A long interval has passed since my last blog entry. This will explain some of the travails I have experienced over the past few months. Over the coming days I will post another blog entry detailing some of the treatments I have trialled recently.
A Pain in the Back
On the 30th of November I slipped a disc in my back. Unfortunately, I am without a remarkable story as to what caused it. In fact quite the opposite is true, the most mundane of causes is responsible- I was simply sitting in a chair and I stood up. I saw sports doctors and a physiotherapist and was diagnosed with a slipped disc in my back.
Whenever I take medication for a condition not directly related to ME, I am always hopeful that it will improve an ME symptom. I was on a fairly high dose of Diclofenac for a period of a week. It was aimed at lowering my inflammation and reducing the pain associated with my slipped disc however failed to lower any ME related pains or symptoms. The back pain was fairly intense especially during the nights. I was on various pain killers for almost a month. Almost 2 months after the slipped disc, I still have some lingering back pain but I am significantly improved.
The Flu
During September 2014, I came down with the flu. I experienced four days of more acute symptoms, with a temperature hovering around 39° Celsius (102.2° Fahrenheit), occasional vomiting and the usual dose of flu symptoms. I spent the following four months trying to shake off a few milder yet persistently lingering flu symptoms. My parents were also hit by the same flu as I was. My Mum had a cough that lingered for a few months. I took quite an assortment of immunomodulators at different periods to try and reduce my lasting flu symptoms. These included
I had been reluctant to try too many ME specific treatments from September 2014 to January 2015 as it would have been difficult to monitor what effects treatments were having versus residual flu symptoms.
Some of my cognitive impairment dissipated when I was in the acute period of the flu. I have noticed this phenomenon in the past on many occasions when I have contracted a virus or cold. My mental clarity improves moderately while my body fights the infection. I have also heard of multiple ME patients who have had a similar experience when they get a secondary sickness. My restless leg syndrome also vanquished for the acute period of my flu which was another oddity.
Wearing caps
Whilst I am on the subject of cognitive impairment, I should bring up a peculiarity involving caps and my brain fog. For the first time in years I tried wearing a cap several months ago. I only had it on for a few minutes which resulted in approximately two hours of severe cognitive impairment. A few weeks later, I wanted to make sure another factor wasn’t at play hence I attempted to don a cap again. This time, I made it as loose as possible and only placed it on my head for ten seconds. Again I experienced significant cognitive impairment for the following two hours. I have scoured the internet and am yet to find another case like this. If anyone also has this bizarre symptom, I’d love to hear from you in the comments. I can only speculate that the cap somehow restricts my already impaired cerebral blood flow.
Conclusion
Overall, my last several months have been sidetracked with non-ME health issues. I believe the lengthy duration of my flu is largely due to my already impaired ME immune system. I also believe my slipped disc is probably consequential of my sedentary state caused by ME. Overall, my ME health hasn’t deviated much and each day is very similar. The flu was only acute for a few days and this is a luxury compared with the lengthy illness that can be ME. My slipped disc also wasn’t pleasant but having something more treatable than ME was something I appreciated. My restless leg syndrome has improved during the past few months seemingly without intervention. Over the coming few days I will post a blog entry detailing the ME treatments I have experimented with over the past few months.
My grandfather said to always beware of drivers wearing hats, because they are worse drivers than those without. And also, remember, they cool the heads of premature babies to improve their brain function. Ten seconds might be a little extreme, and may be partly due to your overattention to the issue, but wearing a hat definitely warms your head and slows your brain down. Your brain is like a computer. It runs better when it’s cold.
@emma594 Thanks for the comment. It’s interesting to hear this information about hats and brain function. My SPECT scan showed significantly reduced blood flow around the brain which adds a little science to the issue. I have tried many treatments to improve cerebral blood flow and I think finding a successful treatment here would benefit me greatly.
Hi, sorry to hear about your back problems, I am experiencing a very bad bout of sciatica at the moment. It’s a recurring problem for me but this time is the worst ever. My doctor has put me on diazepam for a few days to reduce the muscle spasm. When I am better enough to lay flat he will send me for a scan, if the cause is a slipped disc or bone fragment I will push for surgery as I hate to lose what little mobility I have. I am surprised you were prescribed diclofenac most doctors won’t use it anymore as it’s been discovered it can damage the cardiovascular system, which is especially dangerous for people with M.E. who as you probably know can suffer catastrophic organ failure (including heart failure) despite not having any heart disease (or kidney or whatever) Naproxen is a safer option. How long have you been ill? I found for the first 20 years or so I caught every virus going and was much sicker than other people with it but after that (I’ve had M.E. for 35 years) I seem to catch things far less and more mildly. Colds in my immediate family have even passed me by. I take ridiculous doses of vitamin C at the first sign of a virus 8000% + RDA and that greatly reduces the severity and sometimes stops the virus developing altogether. I do wonder why my immune system has improved so much while I have still all the other symptoms of M.E. I have been having weekly vitamin B12 injections for about three years and they have helped enormously, especially with brain fog. What is a SPECT scan? Looking forward to your next entry, Ashleigh
@Ashleigh
I appreciate your comment. I’m sorry to hear that you are suffering so much regarding your back. I’ve read of some anecdotal instances of Diclofenac benefitting ME patients but like you mention, it can be contraindicated in this patient group.
I have been sick for almost ten years now- I’m sorry to hear about the length of your illness, this certainly is a very wicked disease. It is pleasing to hear that your brain fog has improved from B12 injections. It is interesting to hear of your immune system- is there something you took or an event that occurred which triggered your immune system to change after the first 20 years?
On a blog entry I wrote a long time ago I wrote this about SPECT scans:
“ The SPECT scan. This is a ‘Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography’ scan. The SPECT scan shows how the blood flows through your brain. It is performed by having an injection of a radiolabled chemical that can be detected by the scanner as it passes through your body. CFS patients tend to have a reduced blood flow to their brain. According to Dr Cheney, 80% of CFS patients have abnormal SPECT scans. To my knowledge, major hospitals have SPECT scan facilities. My home city of Adelaide is home to a large portion of the research involving SPECT scans and CFS. I had a SPECT scan performed when I had mild CFS and it showed a significant impairment of blood flow to my brain.”
Wishing you all the best in health.
Sorry you’ve been dealing with extra-ME issues, not that this is any better than strictly-ME issues. Glad to see you blogging, though. You’re one of the best. Hope you’re well, as well as can be, anyway.
Thank you so much for the comment. It makes me smile to read such generous words.
All the best 🙂