but obviously when I look, there is nothing there.
Mood wise, Ron Jones summed up how I feel brilliantly in his blueberry leaf post when he spoke of the anxiety, obsessive (ruminating)thinking, depersonalisation, feelings of unreality etc.....I am often petrified that I am going mad and will lose control of my actions which I believe are typical anxiety symptoms.
I've given depression much thought and consideration but believe any depression is secondary to the anxiety and is caused by the frustration with all the other symptoms!! I say this because on the occasions where I do wake up and feel at least sort of refreshed, my enrgy levels are up, my motivation levels are up and my moods also are up. If I may drift a little, I'veoften wondered if its not partly a sleep problem as I am almost always worse when I wake up and am better late at night.....for example, I felt lousy all day yesterday but felt well enough and bright enough to paint my ceiling at 1am last night.
As you may have gathered, my symptoms are not static. I'm never well and even my best days most people wouldnt enjoy, but to me they are all that get me through the really awful and dark periods. The periods can vary from days to weeks and very rarely a bad spell can last just hours as can a good spell. I've tried very hard to try and work some kind of pattern to it but i'm at a loss to do so.
Right, things tried.......EVERYTHING!! LOL I dont do medicine, not even aspirin for headaches but have tried much in the way of herbs and more recently vitamins and nothing really seems to have done much good. When things have done good (ginkgo springs to mind here) it usually only works for around 6 months before its affect seems to wear off.
Currently taking.......
N acetyl cysteine 600mg on waking
zinc and B6 twice a day 15mg and 50mg
mega fish oil 3 a day 310epa 210dha
magnesium glycinate 400mg when i remember (one or two a day)I stopped smoking back in january and the NAC is to try and sort out my lungs etc.
It may be my imagination, but the fish oil seems to make me feel a bit "doped up" although I do seem to feel less anxious on the whole.Well, that will do I think as my first post (has anyone fallen asleep yet?? LOL).....if anyone has any remarks, comments or suggestions, I'd be more than grateful to hear them.
Best Wishes
TJ
poster:TeeJay
thread:284809
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20031122/msgs/284809.html