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
- Reishi mushroom tablets
- Immune punch
![elderberry]()
- High dose elderberry extract
- Immune defence tablets
- Astragalus
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.
