1.1.00 V. vivid & copious dreams for about a week. Include ‘insecurity’ dreams where home is invaded by people who claim it is their home, & one becomes a tenant, with loss of control over life.
3.1.00 Following 2 days of diarrhoea, headache & morning catarrh, had no headache or diarrhoea (in fact still hadn’t defecated by evening). Usual airways-clearing needed a.m. (quite bad actually). Gp while in bed a.m., so was expecting a defecation dash. No alcohol last night (had had 3-4 g & ts on 31st Dec & 1st Jan). Connected?
No urinary discomfort today either - have had this on & off for days. Generally feel much better. Still more hungry than usual, & getting slightly nauseous if not responding quickly enough.
4.1.00 Did not defecate at all yesterday. Did this morning but not copiously. Quite soft.
9.1.00 Feeling unusually mellow, unworried & optimistic in evening. Can’t think of poss. cause except maybe some outdoor activity earlier (emptying compost tumbler + bit of weeding.). First really dry day for 2-3 weeks - other ‘dry’ days have still featured v. damp air, cloudiness, etc.
Fairly bad g.p. + sleepiness/eye fatigue p.m. as have had for last few evenings, I think, necessitating early night. Bowels have returned to usual loose state. Moderate hot flushes once or twice a day for past few days, including at night. Also getting racing pulse after getting into bed.
10.1.00 Came over v. sleepy after shopping trip (not particularly strenuous. (forgot to close bracket) It wore off after about an hour. Have had these bouts in mornings too. Have also had headaches for a while each day for past few days, including during today’s sleepy bout. Paracetamol works for these. Quite woosy at times, & legs weak in evening - difficulty going upstairs with bucket of water for hair-washing. Pupils looked rather small at this time.
Urinary discomfort came on at same time as headache.
Sweating & losing balance a lot.
11.1.00 Gp started in early evening. Was a bit fed up with this so had a couple of g & ts. Started feeling worse, with headache (mildish but disorientating), weak & aching muscles. Thought I might be going down with flu. Went to bed 2000. (also had some urinary discomfort).
12.1.00 Feeling better today, although still a bit weaker than usual. Headache a.m. GP in early evening (short-lived). Feeling hot. (Maybe it is hot). Anus has been v. sore for 2-3 days, in way which I had previously put down to chillies - but haven’t had chillies for weeks! Have had brownish discharge for weeks (not copious)
Frequent (often brief) spells of visual disturbance & tinnitus.
Gp returned later in evening.
15.1.00 Having felt better for couple of days (although still a bit more rapidly fatigable than usual & eyes aching - needing new glasses?) became mildly headachy around noon accompanied by urinary discomfort. Latter also features diminished control over sphincter, resulting in near-accidents. Catarrhy nose.
16.1.00 Urinary discomfort midday. Have had groin pains over last 2-3 days (sporadically) which are unlike usual intestinal ones. Bladder? Today’s discomfort seems to be associated with sphincter again, & with continence difficulty.
18.1.00 Catarrhy headache after walking into town to shop. Also urinary discomfort & slight g.p. Had felt OK before.
Better later (after 2 g & ts) but by late evening entire lower abdomen felt bloated. (Had some pain in upper abdomen while drinking g & t).
19.1.00 V. nasally bunged up a.m. Catarrh cleared within an hour or 2 or (of?) getting up.
Gp in evening, + extremely sensitive teeth, making drinking water painful.
Heart pounding for 5 mins, poss. more, when lay down in bed tonight.
20.1.00 Teeth still painful. Headachey in afternoon, with face feeling v. hot at times. Bladder discomfort. Am taking 2 cranberry juice tablets a day again.
22.1.00 Lot of stabbing pains in legs, like insect bites or needle being stuck in skin, after changing long-johns. Thought they were flea bites but on examination no bites were visible, nor did itching develop. So many of these bite-like sensations, including elsewhere on body, that took Nytol tonight.
23.1.00 More ‘bites’ in same place on leg (ankle) as yesterday when in work-room, but again they did not develop like flea bites. So sharp that I yelled & pulled off socks to look for cause.
Often get these problems.
Bad g.p. in late evening; none earlier, whereas for a week or so I’ve had moderate pain all evening.
24.1.00 G.p. in morning, gone an hour or so after getting up. Legs aching a lot today although no alcohol since 22nd & not much exertion.
When shopping in afternoon I felt tipsy some of time (foggy & a bit disoriented).
Genital region often smells v. yeasty. Still have discharge, slight most of time.
26.1.00 Legs aching most of time. Felt a bit nauseous after walk to N. At eastern end there was a small bonfire giving off smoke smelling of burning plastic. Slime found on first urination on return.
Bout of extreme sleepiness in early evening (or eye fatigue, making me think that I’m v. sleepy)
Some urinary discomfort, mild headache & significant nasal catarrh at times still.
Brief ‘low’ moods during past 2 or 3 days, preceded by about 2 days with irritable spells. (Premenstrual?)
Hair has been a bit electrostatic for past 2 days (at times anyway). Weather v. cold.
30.1.00 Still have slime. Sharp pain in chest when leaning forward in chair in afternoon. Just left of centre, near lower boundary of rib cage.
4.2.00 Right hand painful at base of thumb, poss. due to writing a lot for OU assignment about 2-3 days ago.
5.2.00 Quite bad high pitched tinnitus just after spending about ½-1 hr on computer. Coming & going.
Hand still quite painful, esp. when brushing hair (had to switch to left one).
6.2.00 Slime a.m. (yesterday, too, I think).
Started feeling edgy in evening, then fed up. (Unrelated?) momentary pain about halfway between navel & crotch - pre-period? (It’s 2 ½ weeks ‘late’ although I don’t really expect it nowadays). Friend in Five Lanes was feeling v. fed up & restless in afternoon. Wind is getting up (westerly). Connection?
7.2.00 Slime a.m. Also near-diarrhoea, although only had one g & t last night (most nights/days I don’t have anything)
Am frequently getting pounding heart when lie down in bed in evening, with occasional ‘jumps’ or ‘flutters’ which seem to be associated with increased fluid in airways which I have to cough out (only a small amount). Occasionally get this during day too.
8.2.00 Have had ache in small of back quite a lot of the time over past 2-3 days. Had assumed it to be colon.
12.2.00 Urinary discomfort midday. 1st (I think - added later but had been crossed out, in error, I think) time in weeks. Poss. due to having to crouch over jug to calculate output? Or yeast-based paté? Had cranberry juice tablet
V. vivid, varied & copious dreams + v.high urine output (1.7 litres in 9 hours!)
Observation - have not had gp (or only mildly) since urinary discomfort began. Could gp be due to overactive immune system, & when have an infection the system is occupied with that & not free to attack self? (think I’ve noticed this before.)
13.2.00 Slime a.m. (ditto yesterday)
14.2.00 Wave of anxiety in early evening. Think it was due to physical cause, as also felt woozy & had odd combination of flushed-feeling in face & cold shivers elsewhere. Think that atmospheric pressure may have just changed (from low to high). Have been getting menstrual-type ‘spotting’. Period nearly a month ‘late’.
15.2.00 Slime a.m. Intermittent urinary discomfort today & yesterday. Had a couple of bouts of copious, frequent, dilute urination. In early hours of next morning the volume decreased sharply, coinciding with a bout of ‘randiness’ (feelings of dilation & movement). TV prog tonight stated that vasopressin & oxytocin are associated with sexual arousal/orgasm. It makes sense!
Period seems to be coming on (starting & stopping)
19.2.00 Getting v. stressed & tearful over S (he’s hardly eaten for a week & is losing weight alarmingly).
Banging booted foot with walking stick repetitively & doing other repetitive hitting (hand on leg, etc.) due to stress/distress/frustration.
25.2.00 S had to be euthanased yesterday. That’s 3 cats in about 2½ years - all the cats I came to this house with only 3⅓ years ago. Drank most of a bottle of elderflower wine yesterday, had a home-grown joint & 2 Co-Proxamol. Slept well yesterday, having only had a total of about 5 hours the 2 previous nights. Feel quite mentally & physically exhausted still this evening, but doing lots of physical things. Can hardly concentrate. Have done practically no OU work for several days. Mood rather flat. Left leg & right hand rather painful, prob. from digging grave. Did not cry yesterday except v. briefly in car while V was fetching S from vet’s yesterday, & even then it was just tears & no or virtually no sobbing. Few tears today. Had had real crying bouts before he died, when couldn’t get him to eat.
27.2.00 Have been sleeping a lot. Feeling bleak, low, gloomy at times, numb & blank at others, but sometimes not too bad. Have written to vet detailing grievances & asking questions, which may have helped to unburden self. Speaking to V has helped (on phone). Think I’m gradually recovering. Managed some studying today - first significant amount for over a week. Appetite OK.
Still having fairly brief bouts of sitting doing nothing, staring into space &/or sighing.
29.2.00 Nightmare-type dream/experience early a.m. Could ‘hear’ scratching noises which indicated someone breaking into back of house, but I could not move my legs to get out of bed. Felt panicky. This seemed to last ages. When woke up, I still had difficulty moving legs at first, & thought the scratching noises were real. It took a few minutes to realised that it had been a dream, aided by the presence of C & T who were showing no anxiety.
Headache & blocked sinuses a.m.
Bladder discomfort started in late afternoon, with feeling that I couldn’t relax sphincter although it felt as though there was fluid in bladder. Have been taking 2 cranberry juice tablets per day for about 2 weeks. Twinges in groin accompanying discomfort. Remembered that shopping trolley had blown over on pavement in N I E earlier in afternoon, & those pavements are badly contaminated by dog faeces. Also had diarrhoea a.m.
1.3.00 Urinary tract felt OK again till mid-evening, then discomfort, including feeling of not being able to open sphincter, recommenced. Had to take Nytol last night due to discomfort leading to frequency. Took Co-proxamol for the discomfort. Some benefit.
8.3.00 Waves of sadness/depression since yesterday. For 2-3 days previously breasts have ached slightly, so am hoping that ‘waves’ are hormonally induced. Sad music sets them off.
10.3.00 Persistent abdominal pain from afternoon onwards. Some like usual groin-centred wind, some different.
Often wake with pain all round centre of trunk including back. Not severe but nagging and pressure-like again. I think it’s largely wind. Want to lie on back when have this but avoid it due to the saliva-inhalation/apnoea-type incidents which I sometimes have (when asleep). Lying on back is the only position which relieves the pain.
13.3.00 Sleepy bout after breakfast accompanied by pounding heart.
Pupils seemed rather small.
Difficulty reading (outside in sunshine). General physical tiredness. Felt a bit tipsy when got up, & motions rather runny (amorphous) as if after a night’s drinking. Same yesterday. Have not had a drink for at least 2 days (& only one glass of elderflower wine then).
Weight 9 st midday. This is down from 15.7.99.
17.3.00 Have had a lot of ‘randy’ attacks for past 2 weeks at least, & have occasionally taken remedial action.
Breasts still aching when get up in morning.
Motions have been rather diarrhoeay & spray-y for past few days.
19.3.00 Copious slurry-like faeces, passed in 3 or 4 bouts* Felt hungry afterwards. Feel as though I’m not digesting food properly. Lower lip sometimes trembling, also getting occasional bouts of slight dizziness (e.g after bending down, even when seated) Have been sleeping 9 hrs a night or more for a week or 2. Not having to get up at night as often as usual (or pass as much urine) for past few days.
Unfamiliar mildish chest & abdominal pains during past few days. Gp most evenings.
Have been having wild garlic leaves in sandwiches & salads for several days. Stopped today to see if it was cause of bowel trouble.
Intestines v. noisy today.
*another bout in late evening. Despite usual urgency, several bowel movements have been atypically slow, an atypical feature with such runny faeces.
Became flushed (face) for a while during afternoon.
21.3.00 Digestion definitely better following substantial reduction in wild garlic intake. Passing much less, only getting ‘usual’ pains, lip tremor gone. Night-time urinary frequency back up a bit.
24.3.00 Suddenly developed urinary stinging near end of urinary tract 1500, accompanied by pain in lower back & urgency to defecate.
Urinary problem soon gone but quite bad IBS-type gp started c1700. (Doesn’t usually start till after dinner, which is usually potatoes & salad @ about 1800) Have had 2 IBS-free evenings prior to today, I think.
Breasts tender.
26.3.00 Quite bad g.p. in early evening. Gone after glass of hock.
Face became flushed & upper lip sweating. Earlier had been feeling tipsy/stoned, although had not drunk or taken anything.
Still have frequent, moderate yellowish vaginal discharge, + powerful randy sensations. Have had transient urinary discomfort.
27.3.00 Slow, quite copious bowel movements apparently affecting muscles at back of legs. Remembering having association between bowel movements & leg weakness in 95/6 - it feels as though a pressure is exerted on leg nerves from bowel.
Lot of gp in bed a.m.
Urinary discomfort & frequency after supper.
Keep getting annoying bouts of sleepiness when trying to study - had one in mid-afternoon today. Think they last about an hour. Can do non-thinking-type tasks during them but study becomes extremely slow & difficult, often impossible.
4.4.00 Dr F said that blood test had shown normal sex hormone, sugar, oestradiol, thyroid hormones & thyroid function (Test was about 2 weeks ago). To my amazement he said that vasopressin level had not been tested, although when asked at the time what was being tested he’d said ‘everything’. He said that vasopressin was an ‘obscure’ thing to test for.
Said I didn’t appear to be menopausal. Told him I hadn’t had period for about 3 months, & thought I was menopausal. (Actually had 1-2 days’ bleeding in mid-February & a fairly normal period in December). Said he thought that the Phytosoya might have confounded results & advised me to abstain for 2 months & have another test.
Agreed to prescribe desmopressin nasal spray for night-time use.
6.4.00 Got prescription - it’s for 0.2 mg Desmopressin tablets. Took one tonight. Got up once in middle of night (about 0400). Think I was producing more saliva than usual during night. Otherwise felt OK.
7.4.00 (- 8.4.00) Got up twice tonight, having taken one Desmotab.
8 - 9.4.00 Took ½ a Desmotab Got up twice during night. Had had 1½ - 2 glass (appear to have missed out ‘es’) of hock in evening. Alcohol in evening tends to reduce urinary output at night, poss. because of earlier diuresis.
9.4.00 Getting more than one ‘sleepy attack’ a day quite often. This morning after breakfast I got racing pulse, pulse being felt in several places including fingers & chest. Accompanied by brief accumulations of fluid in airways (but I get fluid in airways every morning, sometimes before breakfast, sometimes after). Feeling shaky & a bit anxious. Fairly sure it’s physically caused - not thinking of particularly worrying things.
Took ½ Desmotab 1145. Passing much more concentrated urine in afternoon than usual.
Urinating fairly normally by early evening (even late afternoon). Slight urinary discomfort, poss because concentrated. Back to usual excessive output by 1930.
Extreme frequency after supper. Took ½ Desmotab 2145.
Got up about 4 times tonight.
10.4.00 No Desmopressin during day. Urinary output not too bad, but got tired & flushed attacks. Think I was rather pale during tired attack c. midday.
Gp all evening + flushed face (feels hot).
10 -11.4.00 ½ Desmotab for night. Got up 3 or 4 times. Gp in mid-afternoon, continuing milder by mid-evening. (It’s unusual to get it so early.)
Able to study all evening (also unusual-ish these days, have had bad gp after supper at least for 2 wks, accompanied by extreme eye fatigue.
11-12 April 2000 ½ Desmotab. Got up twice. Throat area (upper throat & underside of chin) have become very unattractive over last year or so - double chin & general fat appearance. Wonder if thyroid gland is enlarged
Gp started in afternoon again. Wonder if could be due to cress in sandwiches? (grown in trays on window sill). I think that consumption of this coincides with atypical gp incidence.
Gp lasted all evening but, as yesterday, became mild enough to permit studying.
12-13 April 2000 ½ Desmotab. Got up 3 times.
Night volume ½ litre (more than usual amount passed since taking Desmotabs)
13.4.00 No g.p. in afternoon (& no cress). Headache late afternoon, not cured by 2 paracetamol. Ache in back of neck at same time.
Small area of split skin by thumbnail, which I think I’ve had for over 2 weeks. Tender. Didn’t have chilblains on feet last winter though, poss. because wearing v. warm lined & quilted ‘Eskimo’ boots.
(Still wearing them)
13-14.4.00 ½ Desmotab. Got up 3 times. Volume low.
Am often waking up with g.p. (including before starting Desmotabs)
16.4.00 Bowel movements started later than usual (c. midday) & more solid than usual.
Reduced Vit. C intake to 500 mg from 1 g daily either today or yesterday after reading that too much can cause diarrhoea.
Didn’t have usual copious diuresis after supper (not sure if had last night)
17.4.00 Had to start getting up about once an hour from c 0615 despite the usual ½ Desmotab @ 2300 yesterday. Quite dilute. Getting pins & needles in hands & legs quite often in mornings before getting up. This morning that in right hand stopped immediately when I got up. Find that C’s weight on my feet often causes discomfort which feels as though would lead to cramp if didn’t move.
Breasts aching like when period due (but last proper one was in December)
Sore tongue. Have also had a chap-like lesion at left corner of mouth for a few days.
Haven’t had facial twitches lately (for weeks at least).
Chest flutterings fairly infrequent too. Still getting strong ‘randy attacks’.
Pulse 74 at 2255. Took because am becoming increasingly convinced that have hypothyroidism. The bulge below chin is actually largely in neck & is quite hard. (underneath of chin itself, or just behind it, is soft & puffy.)
Cramp when cleaning grate earlier (feet). Had to walk around for few mins to get rid of it
Diuresis after supper but no g.p. Had been having pea-based pies until tonight, when switched to lentils.
18.4.00 A little under ½ Desmotab last night. Got up 4-5 times. Volume fairly high (but <1 litre). 2 strong twitches of mouth in rapid succession a.m. It’s as though a string is attached & someone jerks it upwards.
19.4.00 Headache & quite bad g.p. from morning until early afternoon.
Headache lingered all day. Paracetamol not v. effective. Took 300 mcg Desmopressin yesterday.
20.4.00 Passed nearly a litre overnight although had had 300 mcg Desmopressin over previous 24 hours.
Felt much better today - only mild & transient headache & g.p. Seem to feel the cold much more than used to.
21.4.00 Ears had quite copious runny discharge last night.
23.4.00 Bad g.p. after early evening meal today & yesterday. Gave up trying to study & had few glasses of vodka. Tonight I had about ⅓ bottle. Couldn’t remember some things I did next day.
24.4.00 Woke with bad g.p. Went back to bed after eating about ½ breakfast. Took 2 Co-proxamol. An hour later the pain abruptly stopped. Found that period had come on. Not sure whether the gp was period-related or usual bowel problem. Poss. connection with worse gp than usual - stress due to building work & discovery that wall would have to be demolished & I would have to move out (this occurred on 19th)
26.4.00 Period still on, & quite heavy. Moderate pain at times.
5.5.00 Urinary discomfort. Back to having yellow discharge.
Have a number of large pink spots on left forearm which appeared a few days ago after lay briefly on floor of front bedroom by chair on which C spends a lot of time (was relieving a randy attack). Had assumed that they were flea bites, but wonder why itching flares up from time to time & then stops again. Could they be caused by mites? They have pimple in centre, & spots are c4-5 mm in diameter.
Last 2 days have been quite strenuous, producing & dispatching newsletters. Have had headaches after doing lot of printing.
Full-blown cystitis by early afternoon. Quite bad stinging on urination despite Co-Proxamol.
Had been taking one cranberry juice tablet a day for months. Started on 2 a day today.
Muscles/tendons/ligaments at backs of knees throbbing more than usual, seemingly in association with urinary pain (& poss. bowel activity)
Passing blood by 1630 (prob. before) Had to take more Co-Proxamol within 4 hrs of 1st dose. Pain & discomfort so constant, + frequency (every 10 mins?) that couldn’t study, & was going to go to bed after 1800 news. V. soon after eating some chilli-flavoured tortilla chips & taking 2 more cranberry tablets the pain subsided so that it only hurt when urinating, & frequency also decreased. Still passing some blood 1915. (Was leaking dilute blood for a couple of hours).
Able to go without CoProxamol after dose taken at 1630 (2nd one taken). Think bleeding stopped by c2100 (maybe earlier). Still stings a bit when urinating @ 2230.
6.5.00 Headache last night & this morning, & nose more bunged up than usual. Took Paracetamol for headache (back of neck also aching). Better in afternoon, & by early evening felt better & more sprightly than usual - think I’ve had this before after infections.
Theory: body diverted from attacking self to attacking infection. Still slight urinary burning, but otherwise fine. NB Took a whole Desmotab last night (could this have caused headache?) & Nytol.
(Don’t think I had headache one evening recently when took 1 Desmotab & drank a bottle of wine Certainly not a bad one.)
Did not defecate today!
7.5.00 Nose-bleed a.m. (& last night). Not heavy. Still having some urinary discomfort & groin pains.
10.5.00 Gp started c1700. Still able to study at first. Lasted all evening. CoProxamol not v. effective.
Still have discomfort in uro-genital region, & slight burning on urination. Stepped up garlic intake.
Legs aching more than usual. All flea/mite spots on left forearm have suddenly healed & flattened.
Have had brief-ish spells of feeling v. hot over past few days. Not like ‘flushes’ I’ve had before (& which I haven’t had for some time)
(or are they?)
11.5.00 Gp continued all night. A bit milder in morning. Still have urinary discomfort, + greater frequency than usual this morning. Volume high too. Am beginning to suspect that gp is due to urinary or reproductive system. Urinary, I think. Pain almost gone by early afternoon, but discomfort (+ randiness) & frequency continued.
Co-proxamol has seemed quite ineffective against urinary pain this time, poss. even having a delayed effect.
Still passing a lot of urine by 1700, & it smells quite strong. Thirsty (as was on 5th when cystitis was bad) Inside of mouth a bit raw.
Yesterday one of cuticles was slightly split & painful: all signs of being ‘below par’.
Gp & discomfort worsening again by 2030 despite Co-proxamol.
Despite ½ Desmotab last night I had to get up about 8 times & passed close to a litre. Still have gp (mild-moderate ache) & discomfort. Worse when standing up.
Legs aching more than usual again (back of knees & calves)
Gp gone but burning returned (not too severe by early afternoon. Started taking 1 tsp bicarb per hour 1645.
Went to bed 2030 as feeling lousy & urge to urinate was less when lying down.
13.5.00 Got up many times last night & passed about a litre over 12 hrs despite Nytol & ½ Desmotab.
Burning almost gone by 0900. Gradually improved during day. Spell of frequency & high output in early evening. Still more aching at back of knees than usual, after very little activity.
Wonder whether the cystitis & leg pain are due to a bug or a chemical. (My med. encyclopaedia says it can be latter) Noticed a fairly pleasant but unfamiliar smell outside back door one evening recently; not sure if before or after 1st cystitis attack. It was slightly reminiscent of VetKem house flea spray. Weather hot - has someone been using pesticides?
Used VetKem & a Sherley’s house flea spray myself today. Took care to hold breath & wash hands afterwards, & kept doors of sprayed rooms closed for c 24 hours. Could still smell VetKem in front bedroom hours after using. Active ingredients: VetKem - S-methoprene, permethrin; Sherley’s Flego - cyromazine & permethrin.
14.5.00 Sprayed my bedroom, stairs & lounge with Flego. Kept out (& kept cats out) for about 6 hours. Weather hot & dry.
Urinary discomfort gone, but backs of knees still painful after virtually no exertion. Feel that I would have great difficulty walking up R H into town. If had to go now, I think I’d get a cab. Not even sure if I could manage walk to N, & have serious doubts about ability to pull full shopping trolley back up the slight incline of footpath. Somewhat worried.
IBS-type gp after dinner (c1730). Decided to have a few glasses of vodka & orange, as cannot study when have gp.
15.5.00 Woke c 0300 with urinary discomfort & a lot of nasal catarrh. Managed eventually to get a couple of hours more sleep (maybe more). Thirsty. Felt quite hung-over when got up. Urinary burning continued till early afternoon, then stopped. Unable to eat proper breakfast. A bit nauseous, but also hungry. Ate 3 slices of toast in morning. Had diarrhoea; don’t know how much was due to tsp bicarb taken for cystitis.
Couldn’t manage any more doses of bicarb as felt too queasy.
16.5.00 Felt OK this morning, but motions smelt as though I’d drunk a lot last night (v. sour). I’d only had a fifth - ¼ bot vodka on 14th, but I think my body must have still had toxic overload related to cystitis, hence unexpectedly bad (gut-type) hangover. Legs still aching more than usual, but managed walk to & from N I E (& up hill to E T). Urinary burning again on return (moderate).
17.5.00 Had another sex hormone blood test & got doc to look at backs of knees to see if could see any abnormalities. Said looked OK but that there was a ‘bit of a pad’ on left one. Asked if he meant fat & he said yes. Started taking 2 Phytosoya capsules a day again. Urinary tract feels quite reasonable today.
18.5.00 Dr F phoned to say that kidney ultrasound scan (done in March?) was normal.
22.5.00 Gp from about lunchtime. Had taken ½ Desmotab in morning. Had thought that daytime desmopressin use might be linked to gp and/or headache, as these had coincided a few times, but I took ½ tab this morning & had no gp or headache (except v. mild headache in late afternoon) Gp & headaches could be due to stress, as when take Desmotabs during day it’s usually when officials, builders, etc. are visiting/working on house.
23.5.00 Quite copious slime am (first time in weeks, poss. months)
25.5.00 High urinary frequency & volume output in evening. No identifiable cause.
26.5.00 No urinary discomfort for a week or more so reverted to one cranberry juice tablet per day.
28.5.00 Having difficulty eating usual breakfast of 1½ slices toast, beans & veggie sausage.
30.5.00 Some urinary discomfort today & yesterday. Had been scratching external area particularly excessively for few days. Discomfort includes sphincter (external, I think), with difficult (y missing) in controlling it.
31.5.00 Doc phoned to say my oestrogen levels were down to 250 (not sure of unit) from 1500 when taking Phytosoya, so had been ‘putting off’ menopause. Approved my continuing/resuming taking it.
3.6.00 Particularly bad urinary frequency a.m. - about every 10-15 mins from c 0815 to 1215. Took ½ Desmotab c 1130. Feeling better after defecation (as is often the case - head clears)
Backs of knees aching & throbbing a bit more than usual. Weather cold & damp. Still not defecated by midday. Head v. fuzzy on getting up (sinuses feeling congested). Anxious at present due to problems with house & having to get in touch with step-parents.
Defecated midday. Mild-moderate ache in centre of back.
Urinary frequency back to absurd levels by 1900 (& getting bad before then) Took another ½ Desmotab. Thank goodness for them! Strange phenomenon at times today - unable to clench fists properly. Similar sensation to fear-induced paralysis which causes inability to run or scream. Due to anxiety? Most of time I tend to clench fists & teeth without intending to. (Still doing latter a bit even when can’t do former). Pins & needles in legs at times today too.
4.6.00 Urinary discomfort & high output early evening. Took ½ Desmotab. Learned that Mum had motor neurone disease.
5.6.00 Urinary discomfort & frequency (& continence difficulty - stinging sensation in sphincter & involuntary momentary opening) in late afternoon. Took ½ Desmotab 1630.
Re inability to clench fists yesterday - stepparents would have received a letter from me yesterday, to which D had replied. Could Mum have been telepathising her illness? Maybe not - have it again this evening. Think it may be psychological - I’m anxious about house & now also disturbed about Mum’s illness.
7.6.00 Frequency again in evening (every 10-15 mins) & continence difficulty as on 5th. Had taken ½ Desmotab at lunchtime. Took another @ 1930.
Right elbow hurting a bit, as though have been using it a lot.
Wonder if associated with tension (which seem to have even in sleep sometimes). Poss. from leaning on walking stick more than usual.
Back-of-knee pain sharper than usual this evening. (Walked to N yesterday).
9.6.00 Sphincter discomfort & frequency a.m. Took ½ Desmotab.
11.6.00 Sphincter discomfort & frequency for much of day. Resisted urge to take desmopressin as am saving them up for when have builders in or have to travel. (am just taking ½ tab at night)
As before, sphincter discomfort (stinging sensation) appears to be associated with worse-than-usual aching at backs of knees.
No defecation today, surprising esp. as had 2 or 3 G & T’s last night. Alcohol tends to result in diarrhoea/multiple defecations the next day.
14.6.00 gp in evening, as have had for previous 2 evenings, sometimes starting in early evening (after early dinner at 1800.).
Took 2 Desmotabs (0.4 mg total) in evening as suggested by Dr F in response to my request for higher dose. He is still apparently resisting my request for prescription of desmopressin for daytime use, despite BMA Medicines book not contra-indicating this. Was he wrongly informed by consultant (who astonishingly suggested reducing my modest daily fluid intake although I had supplied info that thirst followed excessive urine output). Or is he going on other (incorrect? outdated?) information? Or is my BMA book (pub. 1997) incorrect or out of date?
Still had to get up twice last night. Also high-volume output & frequency in morning & evening so took ½ Desmotab each time.
17.6.00 Passed a litre of urine between 0600 & 0930, having to go every 20-30 mins. Had taken 0.2 mg Desmopressin at 2230 yesterday. Drank ⅓ - ½ bot wine yesterday evening, had celery in early evening & some peanuts in late evening, otherwise same food as usual. Only drank small amount of water during night (c ¼ pt).
Got up 0930 (had had lie in to try to catch up on sleep lost due to urinary frequency) & had ½ Desmotab. Problem ceased.
Bladder behaved extraordinarily well for rest of day - no ‘frequency’ attacks despite usual amount of tea & coffee.
18.6.00 Had to get up about twice in night despite 2 Desmotabs. It doesn’t seem to make much difference whether I take 1 or 2. Bladder quite good during day - only ½ Desmotab during day. Think I must have gone into spate in late evening - although took 2 Desmotabs 2230 I was still paying frequent visits after midnight.
20.6.00 Feeling anxious from yesterday evening (at least). Had to take a Nytol in early hours as v. keyed up. Not sure how much is psychological & how much bio-chemical. Have had a modest amount of alcohol for past 3 or 4 evenings (c 3 glasses of wine). Would this be enough to cause jitters? Psychological anxiety stems from unexpected appearance of 2 strangers in yard yesterday morning, taking away scaffolding that R had brought 2 months ago for my grant-aided building work, plus news that I was going to have to borrow some money in a hurry to pay for specialist scaffolding for wall-stabilising work. Mind is in turmoil at R’s arrogant attitude to my property & privacy & thought of him returning to work in house soon.
Took Nytol again this evening. Still waiting for explanation re scaffolding, & wondering whether he’s pulling out of building work (mixture of relief & financial anxiety if he does). Also worried about V’s relative loyalties to me & R - she seems to have an excessively ‘Stand by Your Man’ attitude. Wish I had someone to talk to.
24.6.00 Have been much calmer for a couple of days, having resolved some of the above issues. Stopped taking Nytol & drinking.
Woke up feel(ing, presumably) v. bunged-up. Still woosy, stuffy-sinused & croaky 2½ hrs after getting up. Felt generally under weather today; slight thick-type headache, bad leg-ache, some sneezing & persistent itching of face & scalp plus gritty-feeling eyes. Seems like a kind of hay fever. Paracetamol had little impact on head, which cleared reasonably well by late evening. Urine output high. Period had come on when woke (had not had one for 2 months). Heavy-ish.
25.6.00 Bit headachey & leg-achey again but better than yesterday.
Drank bot. Liebfraumilch & several G & Ts in evening.
26.6.00 Passed 2½ - 3 litres (or did I just forget to empty water from bucket before taking it upstairs? I was somewhat inebriated!) urine last night (to 0900). Not sure if took Desmopressin after early yesterday evening, but think I took a ½-strength Nytol.
29.6.00 Found that I had great difficulty reading labels of goods on supermarket shelves. Able to do so with reading glasses, which I seem to have to use at a greater distance now (& can’t use as close up as before, I think). Have been doing a lot of intensive OU work (on project).
Skin eruption appeared today on left index finger. May be in same place that I had a wart a few years ago (which disappeared spontaneously, after several years, I think). Tender like a blister but can’t think of anything I’ve been doing to cause a blister. Hard. Have been quite stressed lately due to endless problems & worries relating to building work, plus OU deadline.
30.6.00 Skin eruption reddened & split open.
Found that I now need reading glasses to watch TV (14" set about 1 m away.)
Later (after a few g & ts) found that usual ‘tele glasses’ were better. Can also see close up with reading glasses again. (about a foot or 18" away)
Skin eruption almost down by 2300. Still red, less tender than before (unless just anaesthetised with alcohol).
1.7.00 Skin eruption has gone down. Tenderness almost gone.
A freckle (?) near top of left arm is slightly raised (noticed it a few weeks ago during hot weather.) (Forgot to close bracket.) No tenderness. It’s dash-shaped - not sure if it’s 2 freckles joined up or a mole or other growth.
2.7.00 Gp started early p.m. Only intake other than normal was a few raw home-grown peas (v. small number). Tried hard to study but had to give up - couldn’t take anything in (as is normal when have gp). Sleepiness/concentration difficulty preceded onset of gp, making me suspect that it was imminent - again this is common. V. frustrating as had hoped to catch up & even maybe get ahead today before recommencement of Wimbledon matches tomorrow. Had been practising considerable self-denial until 30th June, finishing off most important TMA of year.
Able to do a bit of studying later, but gp returned predictably after supper @ 2100.
Also came over v. hot after putting lettuces (in pots) in shed for night. Lasted about 10 mins. Had had to take 2 layers of clothes off.
Legs aching a lot. Extreme randiness frequent.
3.7.00 Wooziness a.m. Able to study OK. Legs aching more than usual. Randy. Rather asthmatic during early part of day (unusual). V. sleepy in mid-afternoon. Still wheezy. Pulse quite heavy, c. 82.
Prickly feeling in skin. Feeling a bit strange all day.
Still wheezy & legs v. weak & aching behind knees 2100. Decided to use old Ventolin inhaler (expiry date 1992)
Near-miraculous result - not only did wheezing stop but leg pain diminished instantly & dramatically, so that I could walk fairly normally instead of dragging legs/feet as normal when legs ache.
NB Have had wheeziness a few times in past week or 2. Brother M has hayfever for 1st time ever (in Sheffield) & I think T’s sister has too. Wondering if it’s connected with ‘accidental’ widespread sowing of GM oilseed rape this year & last. (Both times it was allowed to flower)
Leg pain returned c 5 mins after used inhaler.
Slight urinary discomfort at times during past few days.
4.7.00 Legs aching badly again. Fluid output high; needed to urinate quite frequently despite taking 1½ Desmotabs (300 mcg) during day.
Wheezy again. Used Ventolin once. No gp, but chest-type pain after supper - prob. heartburn (which don’t often get)
5.7.00 Passed 1½ litres urine overnight (c 8 hours) despite ½ Desmotab 2130 & ½ earlier (mid-evening I think) yesterday. This is unusual. Hope I’m not getting resistant to it.
Legs much better today & fluid output well controlled. (Took Nytol last night - relevant?) Wheezing negligible. Headache started c midday prob due to builder noise.
6.7.00 Moderately bad headache again, prob. due to builders (noise & poss. dust). Gp later (prob. due to same reason). Had 2-3 g & ts in early evening & gp went.
8.7.00 Difficulty opening (external?) urinary sphincter in afternoon. Stinging slightly. Throat a bit sore later (was for a while yesterday too). Catarrh or similar in throat. Seems to emanate from top of throat, but at back. (near where joins nasal sinus?) Sleepy bouts. Urine output high despite Desmopressin.
Tongue sore in evening.
9.7.00 Passed 2 litres urine overnight despite ½ Desmotab & another ½ earlier in evening (c 1700-1800) Period was from c 2300-0830.
12.7.00 Gp from early evening (as for past few evenings), starting before dinner (which I have c 1800.) Also high fluid output, worse than usual back-of-knee ache & feeling hot.
13.7.00 Another bad night partly due to fear about burglar access to upstairs windows via scaffolding. Had gone to bed 2030 as feeling tired & unwell. Legs aching (knee-backs as usual) all night & when got up.
Nausea gone & appetite back. (Had not been able to face a proper supper last night & had just had soup. This is v. unusual)
Had worried that I was going down with a v. nasty 24-hour bug which T’s daughter & mother have had, featuring prolific vomiting & chest pain. Felt fluey actually, sneezing a bit & with sore throat at times yesterday.
14.7.00 Passed over a litre over 12 hrs last night despite ½ Desmotab c 2200 & another ½ in early evening.
Odd-smelling faeces a.m. (sour?)
Had had a few g & ts last night as on previous evenings. Not diarrhoea today (as often get after drinking)
Spot on chin since yesterday.
17.7.00 Passed a litre of urine overnight despite ½ Desmotab c 2215 & ½ in early evening (1st evening in several days not having a few g & ts)
Able to study despite gp in evening (up to c 2200?). This is unusual.
19.7.00 Legs aching badly - backs of knees and a bit a(t?) front, top region of thighs. Had put a cat flap on bedroom door yesterday evening, which was strenuous, & had a DIY which wanted to continue but legs aching too much (they go v. rigid & straight).
V said that left knee-back was v. puffy/swollen & right one a bit.
Passed a litre or so of urine tonight despite usual amount of Desmopressin (½ tab at bed-time, ½ early evening)
20.7.00 Legs not as achey as yesterday.
Freckle/mole on left upper arm is 4-5 mm long. Easily felt as raised.
22.7.00 Started using Clotrimazole cream on crotch to try to eradicate whatever fungal infection I have (& have probably had for many years).
25.7.00 Woke up with legs aching. Backs of knees significantly puffy &/or swollen. Also passing a lot of urine from c 0630 despite usual Desmopressin dose - took another ½ tab c 0700.
Having frequent trouble recently with watering eyes (esp. right one) making reading difficult.
Bad back-of-knee ache & prodigious urine output (necessitating 0.4 mg Desmopressin by 2130) all day. Body temperature also seems to be fluctuating considerably. Not actually measuring temp. as don’t have thermometer - just feeling hot & cold & having to keep adding & removing several layers of clothing. (Have had some hot flushes in bed recently)
Virtually no gp for past few days.
26.7.00 Legs aching & fluid output high again on waking. Had taken 0.5 mg Desmopressin yesterday (usually manage on 0.4 mg or less) Took ½ Nytol (½-strength) c midnight as had a lot of ‘tickly, insect-type’ itching. Had 2 g & ts last night. Had not had any on night of 24th, but had skinful of wine on 23rd. No excessive exertion until yesterday, when walked to N for shopping.
27.7.00 Legs still aching a lot. Woke early & could not get back to sleep. Have also had slight diarrhoea for 3 days (rather dark - poss due to beetroot?)
Still needing more Desmotabs than usual (0.5 mg per day)
‘Bruised’ feeling in upper abdomen early in day (late morning or midday).
Have been feeling extremely randy at times lately, esp. at night, including erotic dreams.
28.7.00 Diarrhoea again. Legs a bit better. Headache a.m.
30.7.00 Legs aching all night. Not much exertion yesterday & only alcohol was 1 pt lager (due to gp in evening). As well as knee-back ache I had the pain I get less often which feels as though muscles are being pulled tight & held taut for long periods. This was in muscle(s) near top of left thigh towards outside of thigh. Made it difficult to get comfortable in bed.
Head ‘foggy’ for much of day, which is unusual. Lot of difficulty studying - kept forgetting what I was looking for in articles. Legs aching (knee-backs) almost continually, & fluid output high - had needed 0.3 mg Desmopressin by 1550 (excluding ½ tab I may have had in v. early morning). Have needed 0.5 mg daily several times lately. Have had the occasional upper abdominal pain as well, mostly on right, I think. Getting spells of feeling v. hot, often at night - hot flushes?
Only possible cause I can think of for recent problems is eating some slightly dubious potatoes around 24th. (They had rotted a bit but I cut all obviously rotten bits off).
31.7.00 Diarrhoea (4 visits) a.m. Only ½ pt lager last night. Felt better today. Able to walk up hill into town.
3.8.00 Nausea late p.m. & for much of night.
4.8.00 Transient nausea. When went to bed (with bad gp) had slightly sore tongue, wheezy breathing & slight/moderate difficulty swallowing. The swallowing problem was near top of throat, at back. Ventolin didn’t help breathing much. Sneezing a bit earlier.
5.8.00 Calf muscle pain on waking - like that in thigh on 30th July. (Back of calves). Generalised leg-ache. Back of left knee significantly puffier than right (it’s (nearly) always noticeably more so). High fluid output.
Wonder if recent symptoms are connected to rodent (presumably) activity heard in loft on night of 3-4 August.
Another current symptom is shakiness.
Mildish ache in top back part of throat on yawning. Belching a lot.
Appetite normal (felt close to vomiting if didn’t eat quickly when hungry) but unable to face usual food, esp. anything sweet. Enjoyed pancake rolls, vege-burgers, mushrooms & French beans & later roast spuds. Throat almost normal by late evening.
6.8.00 Throat & breathing virtually normal but legs still aching a lot even in bed. Seems as though this was a ‘bug’. NB same day or day before throat & breathing problems I had toothache on right side of mouth (lower jaw, about ½ way back) for c 2 hours.
Fluid output high yesterday despite only 2 or 3 cups of tea, no coffee & no alcohol.
10.8.00 Still getting frequent quite bad leg-ache (back of knees & calves plus ‘pulling’ feeling at front of left thigh) & swollen knee-backs even when have not been walking (e.g. in bed & on getting up). Have had the problem with IBM computer monitor mentioned before - loud high-pitched sound, & feelings of nausea & other unpleasant sensations (including in neck) during this. Hard to stay in room while it’s doing it. Not sure if the malaise is caused just by the noise or poss. by radiation.
13.8.00 High urine output overnight - had to take a whole Desmotab (0.2 mg desmopressin acetate). Had had 2 double g & ts in early mid-evening. Despite whole Desmotab I had to get up several times during night. ½ tab is usually enough (& get up 2-4 times, I think).
Top of left thigh is still quite numb (since 1996).
19.8.00 Period are regular & normal again, having been taking Phytosoya regularly again.
Interesting discoveries from my books & files today: oestrogen production is dependent on LH & FSH levels. LH & FSH are pituitary hormones dependent on hypothalamic stimulation. (SK220 The Human Condition)
Also vasopressin was found to stimulate paternal behaviour in male American prairie voles, & monogamy. (Psychology file - may well be irrelevant as wrong species)
20.8.00 Front top part of left thigh is hurting a lot of the time for past few days. Think it’s a muscle or tendon, as seem to be able to stop it for a few seconds at a time by concentrating hard on trying to relax it, but can’t maintain this. It’s relieved by putting weight on the leg, either by placing foot firmly on ground or by lying on the leg. Could there be a connection with the wheelchair problem in 1996?
24.8.00 Nausea & diarrhoea a.m. today & yesterday, & feeling generally under the weather. Nose congested before & for while after getting up, as is after evening’s drinking. Also some dull pain in upper abdomen. Slight headache yesterday. Leg-ache quite bad & almost constant.
Hope it’s not from instant food (pancake rolls & samosas) which am having to save time & energy. The pancake rolls are v. greasy.
Couldn’t finish breakfast or 2nd cup of tea. Belching prolifically.
Felt worse as day progressed & had to abandon plan to go shopping. Couldn’t study either. Had to lie down in bed.
V. little appetite. Feeling cold at times although weather hot. Glands beneath chin seem more swollen than usual. Kneebacks v. weak & achey. Persistent hiccups developed c 1600. Moderate headache & back-of-neck & upper-back pain. Hiccups lasted c ½ hr. Feeling sleepy - had this yesterday for much of day too but able to override it. Felt a bit better after eating some roast potatoes c 1800. Hiccups returned c 1920, after some v. mild activity. Lasted 10-15 minutes.
Able to study a bit in late afternoon & early evening. Ate a normal supper.
25.8.00 V. hot during night. Woke with headache (unresponsive to paracetamol) & nausea, & had hiccups for c 10 mins.
Diarrhoea a.m. Managed a piece of toast. Upper abdominal pain early a.m. Feeling cold after toast. Sleepy. V. sensitive to smells (ditto yesterday) No nasal congestion today.
Went to bed again. Feeling v. hot at times. Headache persistent but often mild. Nausea came & went. V. tired. Managed to eat a reasonable amount & also to study in short bursts.
Neck glands still more swollen than usual. Pain in back of neck for much of day. Have felt depressed at times during illness, which I think has physical cause. Jaw aching. Neck making grinding noises this evening when head turned from side to side, as did when worked at I.R. & had a badly positioned VDU. Not sure if it’s directly due to illness or to propping head on pillows due to nausea.
Needing a lot of Desmotabs.
26.8.00 Definitely better. Mildish headache on waking. Diarrhoea but not as copious as yesterday. Nausea easily controlled by eating toast. Managed small amount of spaghetti on toast for breakfast. Haven’t had tea or coffee since a.m. on 24th, to avoid stressing system. Headache stubborn as usual. Still weaker & achier than usual. Getting ravenous as day progressed.
Ran out of Clotrimazole cream yesterday as too ill to go into town. Itching has become bad again & have started pulling pieces of skin off again as feel as though I’m being eaten alive! Looks like I may have to use the cream indefinitely unless go on drastic elimination diet and/or take systemic anti-fungal medication.
Felt completely recovered from bug by late afternoon. Drinking tea again. Mild pain in back of neck & some ‘swimminess’ of vision but seems to be decreasing.
27.8.00 Diarrhoea a.m. but otherwise back to normal-with-CFS.
28.8.00 Diarrhoea a.m. Had 2 double g & ts last night & ¼ Nytol dose 0700.
29.8.00 Woke feeling nauseous & headachey. Better after cup of tea but legs (kneebacks) became bad. (Had c 2 double g & ts last night + ¼ dose Nytol)
Stools loose but not markedly more than usual. Anus a bit sore. Tiny bit of blood at end of wipe (bright).
Diarrhoea after breakfast. Still getting transient nausea. Having felt well for 2 days I felt less well today, with sleepiness & ‘stitch’ after shopping trip. (Had ‘stitch’ during illness at one point).
30.8.00 Diarrhoea after breakfast. Hot feeling in anus afterwards. Fairly familiar feeling of being ‘not all there’ from late afternoon onwards. Had this in 1989 when drank 2 glasses or more of a batch of mint wine. Connected?
31.8.00 Have not had my upper thigh ‘pulling’ pain for a week or so.
Observed that parts of top of spine & vicinity are tender when pressed. Afterwards had odd feeling in throat for a while, making me swallow more frequently than often. Feels as though I’m swallowing nasal catarrh.
1.9.00 Base of tongue & top of throat suddenly became sore in early evening. V had visited, having just returned from London/Surrey & previously had bug featuring diarrhoea & cough (shortly before I had my gastric bug) Edges of some cuticles also suddenly became flaky & tender too. Slight headache.
5.9.00 V. sore, red-weeping area at junction between top of leg & body where rubbed over-hard with loo paper a few days ago due to itching. Smells v. yeasty. Keeps sticking to pad. Have been using Clotrimazole cream again for about a week.
6.9.00 Weeping area healing at last.
Had to give up trying to study this afternoon because so sleepy. Went & lay down. Didn’t sleep but think I dozed. Still getting ache at back of neck a lot of the time. Fluid output has been high for past 2-3 days - having to take more Desmopressin than usual.
9.9.00 Fluid output still high, back-of-knee ache fairly persistent & upper-back & neck pain starts soon after start studying, despite strategies such as raising legs by putting feet on a thick book & putting cushion behind neck or upper back. Knee-backs markedly swollen (puffy) & can feel quite hard lump on each side of chin/beginning of neck - lymph glands? Backs of thighs surprisingly firm - the broadness perhaps not due to fat but don’t think it’s muscle either - oedema?
Have been getting the ‘taut’ - type left upper-thigh pain again and sometimes left upper-arm (just below shoulder) pain too. Axillary lymph gland?
Most mornings lately I have been forced to get up by lower-back pain (colorectal?) which is only reduced by lying on back, but afraid of falling asleep on back due to tendency to choke on saliva.
14.9.00 Haven’t had the excessive broncho-secretion/throat-clearing needs in morning for weeks except for when no. 4 have their pungent washing out or, as happened recently, I receive a highly-perfumed free sample in post. Have had a couple of saliva-inhalation incidents in bed. Maybe post-nasal drip syndrome.
Knee backs exceptionally swollen all evening & urinary output high despite ½ Desmotab. Still fairly high even after another half. Had been quite good during day. Bottle of German wine last night (have had 2 or 3 alcohol-free nights previously).
Had to get up at least 6 times during night. Disturbing, feverish dreams which left me feeling drained on waking several times. Desmopressin didn’t seem to be working - v. worrying. Was my immune system destroying it or were kidney receptors inactivated?
15.9.00 Urine output back to ‘normal-with-ME’ after getting up. Knee-backs still more swollen & achey than usual but down slightly from night. Upper-left thigh pain has been present much of time while knee-backs & urine output have been bad.
Legs bad & urinary output quite high again by early evening. Also wheezy & with feeling of lump in throat (when swallowing) & fluid in airways, & some nausea earlier.
Had fairly sharp pain on right side of lower abdomen for a while either today or yesterday. Feel generally washed out. Only had c. one double g & t last night.
16.9.00 Diarrhoea a.m. Legs still bad. ‘Bronchosecretion’ still high (although it actually seems to be by junction of oesophagus & windpipe, as have had before, so that coughing sometimes causes retching). Slight nausea on waking. Feels like a milder form of the bug I had from 24th-26 August. (note anomaly re date.)
It has been raining heavily, & roof has just been replaced. No alcohol yesterday.
Wheezy for much of morning & all afternoon. Urine output high - needing ½ Desmotab every 5-6 hrs to keep it manageable. Tried salbutamol inhaler in late afternoon. Little or no effect. Slightly hoarse. Tight/full feeling at base of oesophagus reminiscent of gastric reflux (have been belching quite a lot for past couple of days).
17.9.00 Feeling better - no nausea, diarrhoea or wheezing. Urine output & kneeback swelling down a bit. Think I’d had 500 mcg Desmopressin by 2130.
18.9.00 Slight diarrhoea a.m. (Had ¼ dose Nytol last night; ditto previous night) Urine output still high, legs bad-ish.
Momentary dizzy spell while studying a.m.; lasted c 2 seconds, I think.
Tender area in groin just right of mons veneris near top of right leg.
23.9.00 Slime a.m. (yesterday too, I think).
24.9.00 Bit wheezy for an hour or 2 (late a.m. I think) Knee-backs bad at times.
Itchy all day, incl. crotch area despite washing & many applications of anti-fungal cream. Itching elsewhere was of the rather harsh, prickly, gritty type (head, face & elsewhere). Light rain, mild after rather cold spell. V. mild fleeting nausea a few times.
25.9.00 Slime. Suspect that it has been quite copious for some time but not always noticed due to anti-fungal cream.
6.10.00 Woke up early a.m. hearing loud, quite high-pitched electronic type whine. Looked round for source but couldn’t find it. Found it was louder when put fingers in ears. Concluded it must be tinnitus. Extremely distracting. Mostly on one note but occasionally changed pitched. (Note misspelling.) Fortunately didn’t last long.
7.10.00 Feeling depressed but couldn’t think of psychological cause so assume it’s biological or environmental. Have had sharp twinges in groin over past few days suggested of imminent period (due in 5 days) Weather also v. dark & drizzly today.
(Unconnected)
Left side of mouth has recently developed a marked downturn, as predicted by plastic surgeons re my nerve-killing operation in teens.
8.10.00 Mentally & physically exhausted & depressed after gruelling exam. Depression not due to fear of not having done well; think it was just due to having put every last fraction of motivation into exam, which was a v. important one. Also had g.p. although hadn’t had early evening meal. So tired I had to go to bed c 2100.
Have had several bouts of v. high urinary output combined with knee-back ache & swelling over past few days. Needed more than prescribed dose of Desmopressin, including last night.
13.10.00 No craving for alcohol p.m. despite g.p. Had worried about drinking getting regular - getting through a bottle of gin a week quite often. Maybe it was due to stress of study/revision/exam. Slept for 11 hours tonight!
17.10.00 Diarrhoea (5 or 6 dashes a.m. & another c 1400). Did not have any alcohol last night, Cleaned out a very rancid bird feeder yesterday.
18.10.00 Used Canesten clotrimazole pessary tonight.
20.10.00 Still have discharge, which is currently yellowish or pinkish-brown (menstrual spotting?). Still have itching which am treating with clotrimazole or calendula cream. Think discharge had (almost?) stopped yesterday morning but recommenced later.
24.10.00 Clotrimazole pessary has definitely not solved my problem. Copious discharge recommenced within 2 days, sometimes with a little blood (presumed menstrual). Smell & itching as bad as ever.
Sleeping well for past 2 days, feeling as though could sleep longer even after 8-9 hrs.
25.10.00 Woke 0800 with nose rather stuffy like after boozy night. Aching quite a lot, as was last night (not just knee-backs). Getting quite persistent pain at front of upper left thigh, so difficulty getting comfortable in bed & when sitting - better when raise legs on a large book when sitting.
Getting other twingey pains which feel as though they come from around middle region of long bones (esp. calves, I think). Keep waking to find self on back, although I try to avoid this as I tend to inhale saliva.
Found recently that epiglottis is under nervous control. This could explain my choking tendencies.
26.10.00 Bit headachey after working on IBM computer a bit. Urine output became v. high & apparently resistant to Desmopressin late afternoon/early evening.
27.10.00 Woke with headache. Urine output was quite high during night despite 200 mcg Desmopressin.
Have not drunk alcohol for 3 or 4 days.
Headache persistent. Paracetamol helped. Think I have a cold/flu-type bug. Prob. cold as appetite is good.
Little or no g.p. for past 3-4 days.
Have had bouts of extreme sleepiness (afternoon & evening), have had to go to bed early (2200-2300) & had difficulty going upstairs. Couldn’t face going up an extra time to hoover bed (which I do to reduce risk of flea infestation).
Sneezing fairly frequently (which is not particularly uncommon)
Think that urinary frequency at moment may be partly due to local inflammation (sphincter/s?)
28.10.00 Headache again on waking & feeling a bit low, also irritable. Poss influence by weather (dull, wet & at times windy).
Feeling better later & hey presto! gp back in evening.
So: during an obvious infection, gp does not occur or is v. mild but aching (incl. knee-backs) is worse.
Not sure about woosiness as infection often causes headache which also affects concentration.
29.10.00 Headache & nasal congestion on waking. Better after 1st defecation dash (had had a few g & ts last night which prob. causes this) but returned in milder form. Had to take paracetamols on getting up.
31.10.00 Still have urinary discomfort. Taking 2 cranberry juice tabs most days but forgot 2nd one last night. No early dash a.m. despite couple of g & ts last night. When did go it smelt a bit unusual (sour?)
2.11.00 Still getting urinary discomfort on & off, + non-IBS-like groin pains (sometimes stitch-like).
Also sometimes pain in stomach region.
3.11.00 Have been getting some hot flushes since reducing phyto-oestrogen intake so went back onto the full dose.
8.11.00 V. hungry in afternoon.
14.11.00 Mild IBS g.p. all day. Had c ¾ bot. Hock yesterday evening.
17.11.00 IBS-type gp all day again. Mild at first but worsened. Not severe but the duration made it v. debilitating. Had few g & ts last night.
18.11.00 IBS prevalent again - gp mild in early part of day, quite bad later accompanied by worse-than-usual knee-back pain. Few g & ts last night. (It’s gp that drives me to have them - there is little urge when don’t have pain)
Getting pins & needles a lot when writing today, plus wrist & lower arm pain.
19.11.00 G.p. nearly all day again. No alcohol last night but had ¼ dose of Nytol due to itching (general). (¼ dose is plenty for me.)
20.11.00 Mild g.p. virtually all day. Suspect that it may be urinary or gynaecological rather than intestinal. 2 x Co-Proxamol didn’t stop it. Discharge quite copious. Pads stained yellowy brown & yeasty-smelling. Itching as bad ever. Using Calendula cream every few hours, which gives temporary relief after few mins of combined prickly-itchy-sensation which is maddening & hard to resist scratching.
22.11.00 Still have the unfamiliar gp some of the time, & copious slime (colourless - w.) (Added bracket at end) Face feeling flushed in early evening. Feeling slightly intoxicated but have not drunk alcohol for 48 hrs.
23.11.00 Unfamiliar gp gone! Instead I have increased frequency of bowel movements, including one or 2 in evening, & motions are dark, sometimes with slight blood-stain on loo paper. Switched to curry (mild, using chickpeas & organic veg.) yesterday from veg. pasty in evenings.
Bit headachey on getting up, with dry & slightly raw throat & slight catarrh in throat. Soon felt better, but felt as though had been drinking the night before (hadn’t).
Little or no major IBS-type gp for last 3 evenings (hence no alcohol - see 18th)
I wrote too soon! Moderate IBS-type gp started c 1930. Treated self to g & t.
Could it be raw tomatoes that are a particular trigger? Had been having small amount (fraction of one tomato) in salad c1800 each evening until last few.
Front upper-thigh pain hasn’t occurred lately. Also - left front upper thigh did give me some moderate but nagging pain after going to bed - had to keep turning over to minimise it.
25.11.00 Extremely tired after afternoon learning to use new computer. Bed 2030. (Partly due to gp, I think)
28.11.00 Started using coconut oil for shallow frying in hope that it will combat candida & IBS.
Painted mouldy area of wall behind TV with solution of borax (1 tsp in about ½ pt water).
1.12.00 No IBS gp even after late evening meal (this is quite unusual).
3.12.00 Alcohol & Nytol tolerance seems to have increased markedly. Not sure if change is since starting to use coconut oil. Several g & ts last night & feel fine this morning (ditto after last time too). Had ¼ dose Nytol in early hours, which is usually enough to knock me out, but little effect (same last time too). Legs aching a lot lately, discharge still copious. Found nasal secretions trickling down throat last night.
Made curry with coconut oil yesterday so am increasing intake.
5.12.00 Passed quite a lot of urine last night despite ½ Desmotab. Had had few g & ts in early evening. Discharge v. copious over past 24 hours. Dull pain in mid-abdomen on right side since yesterday. Still getting a lot of pins & needles in hand when writing.
6.12.00 Still have pain in mid-abdomen on right side. It’s about ½ way between waist & breasts. Tender to touch & also hurts when I move in certain ways. Also feeling rather run-down since about 4.12. No alcohol last night. Legs still aching a lot. Crotch itching pretty bad.
Sweating quite a lot.
Neck glands more swollen than usual.
7.12.00 Still have pain on right side & feel washed out, with v. achey legs, passing more urine than usual (about a litre last night despite ½ Desmotab).
Had brief twinge in left armpit (yesterday, I think).
8.12.00 Still had right-side pain but not constantly - it comes & goes. Hurts when raise right arm above head. Legs intermittently bad. Feel quite reasonable some of the time. Dull headache am. Didn’t need painkillers.
9.12.00 Had to take ¼ dose Nytol last night. Seemed to work. (Was having a lot of general itching both of the tickling & prickling kind which was stopping me getting to sleep).
Felt a bit hung over a.m. Have not been drinking since first got right-side abdominal pain, which still have. Not getting IBS gp, which supports my infection hypothesis. Still hurts when raise right arm above head.
Hair getting greasy v. quickly (as does when drink).
Front upper-left thigh pain am. Upper left arm aching a lot in afternoon. Needing more Desmopressin than usual.
10.12.00 Discharge tinged with red a.m. Could my symptoms be due to detoxification as result of using coconut oil? Could lack of periods be due to candida? Felt hungover again - headache & catarrh.
12.12.00 ‘Hangover’ v.mild this morning & soon passed. Managed to walk into town yesterday without too much difficulty - took it v. slowly.
Still have right-side pain which fluctuates & is sometimes only present when raising right arm.
Discovered yesterday that MS sufferers benefited from increased intake of omega-3 fatty acids e.g. rapeseed & soya. I have tended to use mostly sunflower oil & marge lately to ensure no gm content. Bought some soya & soya + palm oil marge.
Pubic region started to itch quite badly in late afternoon. Found that area was v. red & there was considerable hair loss esp. ½ way down. Suspect ringworm.
13.12.00 Stubborn headache + urinary discomfort. Right-side pain still mild. Legs about normal for ME. (Noticed that left knee-back was v. puffy yesterday or day before)
14.12.00 Felt no worse than usual despite risking several g & ts last night. Had also slept reasonably well without Nytol (tend to need Nytol after drinking)
For last week or 2 (poss. not every night) I have been having discomfort in one or both legs which has made it hard to get to sleep, esp. around knee-backs, calves & feet. It’s sometimes cramp-like (e.g. tonight) but also features the twitching of muscles. Have to keep turning over & feel I’d be more comfortable on back but resist this due to tendency to choke on fluids.
Have been working on new computer a lot for past 2 weeks.
Seem to be back to ‘normal-with-CFS’ apart from some pain on right side still. IBS gp is now occurring again as ‘normal’.
15.12.00 Higher urinary output than usual + some discomfort (for 2-3 days).
Quite substantial frequency today esp. in evening - c. every ½ hr. Took ¼ dose Nytol because of it. Feeling alternately hot & cold.
16.12.00 Felt really hung-over am, with headache, despite no alcohol last night. No urinary discomfort but had to get up about 6 times (maybe more) during night despite at least 200 mcg Desmopressin.
17.12.00 Despite 200 mcg desmopressin last night (& ¼ dose Nytol) I was still getting up frequently so took another 100 mcg.
Getting spots, scabs & redness on inside of buttock cheeks.
19.12.00 No hangover at all despite at least a bottle of hock last night.
Quite sharp pain on left side of upper abdomen while walking to shops. Persisted for c ½ hr & was worse when taking deep breath. Still have right side pain to varying degrees.
22.12.00 Needed hardly any Desmopressin today. Few g & ts last night.
23.12.00 Headache on waking (‘hangover’ type (forgot to close quotes) but no booze last night). Forehead cold. Defecation dash before wanted to get up.
26.12.00 Sore tongue (get this from time to time). Small blister on end. Herpes?
28.12.00 Started using home-made ointment for candida made by simmering blend of coconut oil, palm oil & soya oil (latter 2 in margarines) with dried marigold flowers for c10 mins. Has to be heated before use as too hard otherwise (put jar in container of hot water). Seems to work as well as shop-bought creams (which are expensive).
30 & 31.12.00 Sore throat at times. Top of left arm hurting a bit - similar kind of pain to the one I get at top of left thigh sometimes, like a muscle ache?
3.1.00 Following 2 days of diarrhoea, headache & morning catarrh, had no headache or diarrhoea (in fact still hadn’t defecated by evening). Usual airways-clearing needed a.m. (quite bad actually). Gp while in bed a.m., so was expecting a defecation dash. No alcohol last night (had had 3-4 g & ts on 31st Dec & 1st Jan). Connected?
No urinary discomfort today either - have had this on & off for days. Generally feel much better. Still more hungry than usual, & getting slightly nauseous if not responding quickly enough.
4.1.00 Did not defecate at all yesterday. Did this morning but not copiously. Quite soft.
9.1.00 Feeling unusually mellow, unworried & optimistic in evening. Can’t think of poss. cause except maybe some outdoor activity earlier (emptying compost tumbler + bit of weeding.). First really dry day for 2-3 weeks - other ‘dry’ days have still featured v. damp air, cloudiness, etc.
Fairly bad g.p. + sleepiness/eye fatigue p.m. as have had for last few evenings, I think, necessitating early night. Bowels have returned to usual loose state. Moderate hot flushes once or twice a day for past few days, including at night. Also getting racing pulse after getting into bed.
10.1.00 Came over v. sleepy after shopping trip (not particularly strenuous. (forgot to close bracket) It wore off after about an hour. Have had these bouts in mornings too. Have also had headaches for a while each day for past few days, including during today’s sleepy bout. Paracetamol works for these. Quite woosy at times, & legs weak in evening - difficulty going upstairs with bucket of water for hair-washing. Pupils looked rather small at this time.
Urinary discomfort came on at same time as headache.
Sweating & losing balance a lot.
11.1.00 Gp started in early evening. Was a bit fed up with this so had a couple of g & ts. Started feeling worse, with headache (mildish but disorientating), weak & aching muscles. Thought I might be going down with flu. Went to bed 2000. (also had some urinary discomfort).
12.1.00 Feeling better today, although still a bit weaker than usual. Headache a.m. GP in early evening (short-lived). Feeling hot. (Maybe it is hot). Anus has been v. sore for 2-3 days, in way which I had previously put down to chillies - but haven’t had chillies for weeks! Have had brownish discharge for weeks (not copious)
Frequent (often brief) spells of visual disturbance & tinnitus.
Gp returned later in evening.
15.1.00 Having felt better for couple of days (although still a bit more rapidly fatigable than usual & eyes aching - needing new glasses?) became mildly headachy around noon accompanied by urinary discomfort. Latter also features diminished control over sphincter, resulting in near-accidents. Catarrhy nose.
16.1.00 Urinary discomfort midday. Have had groin pains over last 2-3 days (sporadically) which are unlike usual intestinal ones. Bladder? Today’s discomfort seems to be associated with sphincter again, & with continence difficulty.
18.1.00 Catarrhy headache after walking into town to shop. Also urinary discomfort & slight g.p. Had felt OK before.
Better later (after 2 g & ts) but by late evening entire lower abdomen felt bloated. (Had some pain in upper abdomen while drinking g & t).
19.1.00 V. nasally bunged up a.m. Catarrh cleared within an hour or 2 or (of?) getting up.
Gp in evening, + extremely sensitive teeth, making drinking water painful.
Heart pounding for 5 mins, poss. more, when lay down in bed tonight.
20.1.00 Teeth still painful. Headachey in afternoon, with face feeling v. hot at times. Bladder discomfort. Am taking 2 cranberry juice tablets a day again.
22.1.00 Lot of stabbing pains in legs, like insect bites or needle being stuck in skin, after changing long-johns. Thought they were flea bites but on examination no bites were visible, nor did itching develop. So many of these bite-like sensations, including elsewhere on body, that took Nytol tonight.
23.1.00 More ‘bites’ in same place on leg (ankle) as yesterday when in work-room, but again they did not develop like flea bites. So sharp that I yelled & pulled off socks to look for cause.
Often get these problems.
Bad g.p. in late evening; none earlier, whereas for a week or so I’ve had moderate pain all evening.
24.1.00 G.p. in morning, gone an hour or so after getting up. Legs aching a lot today although no alcohol since 22nd & not much exertion.
When shopping in afternoon I felt tipsy some of time (foggy & a bit disoriented).
Genital region often smells v. yeasty. Still have discharge, slight most of time.
26.1.00 Legs aching most of time. Felt a bit nauseous after walk to N. At eastern end there was a small bonfire giving off smoke smelling of burning plastic. Slime found on first urination on return.
Bout of extreme sleepiness in early evening (or eye fatigue, making me think that I’m v. sleepy)
Some urinary discomfort, mild headache & significant nasal catarrh at times still.
Brief ‘low’ moods during past 2 or 3 days, preceded by about 2 days with irritable spells. (Premenstrual?)
Hair has been a bit electrostatic for past 2 days (at times anyway). Weather v. cold.
30.1.00 Still have slime. Sharp pain in chest when leaning forward in chair in afternoon. Just left of centre, near lower boundary of rib cage.
4.2.00 Right hand painful at base of thumb, poss. due to writing a lot for OU assignment about 2-3 days ago.
5.2.00 Quite bad high pitched tinnitus just after spending about ½-1 hr on computer. Coming & going.
Hand still quite painful, esp. when brushing hair (had to switch to left one).
6.2.00 Slime a.m. (yesterday, too, I think).
Started feeling edgy in evening, then fed up. (Unrelated?) momentary pain about halfway between navel & crotch - pre-period? (It’s 2 ½ weeks ‘late’ although I don’t really expect it nowadays). Friend in Five Lanes was feeling v. fed up & restless in afternoon. Wind is getting up (westerly). Connection?
7.2.00 Slime a.m. Also near-diarrhoea, although only had one g & t last night (most nights/days I don’t have anything)
Am frequently getting pounding heart when lie down in bed in evening, with occasional ‘jumps’ or ‘flutters’ which seem to be associated with increased fluid in airways which I have to cough out (only a small amount). Occasionally get this during day too.
8.2.00 Have had ache in small of back quite a lot of the time over past 2-3 days. Had assumed it to be colon.
12.2.00 Urinary discomfort midday. 1st (I think - added later but had been crossed out, in error, I think) time in weeks. Poss. due to having to crouch over jug to calculate output? Or yeast-based paté? Had cranberry juice tablet
V. vivid, varied & copious dreams + v.high urine output (1.7 litres in 9 hours!)
Observation - have not had gp (or only mildly) since urinary discomfort began. Could gp be due to overactive immune system, & when have an infection the system is occupied with that & not free to attack self? (think I’ve noticed this before.)
13.2.00 Slime a.m. (ditto yesterday)
14.2.00 Wave of anxiety in early evening. Think it was due to physical cause, as also felt woozy & had odd combination of flushed-feeling in face & cold shivers elsewhere. Think that atmospheric pressure may have just changed (from low to high). Have been getting menstrual-type ‘spotting’. Period nearly a month ‘late’.
15.2.00 Slime a.m. Intermittent urinary discomfort today & yesterday. Had a couple of bouts of copious, frequent, dilute urination. In early hours of next morning the volume decreased sharply, coinciding with a bout of ‘randiness’ (feelings of dilation & movement). TV prog tonight stated that vasopressin & oxytocin are associated with sexual arousal/orgasm. It makes sense!
Period seems to be coming on (starting & stopping)
19.2.00 Getting v. stressed & tearful over S (he’s hardly eaten for a week & is losing weight alarmingly).
Banging booted foot with walking stick repetitively & doing other repetitive hitting (hand on leg, etc.) due to stress/distress/frustration.
25.2.00 S had to be euthanased yesterday. That’s 3 cats in about 2½ years - all the cats I came to this house with only 3⅓ years ago. Drank most of a bottle of elderflower wine yesterday, had a home-grown joint & 2 Co-Proxamol. Slept well yesterday, having only had a total of about 5 hours the 2 previous nights. Feel quite mentally & physically exhausted still this evening, but doing lots of physical things. Can hardly concentrate. Have done practically no OU work for several days. Mood rather flat. Left leg & right hand rather painful, prob. from digging grave. Did not cry yesterday except v. briefly in car while V was fetching S from vet’s yesterday, & even then it was just tears & no or virtually no sobbing. Few tears today. Had had real crying bouts before he died, when couldn’t get him to eat.
27.2.00 Have been sleeping a lot. Feeling bleak, low, gloomy at times, numb & blank at others, but sometimes not too bad. Have written to vet detailing grievances & asking questions, which may have helped to unburden self. Speaking to V has helped (on phone). Think I’m gradually recovering. Managed some studying today - first significant amount for over a week. Appetite OK.
Still having fairly brief bouts of sitting doing nothing, staring into space &/or sighing.
29.2.00 Nightmare-type dream/experience early a.m. Could ‘hear’ scratching noises which indicated someone breaking into back of house, but I could not move my legs to get out of bed. Felt panicky. This seemed to last ages. When woke up, I still had difficulty moving legs at first, & thought the scratching noises were real. It took a few minutes to realised that it had been a dream, aided by the presence of C & T who were showing no anxiety.
Headache & blocked sinuses a.m.
Bladder discomfort started in late afternoon, with feeling that I couldn’t relax sphincter although it felt as though there was fluid in bladder. Have been taking 2 cranberry juice tablets per day for about 2 weeks. Twinges in groin accompanying discomfort. Remembered that shopping trolley had blown over on pavement in N I E earlier in afternoon, & those pavements are badly contaminated by dog faeces. Also had diarrhoea a.m.
1.3.00 Urinary tract felt OK again till mid-evening, then discomfort, including feeling of not being able to open sphincter, recommenced. Had to take Nytol last night due to discomfort leading to frequency. Took Co-proxamol for the discomfort. Some benefit.
8.3.00 Waves of sadness/depression since yesterday. For 2-3 days previously breasts have ached slightly, so am hoping that ‘waves’ are hormonally induced. Sad music sets them off.
10.3.00 Persistent abdominal pain from afternoon onwards. Some like usual groin-centred wind, some different.
Often wake with pain all round centre of trunk including back. Not severe but nagging and pressure-like again. I think it’s largely wind. Want to lie on back when have this but avoid it due to the saliva-inhalation/apnoea-type incidents which I sometimes have (when asleep). Lying on back is the only position which relieves the pain.
13.3.00 Sleepy bout after breakfast accompanied by pounding heart.
Pupils seemed rather small.
Difficulty reading (outside in sunshine). General physical tiredness. Felt a bit tipsy when got up, & motions rather runny (amorphous) as if after a night’s drinking. Same yesterday. Have not had a drink for at least 2 days (& only one glass of elderflower wine then).
Weight 9 st midday. This is down from 15.7.99.
17.3.00 Have had a lot of ‘randy’ attacks for past 2 weeks at least, & have occasionally taken remedial action.
Breasts still aching when get up in morning.
Motions have been rather diarrhoeay & spray-y for past few days.
19.3.00 Copious slurry-like faeces, passed in 3 or 4 bouts* Felt hungry afterwards. Feel as though I’m not digesting food properly. Lower lip sometimes trembling, also getting occasional bouts of slight dizziness (e.g after bending down, even when seated) Have been sleeping 9 hrs a night or more for a week or 2. Not having to get up at night as often as usual (or pass as much urine) for past few days.
Unfamiliar mildish chest & abdominal pains during past few days. Gp most evenings.
Have been having wild garlic leaves in sandwiches & salads for several days. Stopped today to see if it was cause of bowel trouble.
Intestines v. noisy today.
*another bout in late evening. Despite usual urgency, several bowel movements have been atypically slow, an atypical feature with such runny faeces.
Became flushed (face) for a while during afternoon.
21.3.00 Digestion definitely better following substantial reduction in wild garlic intake. Passing much less, only getting ‘usual’ pains, lip tremor gone. Night-time urinary frequency back up a bit.
24.3.00 Suddenly developed urinary stinging near end of urinary tract 1500, accompanied by pain in lower back & urgency to defecate.
Urinary problem soon gone but quite bad IBS-type gp started c1700. (Doesn’t usually start till after dinner, which is usually potatoes & salad @ about 1800) Have had 2 IBS-free evenings prior to today, I think.
Breasts tender.
26.3.00 Quite bad g.p. in early evening. Gone after glass of hock.
Face became flushed & upper lip sweating. Earlier had been feeling tipsy/stoned, although had not drunk or taken anything.
Still have frequent, moderate yellowish vaginal discharge, + powerful randy sensations. Have had transient urinary discomfort.
27.3.00 Slow, quite copious bowel movements apparently affecting muscles at back of legs. Remembering having association between bowel movements & leg weakness in 95/6 - it feels as though a pressure is exerted on leg nerves from bowel.
Lot of gp in bed a.m.
Urinary discomfort & frequency after supper.
Keep getting annoying bouts of sleepiness when trying to study - had one in mid-afternoon today. Think they last about an hour. Can do non-thinking-type tasks during them but study becomes extremely slow & difficult, often impossible.
4.4.00 Dr F said that blood test had shown normal sex hormone, sugar, oestradiol, thyroid hormones & thyroid function (Test was about 2 weeks ago). To my amazement he said that vasopressin level had not been tested, although when asked at the time what was being tested he’d said ‘everything’. He said that vasopressin was an ‘obscure’ thing to test for.
Said I didn’t appear to be menopausal. Told him I hadn’t had period for about 3 months, & thought I was menopausal. (Actually had 1-2 days’ bleeding in mid-February & a fairly normal period in December). Said he thought that the Phytosoya might have confounded results & advised me to abstain for 2 months & have another test.
Agreed to prescribe desmopressin nasal spray for night-time use.
6.4.00 Got prescription - it’s for 0.2 mg Desmopressin tablets. Took one tonight. Got up once in middle of night (about 0400). Think I was producing more saliva than usual during night. Otherwise felt OK.
7.4.00 (- 8.4.00) Got up twice tonight, having taken one Desmotab.
8 - 9.4.00 Took ½ a Desmotab Got up twice during night. Had had 1½ - 2 glass (appear to have missed out ‘es’) of hock in evening. Alcohol in evening tends to reduce urinary output at night, poss. because of earlier diuresis.
9.4.00 Getting more than one ‘sleepy attack’ a day quite often. This morning after breakfast I got racing pulse, pulse being felt in several places including fingers & chest. Accompanied by brief accumulations of fluid in airways (but I get fluid in airways every morning, sometimes before breakfast, sometimes after). Feeling shaky & a bit anxious. Fairly sure it’s physically caused - not thinking of particularly worrying things.
Took ½ Desmotab 1145. Passing much more concentrated urine in afternoon than usual.
Urinating fairly normally by early evening (even late afternoon). Slight urinary discomfort, poss because concentrated. Back to usual excessive output by 1930.
Extreme frequency after supper. Took ½ Desmotab 2145.
Got up about 4 times tonight.
10.4.00 No Desmopressin during day. Urinary output not too bad, but got tired & flushed attacks. Think I was rather pale during tired attack c. midday.
Gp all evening + flushed face (feels hot).
10 -11.4.00 ½ Desmotab for night. Got up 3 or 4 times. Gp in mid-afternoon, continuing milder by mid-evening. (It’s unusual to get it so early.)
Able to study all evening (also unusual-ish these days, have had bad gp after supper at least for 2 wks, accompanied by extreme eye fatigue.
11-12 April 2000 ½ Desmotab. Got up twice. Throat area (upper throat & underside of chin) have become very unattractive over last year or so - double chin & general fat appearance. Wonder if thyroid gland is enlarged
Gp started in afternoon again. Wonder if could be due to cress in sandwiches? (grown in trays on window sill). I think that consumption of this coincides with atypical gp incidence.
Gp lasted all evening but, as yesterday, became mild enough to permit studying.
12-13 April 2000 ½ Desmotab. Got up 3 times.
Night volume ½ litre (more than usual amount passed since taking Desmotabs)
13.4.00 No g.p. in afternoon (& no cress). Headache late afternoon, not cured by 2 paracetamol. Ache in back of neck at same time.
Small area of split skin by thumbnail, which I think I’ve had for over 2 weeks. Tender. Didn’t have chilblains on feet last winter though, poss. because wearing v. warm lined & quilted ‘Eskimo’ boots.
(Still wearing them)
13-14.4.00 ½ Desmotab. Got up 3 times. Volume low.
Am often waking up with g.p. (including before starting Desmotabs)
16.4.00 Bowel movements started later than usual (c. midday) & more solid than usual.
Reduced Vit. C intake to 500 mg from 1 g daily either today or yesterday after reading that too much can cause diarrhoea.
Didn’t have usual copious diuresis after supper (not sure if had last night)
17.4.00 Had to start getting up about once an hour from c 0615 despite the usual ½ Desmotab @ 2300 yesterday. Quite dilute. Getting pins & needles in hands & legs quite often in mornings before getting up. This morning that in right hand stopped immediately when I got up. Find that C’s weight on my feet often causes discomfort which feels as though would lead to cramp if didn’t move.
Breasts aching like when period due (but last proper one was in December)
Sore tongue. Have also had a chap-like lesion at left corner of mouth for a few days.
Haven’t had facial twitches lately (for weeks at least).
Chest flutterings fairly infrequent too. Still getting strong ‘randy attacks’.
Pulse 74 at 2255. Took because am becoming increasingly convinced that have hypothyroidism. The bulge below chin is actually largely in neck & is quite hard. (underneath of chin itself, or just behind it, is soft & puffy.)
Cramp when cleaning grate earlier (feet). Had to walk around for few mins to get rid of it
Diuresis after supper but no g.p. Had been having pea-based pies until tonight, when switched to lentils.
18.4.00 A little under ½ Desmotab last night. Got up 4-5 times. Volume fairly high (but <1 litre). 2 strong twitches of mouth in rapid succession a.m. It’s as though a string is attached & someone jerks it upwards.
19.4.00 Headache & quite bad g.p. from morning until early afternoon.
Headache lingered all day. Paracetamol not v. effective. Took 300 mcg Desmopressin yesterday.
20.4.00 Passed nearly a litre overnight although had had 300 mcg Desmopressin over previous 24 hours.
Felt much better today - only mild & transient headache & g.p. Seem to feel the cold much more than used to.
21.4.00 Ears had quite copious runny discharge last night.
23.4.00 Bad g.p. after early evening meal today & yesterday. Gave up trying to study & had few glasses of vodka. Tonight I had about ⅓ bottle. Couldn’t remember some things I did next day.
24.4.00 Woke with bad g.p. Went back to bed after eating about ½ breakfast. Took 2 Co-proxamol. An hour later the pain abruptly stopped. Found that period had come on. Not sure whether the gp was period-related or usual bowel problem. Poss. connection with worse gp than usual - stress due to building work & discovery that wall would have to be demolished & I would have to move out (this occurred on 19th)
26.4.00 Period still on, & quite heavy. Moderate pain at times.
5.5.00 Urinary discomfort. Back to having yellow discharge.
Have a number of large pink spots on left forearm which appeared a few days ago after lay briefly on floor of front bedroom by chair on which C spends a lot of time (was relieving a randy attack). Had assumed that they were flea bites, but wonder why itching flares up from time to time & then stops again. Could they be caused by mites? They have pimple in centre, & spots are c4-5 mm in diameter.
Last 2 days have been quite strenuous, producing & dispatching newsletters. Have had headaches after doing lot of printing.
Full-blown cystitis by early afternoon. Quite bad stinging on urination despite Co-Proxamol.
Had been taking one cranberry juice tablet a day for months. Started on 2 a day today.
Muscles/tendons/ligaments at backs of knees throbbing more than usual, seemingly in association with urinary pain (& poss. bowel activity)
Passing blood by 1630 (prob. before) Had to take more Co-Proxamol within 4 hrs of 1st dose. Pain & discomfort so constant, + frequency (every 10 mins?) that couldn’t study, & was going to go to bed after 1800 news. V. soon after eating some chilli-flavoured tortilla chips & taking 2 more cranberry tablets the pain subsided so that it only hurt when urinating, & frequency also decreased. Still passing some blood 1915. (Was leaking dilute blood for a couple of hours).
Able to go without CoProxamol after dose taken at 1630 (2nd one taken). Think bleeding stopped by c2100 (maybe earlier). Still stings a bit when urinating @ 2230.
6.5.00 Headache last night & this morning, & nose more bunged up than usual. Took Paracetamol for headache (back of neck also aching). Better in afternoon, & by early evening felt better & more sprightly than usual - think I’ve had this before after infections.
Theory: body diverted from attacking self to attacking infection. Still slight urinary burning, but otherwise fine. NB Took a whole Desmotab last night (could this have caused headache?) & Nytol.
(Don’t think I had headache one evening recently when took 1 Desmotab & drank a bottle of wine Certainly not a bad one.)
Did not defecate today!
7.5.00 Nose-bleed a.m. (& last night). Not heavy. Still having some urinary discomfort & groin pains.
10.5.00 Gp started c1700. Still able to study at first. Lasted all evening. CoProxamol not v. effective.
Still have discomfort in uro-genital region, & slight burning on urination. Stepped up garlic intake.
Legs aching more than usual. All flea/mite spots on left forearm have suddenly healed & flattened.
Have had brief-ish spells of feeling v. hot over past few days. Not like ‘flushes’ I’ve had before (& which I haven’t had for some time)
(or are they?)
11.5.00 Gp continued all night. A bit milder in morning. Still have urinary discomfort, + greater frequency than usual this morning. Volume high too. Am beginning to suspect that gp is due to urinary or reproductive system. Urinary, I think. Pain almost gone by early afternoon, but discomfort (+ randiness) & frequency continued.
Co-proxamol has seemed quite ineffective against urinary pain this time, poss. even having a delayed effect.
Still passing a lot of urine by 1700, & it smells quite strong. Thirsty (as was on 5th when cystitis was bad) Inside of mouth a bit raw.
Yesterday one of cuticles was slightly split & painful: all signs of being ‘below par’.
Gp & discomfort worsening again by 2030 despite Co-proxamol.
Despite ½ Desmotab last night I had to get up about 8 times & passed close to a litre. Still have gp (mild-moderate ache) & discomfort. Worse when standing up.
Legs aching more than usual again (back of knees & calves)
Gp gone but burning returned (not too severe by early afternoon. Started taking 1 tsp bicarb per hour 1645.
Went to bed 2030 as feeling lousy & urge to urinate was less when lying down.
13.5.00 Got up many times last night & passed about a litre over 12 hrs despite Nytol & ½ Desmotab.
Burning almost gone by 0900. Gradually improved during day. Spell of frequency & high output in early evening. Still more aching at back of knees than usual, after very little activity.
Wonder whether the cystitis & leg pain are due to a bug or a chemical. (My med. encyclopaedia says it can be latter) Noticed a fairly pleasant but unfamiliar smell outside back door one evening recently; not sure if before or after 1st cystitis attack. It was slightly reminiscent of VetKem house flea spray. Weather hot - has someone been using pesticides?
Used VetKem & a Sherley’s house flea spray myself today. Took care to hold breath & wash hands afterwards, & kept doors of sprayed rooms closed for c 24 hours. Could still smell VetKem in front bedroom hours after using. Active ingredients: VetKem - S-methoprene, permethrin; Sherley’s Flego - cyromazine & permethrin.
14.5.00 Sprayed my bedroom, stairs & lounge with Flego. Kept out (& kept cats out) for about 6 hours. Weather hot & dry.
Urinary discomfort gone, but backs of knees still painful after virtually no exertion. Feel that I would have great difficulty walking up R H into town. If had to go now, I think I’d get a cab. Not even sure if I could manage walk to N, & have serious doubts about ability to pull full shopping trolley back up the slight incline of footpath. Somewhat worried.
IBS-type gp after dinner (c1730). Decided to have a few glasses of vodka & orange, as cannot study when have gp.
15.5.00 Woke c 0300 with urinary discomfort & a lot of nasal catarrh. Managed eventually to get a couple of hours more sleep (maybe more). Thirsty. Felt quite hung-over when got up. Urinary burning continued till early afternoon, then stopped. Unable to eat proper breakfast. A bit nauseous, but also hungry. Ate 3 slices of toast in morning. Had diarrhoea; don’t know how much was due to tsp bicarb taken for cystitis.
Couldn’t manage any more doses of bicarb as felt too queasy.
16.5.00 Felt OK this morning, but motions smelt as though I’d drunk a lot last night (v. sour). I’d only had a fifth - ¼ bot vodka on 14th, but I think my body must have still had toxic overload related to cystitis, hence unexpectedly bad (gut-type) hangover. Legs still aching more than usual, but managed walk to & from N I E (& up hill to E T). Urinary burning again on return (moderate).
17.5.00 Had another sex hormone blood test & got doc to look at backs of knees to see if could see any abnormalities. Said looked OK but that there was a ‘bit of a pad’ on left one. Asked if he meant fat & he said yes. Started taking 2 Phytosoya capsules a day again. Urinary tract feels quite reasonable today.
18.5.00 Dr F phoned to say that kidney ultrasound scan (done in March?) was normal.
22.5.00 Gp from about lunchtime. Had taken ½ Desmotab in morning. Had thought that daytime desmopressin use might be linked to gp and/or headache, as these had coincided a few times, but I took ½ tab this morning & had no gp or headache (except v. mild headache in late afternoon) Gp & headaches could be due to stress, as when take Desmotabs during day it’s usually when officials, builders, etc. are visiting/working on house.
23.5.00 Quite copious slime am (first time in weeks, poss. months)
25.5.00 High urinary frequency & volume output in evening. No identifiable cause.
26.5.00 No urinary discomfort for a week or more so reverted to one cranberry juice tablet per day.
28.5.00 Having difficulty eating usual breakfast of 1½ slices toast, beans & veggie sausage.
30.5.00 Some urinary discomfort today & yesterday. Had been scratching external area particularly excessively for few days. Discomfort includes sphincter (external, I think), with difficult (y missing) in controlling it.
31.5.00 Doc phoned to say my oestrogen levels were down to 250 (not sure of unit) from 1500 when taking Phytosoya, so had been ‘putting off’ menopause. Approved my continuing/resuming taking it.
3.6.00 Particularly bad urinary frequency a.m. - about every 10-15 mins from c 0815 to 1215. Took ½ Desmotab c 1130. Feeling better after defecation (as is often the case - head clears)
Backs of knees aching & throbbing a bit more than usual. Weather cold & damp. Still not defecated by midday. Head v. fuzzy on getting up (sinuses feeling congested). Anxious at present due to problems with house & having to get in touch with step-parents.
Defecated midday. Mild-moderate ache in centre of back.
Urinary frequency back to absurd levels by 1900 (& getting bad before then) Took another ½ Desmotab. Thank goodness for them! Strange phenomenon at times today - unable to clench fists properly. Similar sensation to fear-induced paralysis which causes inability to run or scream. Due to anxiety? Most of time I tend to clench fists & teeth without intending to. (Still doing latter a bit even when can’t do former). Pins & needles in legs at times today too.
4.6.00 Urinary discomfort & high output early evening. Took ½ Desmotab. Learned that Mum had motor neurone disease.
5.6.00 Urinary discomfort & frequency (& continence difficulty - stinging sensation in sphincter & involuntary momentary opening) in late afternoon. Took ½ Desmotab 1630.
Re inability to clench fists yesterday - stepparents would have received a letter from me yesterday, to which D had replied. Could Mum have been telepathising her illness? Maybe not - have it again this evening. Think it may be psychological - I’m anxious about house & now also disturbed about Mum’s illness.
7.6.00 Frequency again in evening (every 10-15 mins) & continence difficulty as on 5th. Had taken ½ Desmotab at lunchtime. Took another @ 1930.
Right elbow hurting a bit, as though have been using it a lot.
Wonder if associated with tension (which seem to have even in sleep sometimes). Poss. from leaning on walking stick more than usual.
Back-of-knee pain sharper than usual this evening. (Walked to N yesterday).
9.6.00 Sphincter discomfort & frequency a.m. Took ½ Desmotab.
11.6.00 Sphincter discomfort & frequency for much of day. Resisted urge to take desmopressin as am saving them up for when have builders in or have to travel. (am just taking ½ tab at night)
As before, sphincter discomfort (stinging sensation) appears to be associated with worse-than-usual aching at backs of knees.
No defecation today, surprising esp. as had 2 or 3 G & T’s last night. Alcohol tends to result in diarrhoea/multiple defecations the next day.
14.6.00 gp in evening, as have had for previous 2 evenings, sometimes starting in early evening (after early dinner at 1800.).
Took 2 Desmotabs (0.4 mg total) in evening as suggested by Dr F in response to my request for higher dose. He is still apparently resisting my request for prescription of desmopressin for daytime use, despite BMA Medicines book not contra-indicating this. Was he wrongly informed by consultant (who astonishingly suggested reducing my modest daily fluid intake although I had supplied info that thirst followed excessive urine output). Or is he going on other (incorrect? outdated?) information? Or is my BMA book (pub. 1997) incorrect or out of date?
Still had to get up twice last night. Also high-volume output & frequency in morning & evening so took ½ Desmotab each time.
17.6.00 Passed a litre of urine between 0600 & 0930, having to go every 20-30 mins. Had taken 0.2 mg Desmopressin at 2230 yesterday. Drank ⅓ - ½ bot wine yesterday evening, had celery in early evening & some peanuts in late evening, otherwise same food as usual. Only drank small amount of water during night (c ¼ pt).
Got up 0930 (had had lie in to try to catch up on sleep lost due to urinary frequency) & had ½ Desmotab. Problem ceased.
Bladder behaved extraordinarily well for rest of day - no ‘frequency’ attacks despite usual amount of tea & coffee.
18.6.00 Had to get up about twice in night despite 2 Desmotabs. It doesn’t seem to make much difference whether I take 1 or 2. Bladder quite good during day - only ½ Desmotab during day. Think I must have gone into spate in late evening - although took 2 Desmotabs 2230 I was still paying frequent visits after midnight.
20.6.00 Feeling anxious from yesterday evening (at least). Had to take a Nytol in early hours as v. keyed up. Not sure how much is psychological & how much bio-chemical. Have had a modest amount of alcohol for past 3 or 4 evenings (c 3 glasses of wine). Would this be enough to cause jitters? Psychological anxiety stems from unexpected appearance of 2 strangers in yard yesterday morning, taking away scaffolding that R had brought 2 months ago for my grant-aided building work, plus news that I was going to have to borrow some money in a hurry to pay for specialist scaffolding for wall-stabilising work. Mind is in turmoil at R’s arrogant attitude to my property & privacy & thought of him returning to work in house soon.
Took Nytol again this evening. Still waiting for explanation re scaffolding, & wondering whether he’s pulling out of building work (mixture of relief & financial anxiety if he does). Also worried about V’s relative loyalties to me & R - she seems to have an excessively ‘Stand by Your Man’ attitude. Wish I had someone to talk to.
24.6.00 Have been much calmer for a couple of days, having resolved some of the above issues. Stopped taking Nytol & drinking.
Woke up feel(ing, presumably) v. bunged-up. Still woosy, stuffy-sinused & croaky 2½ hrs after getting up. Felt generally under weather today; slight thick-type headache, bad leg-ache, some sneezing & persistent itching of face & scalp plus gritty-feeling eyes. Seems like a kind of hay fever. Paracetamol had little impact on head, which cleared reasonably well by late evening. Urine output high. Period had come on when woke (had not had one for 2 months). Heavy-ish.
25.6.00 Bit headachey & leg-achey again but better than yesterday.
Drank bot. Liebfraumilch & several G & Ts in evening.
26.6.00 Passed 2½ - 3 litres (or did I just forget to empty water from bucket before taking it upstairs? I was somewhat inebriated!) urine last night (to 0900). Not sure if took Desmopressin after early yesterday evening, but think I took a ½-strength Nytol.
29.6.00 Found that I had great difficulty reading labels of goods on supermarket shelves. Able to do so with reading glasses, which I seem to have to use at a greater distance now (& can’t use as close up as before, I think). Have been doing a lot of intensive OU work (on project).
Skin eruption appeared today on left index finger. May be in same place that I had a wart a few years ago (which disappeared spontaneously, after several years, I think). Tender like a blister but can’t think of anything I’ve been doing to cause a blister. Hard. Have been quite stressed lately due to endless problems & worries relating to building work, plus OU deadline.
30.6.00 Skin eruption reddened & split open.
Found that I now need reading glasses to watch TV (14" set about 1 m away.)
Later (after a few g & ts) found that usual ‘tele glasses’ were better. Can also see close up with reading glasses again. (about a foot or 18" away)
Skin eruption almost down by 2300. Still red, less tender than before (unless just anaesthetised with alcohol).
1.7.00 Skin eruption has gone down. Tenderness almost gone.
A freckle (?) near top of left arm is slightly raised (noticed it a few weeks ago during hot weather.) (Forgot to close bracket.) No tenderness. It’s dash-shaped - not sure if it’s 2 freckles joined up or a mole or other growth.
2.7.00 Gp started early p.m. Only intake other than normal was a few raw home-grown peas (v. small number). Tried hard to study but had to give up - couldn’t take anything in (as is normal when have gp). Sleepiness/concentration difficulty preceded onset of gp, making me suspect that it was imminent - again this is common. V. frustrating as had hoped to catch up & even maybe get ahead today before recommencement of Wimbledon matches tomorrow. Had been practising considerable self-denial until 30th June, finishing off most important TMA of year.
Able to do a bit of studying later, but gp returned predictably after supper @ 2100.
Also came over v. hot after putting lettuces (in pots) in shed for night. Lasted about 10 mins. Had had to take 2 layers of clothes off.
Legs aching a lot. Extreme randiness frequent.
3.7.00 Wooziness a.m. Able to study OK. Legs aching more than usual. Randy. Rather asthmatic during early part of day (unusual). V. sleepy in mid-afternoon. Still wheezy. Pulse quite heavy, c. 82.
Prickly feeling in skin. Feeling a bit strange all day.
Still wheezy & legs v. weak & aching behind knees 2100. Decided to use old Ventolin inhaler (expiry date 1992)
Near-miraculous result - not only did wheezing stop but leg pain diminished instantly & dramatically, so that I could walk fairly normally instead of dragging legs/feet as normal when legs ache.
NB Have had wheeziness a few times in past week or 2. Brother M has hayfever for 1st time ever (in Sheffield) & I think T’s sister has too. Wondering if it’s connected with ‘accidental’ widespread sowing of GM oilseed rape this year & last. (Both times it was allowed to flower)
Leg pain returned c 5 mins after used inhaler.
Slight urinary discomfort at times during past few days.
4.7.00 Legs aching badly again. Fluid output high; needed to urinate quite frequently despite taking 1½ Desmotabs (300 mcg) during day.
Wheezy again. Used Ventolin once. No gp, but chest-type pain after supper - prob. heartburn (which don’t often get)
5.7.00 Passed 1½ litres urine overnight (c 8 hours) despite ½ Desmotab 2130 & ½ earlier (mid-evening I think) yesterday. This is unusual. Hope I’m not getting resistant to it.
Legs much better today & fluid output well controlled. (Took Nytol last night - relevant?) Wheezing negligible. Headache started c midday prob due to builder noise.
6.7.00 Moderately bad headache again, prob. due to builders (noise & poss. dust). Gp later (prob. due to same reason). Had 2-3 g & ts in early evening & gp went.
8.7.00 Difficulty opening (external?) urinary sphincter in afternoon. Stinging slightly. Throat a bit sore later (was for a while yesterday too). Catarrh or similar in throat. Seems to emanate from top of throat, but at back. (near where joins nasal sinus?) Sleepy bouts. Urine output high despite Desmopressin.
Tongue sore in evening.
9.7.00 Passed 2 litres urine overnight despite ½ Desmotab & another ½ earlier in evening (c 1700-1800) Period was from c 2300-0830.
12.7.00 Gp from early evening (as for past few evenings), starting before dinner (which I have c 1800.) Also high fluid output, worse than usual back-of-knee ache & feeling hot.
13.7.00 Another bad night partly due to fear about burglar access to upstairs windows via scaffolding. Had gone to bed 2030 as feeling tired & unwell. Legs aching (knee-backs as usual) all night & when got up.
Nausea gone & appetite back. (Had not been able to face a proper supper last night & had just had soup. This is v. unusual)
Had worried that I was going down with a v. nasty 24-hour bug which T’s daughter & mother have had, featuring prolific vomiting & chest pain. Felt fluey actually, sneezing a bit & with sore throat at times yesterday.
14.7.00 Passed over a litre over 12 hrs last night despite ½ Desmotab c 2200 & another ½ in early evening.
Odd-smelling faeces a.m. (sour?)
Had had a few g & ts last night as on previous evenings. Not diarrhoea today (as often get after drinking)
Spot on chin since yesterday.
17.7.00 Passed a litre of urine overnight despite ½ Desmotab c 2215 & ½ in early evening (1st evening in several days not having a few g & ts)
Able to study despite gp in evening (up to c 2200?). This is unusual.
19.7.00 Legs aching badly - backs of knees and a bit a(t?) front, top region of thighs. Had put a cat flap on bedroom door yesterday evening, which was strenuous, & had a DIY which wanted to continue but legs aching too much (they go v. rigid & straight).
V said that left knee-back was v. puffy/swollen & right one a bit.
Passed a litre or so of urine tonight despite usual amount of Desmopressin (½ tab at bed-time, ½ early evening)
20.7.00 Legs not as achey as yesterday.
Freckle/mole on left upper arm is 4-5 mm long. Easily felt as raised.
22.7.00 Started using Clotrimazole cream on crotch to try to eradicate whatever fungal infection I have (& have probably had for many years).
25.7.00 Woke up with legs aching. Backs of knees significantly puffy &/or swollen. Also passing a lot of urine from c 0630 despite usual Desmopressin dose - took another ½ tab c 0700.
Having frequent trouble recently with watering eyes (esp. right one) making reading difficult.
Bad back-of-knee ache & prodigious urine output (necessitating 0.4 mg Desmopressin by 2130) all day. Body temperature also seems to be fluctuating considerably. Not actually measuring temp. as don’t have thermometer - just feeling hot & cold & having to keep adding & removing several layers of clothing. (Have had some hot flushes in bed recently)
Virtually no gp for past few days.
26.7.00 Legs aching & fluid output high again on waking. Had taken 0.5 mg Desmopressin yesterday (usually manage on 0.4 mg or less) Took ½ Nytol (½-strength) c midnight as had a lot of ‘tickly, insect-type’ itching. Had 2 g & ts last night. Had not had any on night of 24th, but had skinful of wine on 23rd. No excessive exertion until yesterday, when walked to N for shopping.
27.7.00 Legs still aching a lot. Woke early & could not get back to sleep. Have also had slight diarrhoea for 3 days (rather dark - poss due to beetroot?)
Still needing more Desmotabs than usual (0.5 mg per day)
‘Bruised’ feeling in upper abdomen early in day (late morning or midday).
Have been feeling extremely randy at times lately, esp. at night, including erotic dreams.
28.7.00 Diarrhoea again. Legs a bit better. Headache a.m.
30.7.00 Legs aching all night. Not much exertion yesterday & only alcohol was 1 pt lager (due to gp in evening). As well as knee-back ache I had the pain I get less often which feels as though muscles are being pulled tight & held taut for long periods. This was in muscle(s) near top of left thigh towards outside of thigh. Made it difficult to get comfortable in bed.
Head ‘foggy’ for much of day, which is unusual. Lot of difficulty studying - kept forgetting what I was looking for in articles. Legs aching (knee-backs) almost continually, & fluid output high - had needed 0.3 mg Desmopressin by 1550 (excluding ½ tab I may have had in v. early morning). Have needed 0.5 mg daily several times lately. Have had the occasional upper abdominal pain as well, mostly on right, I think. Getting spells of feeling v. hot, often at night - hot flushes?
Only possible cause I can think of for recent problems is eating some slightly dubious potatoes around 24th. (They had rotted a bit but I cut all obviously rotten bits off).
31.7.00 Diarrhoea (4 visits) a.m. Only ½ pt lager last night. Felt better today. Able to walk up hill into town.
3.8.00 Nausea late p.m. & for much of night.
4.8.00 Transient nausea. When went to bed (with bad gp) had slightly sore tongue, wheezy breathing & slight/moderate difficulty swallowing. The swallowing problem was near top of throat, at back. Ventolin didn’t help breathing much. Sneezing a bit earlier.
5.8.00 Calf muscle pain on waking - like that in thigh on 30th July. (Back of calves). Generalised leg-ache. Back of left knee significantly puffier than right (it’s (nearly) always noticeably more so). High fluid output.
Wonder if recent symptoms are connected to rodent (presumably) activity heard in loft on night of 3-4 August.
Another current symptom is shakiness.
Mildish ache in top back part of throat on yawning. Belching a lot.
Appetite normal (felt close to vomiting if didn’t eat quickly when hungry) but unable to face usual food, esp. anything sweet. Enjoyed pancake rolls, vege-burgers, mushrooms & French beans & later roast spuds. Throat almost normal by late evening.
6.8.00 Throat & breathing virtually normal but legs still aching a lot even in bed. Seems as though this was a ‘bug’. NB same day or day before throat & breathing problems I had toothache on right side of mouth (lower jaw, about ½ way back) for c 2 hours.
Fluid output high yesterday despite only 2 or 3 cups of tea, no coffee & no alcohol.
10.8.00 Still getting frequent quite bad leg-ache (back of knees & calves plus ‘pulling’ feeling at front of left thigh) & swollen knee-backs even when have not been walking (e.g. in bed & on getting up). Have had the problem with IBM computer monitor mentioned before - loud high-pitched sound, & feelings of nausea & other unpleasant sensations (including in neck) during this. Hard to stay in room while it’s doing it. Not sure if the malaise is caused just by the noise or poss. by radiation.
13.8.00 High urine output overnight - had to take a whole Desmotab (0.2 mg desmopressin acetate). Had had 2 double g & ts in early mid-evening. Despite whole Desmotab I had to get up several times during night. ½ tab is usually enough (& get up 2-4 times, I think).
Top of left thigh is still quite numb (since 1996).
19.8.00 Period are regular & normal again, having been taking Phytosoya regularly again.
Interesting discoveries from my books & files today: oestrogen production is dependent on LH & FSH levels. LH & FSH are pituitary hormones dependent on hypothalamic stimulation. (SK220 The Human Condition)
Also vasopressin was found to stimulate paternal behaviour in male American prairie voles, & monogamy. (Psychology file - may well be irrelevant as wrong species)
20.8.00 Front top part of left thigh is hurting a lot of the time for past few days. Think it’s a muscle or tendon, as seem to be able to stop it for a few seconds at a time by concentrating hard on trying to relax it, but can’t maintain this. It’s relieved by putting weight on the leg, either by placing foot firmly on ground or by lying on the leg. Could there be a connection with the wheelchair problem in 1996?
24.8.00 Nausea & diarrhoea a.m. today & yesterday, & feeling generally under the weather. Nose congested before & for while after getting up, as is after evening’s drinking. Also some dull pain in upper abdomen. Slight headache yesterday. Leg-ache quite bad & almost constant.
Hope it’s not from instant food (pancake rolls & samosas) which am having to save time & energy. The pancake rolls are v. greasy.
Couldn’t finish breakfast or 2nd cup of tea. Belching prolifically.
Felt worse as day progressed & had to abandon plan to go shopping. Couldn’t study either. Had to lie down in bed.
V. little appetite. Feeling cold at times although weather hot. Glands beneath chin seem more swollen than usual. Kneebacks v. weak & achey. Persistent hiccups developed c 1600. Moderate headache & back-of-neck & upper-back pain. Hiccups lasted c ½ hr. Feeling sleepy - had this yesterday for much of day too but able to override it. Felt a bit better after eating some roast potatoes c 1800. Hiccups returned c 1920, after some v. mild activity. Lasted 10-15 minutes.
Able to study a bit in late afternoon & early evening. Ate a normal supper.
25.8.00 V. hot during night. Woke with headache (unresponsive to paracetamol) & nausea, & had hiccups for c 10 mins.
Diarrhoea a.m. Managed a piece of toast. Upper abdominal pain early a.m. Feeling cold after toast. Sleepy. V. sensitive to smells (ditto yesterday) No nasal congestion today.
Went to bed again. Feeling v. hot at times. Headache persistent but often mild. Nausea came & went. V. tired. Managed to eat a reasonable amount & also to study in short bursts.
Neck glands still more swollen than usual. Pain in back of neck for much of day. Have felt depressed at times during illness, which I think has physical cause. Jaw aching. Neck making grinding noises this evening when head turned from side to side, as did when worked at I.R. & had a badly positioned VDU. Not sure if it’s directly due to illness or to propping head on pillows due to nausea.
Needing a lot of Desmotabs.
26.8.00 Definitely better. Mildish headache on waking. Diarrhoea but not as copious as yesterday. Nausea easily controlled by eating toast. Managed small amount of spaghetti on toast for breakfast. Haven’t had tea or coffee since a.m. on 24th, to avoid stressing system. Headache stubborn as usual. Still weaker & achier than usual. Getting ravenous as day progressed.
Ran out of Clotrimazole cream yesterday as too ill to go into town. Itching has become bad again & have started pulling pieces of skin off again as feel as though I’m being eaten alive! Looks like I may have to use the cream indefinitely unless go on drastic elimination diet and/or take systemic anti-fungal medication.
Felt completely recovered from bug by late afternoon. Drinking tea again. Mild pain in back of neck & some ‘swimminess’ of vision but seems to be decreasing.
27.8.00 Diarrhoea a.m. but otherwise back to normal-with-CFS.
28.8.00 Diarrhoea a.m. Had 2 double g & ts last night & ¼ Nytol dose 0700.
29.8.00 Woke feeling nauseous & headachey. Better after cup of tea but legs (kneebacks) became bad. (Had c 2 double g & ts last night + ¼ dose Nytol)
Stools loose but not markedly more than usual. Anus a bit sore. Tiny bit of blood at end of wipe (bright).
Diarrhoea after breakfast. Still getting transient nausea. Having felt well for 2 days I felt less well today, with sleepiness & ‘stitch’ after shopping trip. (Had ‘stitch’ during illness at one point).
30.8.00 Diarrhoea after breakfast. Hot feeling in anus afterwards. Fairly familiar feeling of being ‘not all there’ from late afternoon onwards. Had this in 1989 when drank 2 glasses or more of a batch of mint wine. Connected?
31.8.00 Have not had my upper thigh ‘pulling’ pain for a week or so.
Observed that parts of top of spine & vicinity are tender when pressed. Afterwards had odd feeling in throat for a while, making me swallow more frequently than often. Feels as though I’m swallowing nasal catarrh.
1.9.00 Base of tongue & top of throat suddenly became sore in early evening. V had visited, having just returned from London/Surrey & previously had bug featuring diarrhoea & cough (shortly before I had my gastric bug) Edges of some cuticles also suddenly became flaky & tender too. Slight headache.
5.9.00 V. sore, red-weeping area at junction between top of leg & body where rubbed over-hard with loo paper a few days ago due to itching. Smells v. yeasty. Keeps sticking to pad. Have been using Clotrimazole cream again for about a week.
6.9.00 Weeping area healing at last.
Had to give up trying to study this afternoon because so sleepy. Went & lay down. Didn’t sleep but think I dozed. Still getting ache at back of neck a lot of the time. Fluid output has been high for past 2-3 days - having to take more Desmopressin than usual.
9.9.00 Fluid output still high, back-of-knee ache fairly persistent & upper-back & neck pain starts soon after start studying, despite strategies such as raising legs by putting feet on a thick book & putting cushion behind neck or upper back. Knee-backs markedly swollen (puffy) & can feel quite hard lump on each side of chin/beginning of neck - lymph glands? Backs of thighs surprisingly firm - the broadness perhaps not due to fat but don’t think it’s muscle either - oedema?
Have been getting the ‘taut’ - type left upper-thigh pain again and sometimes left upper-arm (just below shoulder) pain too. Axillary lymph gland?
Most mornings lately I have been forced to get up by lower-back pain (colorectal?) which is only reduced by lying on back, but afraid of falling asleep on back due to tendency to choke on saliva.
14.9.00 Haven’t had the excessive broncho-secretion/throat-clearing needs in morning for weeks except for when no. 4 have their pungent washing out or, as happened recently, I receive a highly-perfumed free sample in post. Have had a couple of saliva-inhalation incidents in bed. Maybe post-nasal drip syndrome.
Knee backs exceptionally swollen all evening & urinary output high despite ½ Desmotab. Still fairly high even after another half. Had been quite good during day. Bottle of German wine last night (have had 2 or 3 alcohol-free nights previously).
Had to get up at least 6 times during night. Disturbing, feverish dreams which left me feeling drained on waking several times. Desmopressin didn’t seem to be working - v. worrying. Was my immune system destroying it or were kidney receptors inactivated?
15.9.00 Urine output back to ‘normal-with-ME’ after getting up. Knee-backs still more swollen & achey than usual but down slightly from night. Upper-left thigh pain has been present much of time while knee-backs & urine output have been bad.
Legs bad & urinary output quite high again by early evening. Also wheezy & with feeling of lump in throat (when swallowing) & fluid in airways, & some nausea earlier.
Had fairly sharp pain on right side of lower abdomen for a while either today or yesterday. Feel generally washed out. Only had c. one double g & t last night.
16.9.00 Diarrhoea a.m. Legs still bad. ‘Bronchosecretion’ still high (although it actually seems to be by junction of oesophagus & windpipe, as have had before, so that coughing sometimes causes retching). Slight nausea on waking. Feels like a milder form of the bug I had from 24th-26 August. (note anomaly re date.)
It has been raining heavily, & roof has just been replaced. No alcohol yesterday.
Wheezy for much of morning & all afternoon. Urine output high - needing ½ Desmotab every 5-6 hrs to keep it manageable. Tried salbutamol inhaler in late afternoon. Little or no effect. Slightly hoarse. Tight/full feeling at base of oesophagus reminiscent of gastric reflux (have been belching quite a lot for past couple of days).
17.9.00 Feeling better - no nausea, diarrhoea or wheezing. Urine output & kneeback swelling down a bit. Think I’d had 500 mcg Desmopressin by 2130.
18.9.00 Slight diarrhoea a.m. (Had ¼ dose Nytol last night; ditto previous night) Urine output still high, legs bad-ish.
Momentary dizzy spell while studying a.m.; lasted c 2 seconds, I think.
Tender area in groin just right of mons veneris near top of right leg.
23.9.00 Slime a.m. (yesterday too, I think).
24.9.00 Bit wheezy for an hour or 2 (late a.m. I think) Knee-backs bad at times.
Itchy all day, incl. crotch area despite washing & many applications of anti-fungal cream. Itching elsewhere was of the rather harsh, prickly, gritty type (head, face & elsewhere). Light rain, mild after rather cold spell. V. mild fleeting nausea a few times.
25.9.00 Slime. Suspect that it has been quite copious for some time but not always noticed due to anti-fungal cream.
6.10.00 Woke up early a.m. hearing loud, quite high-pitched electronic type whine. Looked round for source but couldn’t find it. Found it was louder when put fingers in ears. Concluded it must be tinnitus. Extremely distracting. Mostly on one note but occasionally changed pitched. (Note misspelling.) Fortunately didn’t last long.
7.10.00 Feeling depressed but couldn’t think of psychological cause so assume it’s biological or environmental. Have had sharp twinges in groin over past few days suggested of imminent period (due in 5 days) Weather also v. dark & drizzly today.
(Unconnected)
Left side of mouth has recently developed a marked downturn, as predicted by plastic surgeons re my nerve-killing operation in teens.
8.10.00 Mentally & physically exhausted & depressed after gruelling exam. Depression not due to fear of not having done well; think it was just due to having put every last fraction of motivation into exam, which was a v. important one. Also had g.p. although hadn’t had early evening meal. So tired I had to go to bed c 2100.
Have had several bouts of v. high urinary output combined with knee-back ache & swelling over past few days. Needed more than prescribed dose of Desmopressin, including last night.
13.10.00 No craving for alcohol p.m. despite g.p. Had worried about drinking getting regular - getting through a bottle of gin a week quite often. Maybe it was due to stress of study/revision/exam. Slept for 11 hours tonight!
17.10.00 Diarrhoea (5 or 6 dashes a.m. & another c 1400). Did not have any alcohol last night, Cleaned out a very rancid bird feeder yesterday.
18.10.00 Used Canesten clotrimazole pessary tonight.
20.10.00 Still have discharge, which is currently yellowish or pinkish-brown (menstrual spotting?). Still have itching which am treating with clotrimazole or calendula cream. Think discharge had (almost?) stopped yesterday morning but recommenced later.
24.10.00 Clotrimazole pessary has definitely not solved my problem. Copious discharge recommenced within 2 days, sometimes with a little blood (presumed menstrual). Smell & itching as bad as ever.
Sleeping well for past 2 days, feeling as though could sleep longer even after 8-9 hrs.
25.10.00 Woke 0800 with nose rather stuffy like after boozy night. Aching quite a lot, as was last night (not just knee-backs). Getting quite persistent pain at front of upper left thigh, so difficulty getting comfortable in bed & when sitting - better when raise legs on a large book when sitting.
Getting other twingey pains which feel as though they come from around middle region of long bones (esp. calves, I think). Keep waking to find self on back, although I try to avoid this as I tend to inhale saliva.
Found recently that epiglottis is under nervous control. This could explain my choking tendencies.
26.10.00 Bit headachey after working on IBM computer a bit. Urine output became v. high & apparently resistant to Desmopressin late afternoon/early evening.
27.10.00 Woke with headache. Urine output was quite high during night despite 200 mcg Desmopressin.
Have not drunk alcohol for 3 or 4 days.
Headache persistent. Paracetamol helped. Think I have a cold/flu-type bug. Prob. cold as appetite is good.
Little or no g.p. for past 3-4 days.
Have had bouts of extreme sleepiness (afternoon & evening), have had to go to bed early (2200-2300) & had difficulty going upstairs. Couldn’t face going up an extra time to hoover bed (which I do to reduce risk of flea infestation).
Sneezing fairly frequently (which is not particularly uncommon)
Think that urinary frequency at moment may be partly due to local inflammation (sphincter/s?)
28.10.00 Headache again on waking & feeling a bit low, also irritable. Poss influence by weather (dull, wet & at times windy).
Feeling better later & hey presto! gp back in evening.
So: during an obvious infection, gp does not occur or is v. mild but aching (incl. knee-backs) is worse.
Not sure about woosiness as infection often causes headache which also affects concentration.
29.10.00 Headache & nasal congestion on waking. Better after 1st defecation dash (had had a few g & ts last night which prob. causes this) but returned in milder form. Had to take paracetamols on getting up.
31.10.00 Still have urinary discomfort. Taking 2 cranberry juice tabs most days but forgot 2nd one last night. No early dash a.m. despite couple of g & ts last night. When did go it smelt a bit unusual (sour?)
2.11.00 Still getting urinary discomfort on & off, + non-IBS-like groin pains (sometimes stitch-like).
Also sometimes pain in stomach region.
3.11.00 Have been getting some hot flushes since reducing phyto-oestrogen intake so went back onto the full dose.
8.11.00 V. hungry in afternoon.
14.11.00 Mild IBS g.p. all day. Had c ¾ bot. Hock yesterday evening.
17.11.00 IBS-type gp all day again. Mild at first but worsened. Not severe but the duration made it v. debilitating. Had few g & ts last night.
18.11.00 IBS prevalent again - gp mild in early part of day, quite bad later accompanied by worse-than-usual knee-back pain. Few g & ts last night. (It’s gp that drives me to have them - there is little urge when don’t have pain)
Getting pins & needles a lot when writing today, plus wrist & lower arm pain.
19.11.00 G.p. nearly all day again. No alcohol last night but had ¼ dose of Nytol due to itching (general). (¼ dose is plenty for me.)
20.11.00 Mild g.p. virtually all day. Suspect that it may be urinary or gynaecological rather than intestinal. 2 x Co-Proxamol didn’t stop it. Discharge quite copious. Pads stained yellowy brown & yeasty-smelling. Itching as bad ever. Using Calendula cream every few hours, which gives temporary relief after few mins of combined prickly-itchy-sensation which is maddening & hard to resist scratching.
22.11.00 Still have the unfamiliar gp some of the time, & copious slime (colourless - w.) (Added bracket at end) Face feeling flushed in early evening. Feeling slightly intoxicated but have not drunk alcohol for 48 hrs.
23.11.00 Unfamiliar gp gone! Instead I have increased frequency of bowel movements, including one or 2 in evening, & motions are dark, sometimes with slight blood-stain on loo paper. Switched to curry (mild, using chickpeas & organic veg.) yesterday from veg. pasty in evenings.
Bit headachey on getting up, with dry & slightly raw throat & slight catarrh in throat. Soon felt better, but felt as though had been drinking the night before (hadn’t).
Little or no major IBS-type gp for last 3 evenings (hence no alcohol - see 18th)
I wrote too soon! Moderate IBS-type gp started c 1930. Treated self to g & t.
Could it be raw tomatoes that are a particular trigger? Had been having small amount (fraction of one tomato) in salad c1800 each evening until last few.
Front upper-thigh pain hasn’t occurred lately. Also - left front upper thigh did give me some moderate but nagging pain after going to bed - had to keep turning over to minimise it.
25.11.00 Extremely tired after afternoon learning to use new computer. Bed 2030. (Partly due to gp, I think)
28.11.00 Started using coconut oil for shallow frying in hope that it will combat candida & IBS.
Painted mouldy area of wall behind TV with solution of borax (1 tsp in about ½ pt water).
1.12.00 No IBS gp even after late evening meal (this is quite unusual).
3.12.00 Alcohol & Nytol tolerance seems to have increased markedly. Not sure if change is since starting to use coconut oil. Several g & ts last night & feel fine this morning (ditto after last time too). Had ¼ dose Nytol in early hours, which is usually enough to knock me out, but little effect (same last time too). Legs aching a lot lately, discharge still copious. Found nasal secretions trickling down throat last night.
Made curry with coconut oil yesterday so am increasing intake.
5.12.00 Passed quite a lot of urine last night despite ½ Desmotab. Had had few g & ts in early evening. Discharge v. copious over past 24 hours. Dull pain in mid-abdomen on right side since yesterday. Still getting a lot of pins & needles in hand when writing.
6.12.00 Still have pain in mid-abdomen on right side. It’s about ½ way between waist & breasts. Tender to touch & also hurts when I move in certain ways. Also feeling rather run-down since about 4.12. No alcohol last night. Legs still aching a lot. Crotch itching pretty bad.
Sweating quite a lot.
Neck glands more swollen than usual.
7.12.00 Still have pain on right side & feel washed out, with v. achey legs, passing more urine than usual (about a litre last night despite ½ Desmotab).
Had brief twinge in left armpit (yesterday, I think).
8.12.00 Still had right-side pain but not constantly - it comes & goes. Hurts when raise right arm above head. Legs intermittently bad. Feel quite reasonable some of the time. Dull headache am. Didn’t need painkillers.
9.12.00 Had to take ¼ dose Nytol last night. Seemed to work. (Was having a lot of general itching both of the tickling & prickling kind which was stopping me getting to sleep).
Felt a bit hung over a.m. Have not been drinking since first got right-side abdominal pain, which still have. Not getting IBS gp, which supports my infection hypothesis. Still hurts when raise right arm above head.
Hair getting greasy v. quickly (as does when drink).
Front upper-left thigh pain am. Upper left arm aching a lot in afternoon. Needing more Desmopressin than usual.
10.12.00 Discharge tinged with red a.m. Could my symptoms be due to detoxification as result of using coconut oil? Could lack of periods be due to candida? Felt hungover again - headache & catarrh.
12.12.00 ‘Hangover’ v.mild this morning & soon passed. Managed to walk into town yesterday without too much difficulty - took it v. slowly.
Still have right-side pain which fluctuates & is sometimes only present when raising right arm.
Discovered yesterday that MS sufferers benefited from increased intake of omega-3 fatty acids e.g. rapeseed & soya. I have tended to use mostly sunflower oil & marge lately to ensure no gm content. Bought some soya & soya + palm oil marge.
Pubic region started to itch quite badly in late afternoon. Found that area was v. red & there was considerable hair loss esp. ½ way down. Suspect ringworm.
13.12.00 Stubborn headache + urinary discomfort. Right-side pain still mild. Legs about normal for ME. (Noticed that left knee-back was v. puffy yesterday or day before)
14.12.00 Felt no worse than usual despite risking several g & ts last night. Had also slept reasonably well without Nytol (tend to need Nytol after drinking)
For last week or 2 (poss. not every night) I have been having discomfort in one or both legs which has made it hard to get to sleep, esp. around knee-backs, calves & feet. It’s sometimes cramp-like (e.g. tonight) but also features the twitching of muscles. Have to keep turning over & feel I’d be more comfortable on back but resist this due to tendency to choke on fluids.
Have been working on new computer a lot for past 2 weeks.
Seem to be back to ‘normal-with-CFS’ apart from some pain on right side still. IBS gp is now occurring again as ‘normal’.
15.12.00 Higher urinary output than usual + some discomfort (for 2-3 days).
Quite substantial frequency today esp. in evening - c. every ½ hr. Took ¼ dose Nytol because of it. Feeling alternately hot & cold.
16.12.00 Felt really hung-over am, with headache, despite no alcohol last night. No urinary discomfort but had to get up about 6 times (maybe more) during night despite at least 200 mcg Desmopressin.
17.12.00 Despite 200 mcg desmopressin last night (& ¼ dose Nytol) I was still getting up frequently so took another 100 mcg.
Getting spots, scabs & redness on inside of buttock cheeks.
19.12.00 No hangover at all despite at least a bottle of hock last night.
Quite sharp pain on left side of upper abdomen while walking to shops. Persisted for c ½ hr & was worse when taking deep breath. Still have right side pain to varying degrees.
22.12.00 Needed hardly any Desmopressin today. Few g & ts last night.
23.12.00 Headache on waking (‘hangover’ type (forgot to close quotes) but no booze last night). Forehead cold. Defecation dash before wanted to get up.
26.12.00 Sore tongue (get this from time to time). Small blister on end. Herpes?
28.12.00 Started using home-made ointment for candida made by simmering blend of coconut oil, palm oil & soya oil (latter 2 in margarines) with dried marigold flowers for c10 mins. Has to be heated before use as too hard otherwise (put jar in container of hot water). Seems to work as well as shop-bought creams (which are expensive).
30 & 31.12.00 Sore throat at times. Top of left arm hurting a bit - similar kind of pain to the one I get at top of left thigh sometimes, like a muscle ache?
