Lord of the Ales answers questions, but the answers might not be thrilling

[Lord of the Ales]

She has an auto-immune disorder with arthritic symptoms, which may possibly be fibromyalgia but so far they've only worked out what it isn't. She spends a fair amount of her time knackered and in severe pain, and her mobility has suffered - luckily it flares and then eases off so some weeks/months she's able to live a more or less 'normal' life. She's also struggling with depression, which worsens when she's hurting badly. Not easy for her to cope with, but at least I'm at home now on an evening to help.

[DirtDawg]

I am sorry to hear that she is having difficulties. It does not sound like just a rough patch from what you know, so far.

I can remember encountering PI for the first few times and I always thought I had a decent "bullshit detector."  But this gal called, "BULLSHIT!" when it was just  a bubble, way before it popped. I miss her input! She always brings a platter of reckoning to the table and if an asshole plays dumb with her, she will carve it into details for them.
Please express my empathy to her.
Hope the docs can sort it all out.

[odeon]

She has an auto-immune disorder with arthritic symptoms, which may possibly be fibromyalgia but so far they've only worked out what it isn't. She spends a fair amount of her time knackered and in severe pain, and her mobility has suffered - luckily it flares and then eases off so some weeks/months she's able to live a more or less 'normal' life. She's also struggling with depression, which worsens when she's hurting badly. Not easy for her to cope with, but at least I'm at home now on an evening to help.

Sorry to hear it.

Does she get any meds beyond NSAIDs? Arthritic pain sucks but the extreme tiredness is often worse.

['andersom']

She has an auto-immune disorder with arthritic symptoms, which may possibly be fibromyalgia but so far they've only worked out what it isn't. She spends a fair amount of her time knackered and in severe pain, and her mobility has suffered - luckily it flares and then eases off so some weeks/months she's able to live a more or less 'normal' life. She's also struggling with depression, which worsens when she's hurting badly. Not easy for her to cope with, but at least I'm at home now on an evening to help.

Best wishes to her. Depression is a likely thing to happen, when you can't live live the way you want/need to do it. It's challenging enough without an auto-immune disorder going on.

Is she still able to do a bit of the stuff she loves, next to running a family with a very challenging son?

[Lord of the Ales]

Thanks guys. I'll pass on your good wishes.
The depression is certainly not helped by her health problems but its a little more complex than that. Sadly she hasn't felt very creative while struggling so much, crocheting brightly patterned tiles for blankets etc has kept her spirits up a little though. She is trying to get back into a routine where she can please herself a little now the kids are back at school and college but its been hard going. I hope she feels more able to enjoy the time she gets to herself soon.

['andersom']

Do you use a light for your winter problems, and if so, how well does it work for you?

['andersom']

How wet is it, where you are? Pretty dramatic pictures in the newspaper about water in the north of England.

['andersom']

Saw your post in the weather thread.

Will the schools of the kids be accessible and open next week?

[Lord of the Ales]

It's not bad now, though more rain's expected - some folk in the flooded streets aren't sure whether its worth clearing up yet if everything is just going to get deluged again. Mostly the cleanup is underway hauling shipping containers, buses etc out of the river, most bridges are open again now and the army have been out in the neighbouring town helping out, and the fire service have been busy pumping out flooded homes and buildings. The River Aire has pretty much subsided but the upper valleys are saturated and washlands are full so levels will rise again quickly if we get more prolonged rain. Some towns on the Calder are still in a pretty bad way, and further downstream Tadcaster and York have been badly hit - the flood barrier in York had to be lifted as the pumps were failing so areas of the city which don't normally flood were affected.

The trains to Skipton are running again for the older two's college commute, and Xan's school is 1000 feet above sea level so they should be okay for next week.

[Lord of the Ales]

Putting this here as it won't mean much to those who don't know me.

I haven't been around for awhile other than drive by late night visits mostly because I've been too wiped out to socialise. Life has been kicking my arse pretty hard for the last few months and I'm just starting to get my voice back, so to speak. Mel suffered a DVT a couple of months ago, which pretty much fucked her for a few weeks and her mobility is still poor. Xan's school placement broke down completely and he has been at home since March, he needs a full CAHMS assessment and treatment before he will be fit for any kind of schooling, we're waiting for the local authority to sort this out while trying to cope with/help him cope with his anxiety and mood swings. Also my diabetes went off the rails in the middle of all this so I've been constantly exhausted and still haven't quite got back to normal yet.
Work is going okay - I have changed my hours again so I can split the week in two which I hope will help me feel a bit more human, and I'm now a fully fledged underwriter which is interesting. I have just started walking again and hope I start feeling better soon, so I'll be around a bit more hopefully.

[rock hound]

Putting this here as it won't mean much to those who don't know me.

I haven't been around for awhile other than drive by late night visits mostly because I've been too wiped out to socialise. Life has been kicking my arse pretty hard for the last few months and I'm just starting to get my voice back, so to speak. Mel suffered a DVT a couple of months ago, which pretty much fucked her for a few weeks and her mobility is still poor. Xan's school placement broke down completely and he has been at home since March, he needs a full CAHMS assessment and treatment before he will be fit for any kind of schooling, we're waiting for the local authority to sort this out while trying to cope with/help him cope with his anxiety and mood swings. Also my diabetes went off the rails in the middle of all this so I've been constantly exhausted and still haven't quite got back to normal yet.
Work is going okay - I have changed my hours again so I can split the week in two which I hope will help me feel a bit more human, and I'm now a fully fledged underwriter which is interesting. I have just started walking again and hope I start feeling better soon, so I'll be around a bit more hopefully.

Always good to see you, Dunc!   Sending good thoughts yours and the families way.  Give Mel a big hug for me!   

[Queen Victoria]

Know those feelings, Lord.   

['andersom']

Fuck Dunc, way too much on your plate.

Do they think Mel will recover well, or do they expect lasting damage? Big hug for her.

How fast are local authorities where you live, when it comes to mental health and schools for kids? Hope they are faster than they are here.

Glad you somehow found some energy to start walking again. For sanity and physical health a good thing to do. Hope you get some grip on your diabetes.

[rock hound]

Oh, and a big hug from me, ya ole Silverback!   

[Lord of the Ales]

Thanks guys. Mental health services here are pretty slow, and the local authority is even slower so we don't expect help any time soon with Xan. Mel should recover from the DVT eventually - her leg is still quite swollen and sore at the moment, but her autoimmune condition has got worse so she has to manage her activities carefully or can exhaust herself for days. She has just taken up tapestry weaving and is in pretty good spirits.