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    Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of, and finding treatments for, complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia, long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.

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  1. ladycatlover

    Practical ways of looking nice

    Not sure... I think I've fallen in love with the skirt/dress and hat mode... Though still have trousers with fish print that I love, elastic waist. When I can find them! Possibly in suitcase at caravan or in the loft at home. Gotta be at least 20 years old now though!
  2. ladycatlover

    Practical ways of looking nice

    @hellytheelephant I'm a size 16 at least so no way I could fit that stuff. I wouldn't risk trying as a "big 12" unless I knew the company - some tend to be more generous on sizing than others, but some are rather more skimpy! ;) If free returns I guess would be OK though, just to check out...
  3. ladycatlover

    Practical ways of looking nice

    Only UK size 8 to12 though! :cry:
  4. ladycatlover

    25 Oct E Crawley speaking at Better Science Better Data event......

    She seemed to be saying that if you agreed to publish in open access journals that you still didn't have to hand your data over even though you sign up for that? :rolleyes: After 15 minutes of her self serving carp (MSE anagram) I was losing the will to live and didn't take in some stuff very...
  5. ladycatlover

    "Unrest" updates

    There's a short piece by Mark Kermode (BBC Film Critic) here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05khqq3 Interesting that he knows 2 people with ME, one older than him, one younger.
  6. ladycatlover

    Revisited - Does ME/CFS more closely resemble an autoimmune disease or a chronic infection?

    The problem is that we have 25% with extreme ME, including within them the most extreme presentations, and most of them have no help from medical professionals of any kind at all. :cry: Not even a GP visit once a year or even once every five or ten years. :mad:
  7. ladycatlover

    Prof Sir Regius Simon Wessely on Judicial Appointments Commission

    Just listening... OMG how we have maligned this hard working person! :vomit::aghhh: Introduction about him is just :vomit::vomit::vomit::vomit::vomit:
  8. ladycatlover

    Prof Sir Regius Simon Wessely on Judicial Appointments Commission

    So 14 of the 15 Commissioners have filled in their COIs, a number have nil. Weasel isn't even on the list. Surely by now he should be on that list a month and a half after joining the JAC. Very poor show. ;) Very un-British. :alien:
  9. ladycatlover

    Prof Sir Regius Simon Wessely on Judicial Appointments Commission

    Where d'you find the conflicts of interests? OK, prob should be able to find them myself, will go hunting.
  10. ladycatlover

    Prof Sir Regius Simon Wessely on Judicial Appointments Commission

    I see it includes Tribunal Judges. I went through Tribunal for PIP back in June and moved from low rate for both sets of descriptors to high rate for both. :balloons: The Judge asked some very personal and difficult questions, :eek: but they were appropriate for him to ask. :):sluggish::) He...
  11. ladycatlover

    Prof Sir Regius Simon Wessely on Judicial Appointments Commission

    @Yogi thanks for the info (which I've liked) though it's a blow in the guts to most of us I suspect. :bang-head: What on earth did SW do to prove himself worthy of choosing judges? :eek: Oh, I forgot about Camelford and GWS obviously. ;) All I can think of to say is God help us all...
  12. ladycatlover

    BBC Radio 4 You and Yours today

    @markielock Have you had any help with filling in your forms? Benefits and Work have useful notes, and are reasonably priced (around £20 for a year I think). For Tribunal I ended up going to Fightback4Justice (they're contactable on FaceBook or via their website). I was doing DLA to PIP, and...
  13. ladycatlover

    BBC Radio 4 You and Yours today

    It's up online now. Starts at about 33.06 and runs just under 10 minutes. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0977v82
  14. ladycatlover

    BBC Radio 4 You and Yours today

    Just found out from a friend on an email List that "You and Yours" are covering ME and benefits today at 12.15. Also chocolate :gift: and gambling. :depressed: I'm hoping that I can listen through our FreeView TV, but it'll be up on site shortly after broadcast...
  15. ladycatlover

    Mass hysteria may explain 'sonic attacks' in Cuba, say top neurologists

    Or ME patients. :bang-head: Or those people at Camelford. :eek: What I can't understand is why the Grauniad didn't get in touch with their favourite psychiatrist, Prof Sir Simon. :alien:
  16. ladycatlover

    Tetanus shot side effects related to CFS/ME?

    Lockjaw is the old name for tetanus, as you're Mum's history describes. It must have been really scary for her. I suspect she was very lucky to survive. Even with antibiotics these days I think it's nasty - see my previous post.
  17. ladycatlover

    Tetanus shot side effects related to CFS/ME?

    I think I may have written about this elsewhere here before, but in case I'm confused :rofl: here goes: Some years ago I was on a gardening forum :bouquet::tulip: where I posted quite frequently, and we all had a laugh as well as helping each other with gardening ideas, problems, and how to do...
  18. ladycatlover

    "power drain" feeling when walking

    I find it very difficult to roll a manual wheelchair myself. :aghhh: Can manage on smooth flat floors, such as you get in museums and galleries, :) but even in those I'm pretty limited. :( Enough to pass from picture to picture for a while, I usually sit in front of an individual picture for...
  19. ladycatlover

    "power drain" feeling when walking

    I've used a (manual) wheelchair for over 10 years now. While mostly I'm not able to push myself very far in it, it gives me more freedom eg when browsing in shops, though husband does the majority of pushing. For me it has opened up my life rather than it going downhill. :D I've been to quite a...
  20. ladycatlover

    "Got ME? Just SMILE!" - Media coverage of the SMILE trial…..

    I'm happy to do that too, thanks for the reminder. Though it would be really nice if some sort of cure or at least ongoing remedy was found before I snuff it! ;) Regret to say I'm not holding my breath. :cry: At 69, with 25 years of having ME, I kinda despair of any decent treatment...
  21. ladycatlover

    "Got ME? Just SMILE!" - Media coverage of the SMILE trial…..

    Who cares if she's good at measuring cytokines. She is untrustworthy and slippery as an eel over her research. I'm sure there are plenty of other people good at measuring cytokines without her dodgy history in ME research. I would never support any charity who supported her. Currently my...
  22. ladycatlover

    28th Sept: The cost of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) to the UK economy

    My husband took reduced hours as soon as he was allowed (turned down initially) to look after me. I think it was around 3 years before his retirement age, but I can't recall off hand. He did work for a year after his retirement age, at the reduced hours. If it would be helpful I can ask him...
  23. ladycatlover

    PIP Appeal problem (UK)

    Might be worth contacting Fightback via their Facebook page? Not sure where you are in England, they are near Bury. They have a free visit day on October 4th. If you are too far away to visit them they can help and also fill in forms over the phone. It was thanks to them that I went from low...
  24. ladycatlover

    Practical ways of looking nice

    LOL. It must be the pearls! ;) Thanks for the compliment too. :)
  25. ladycatlover

    Revisited - Does ME/CFS more closely resemble an autoimmune disease or a chronic infection?

    I'm quite interested in this idea. For 4 years in the run up to me getting ME I was working (part time 5 mornings a week) in a lab where we used a fixative consisting of 3 parts methanol to 1 part glacial acetic acid. Making slides from the fixed cells involved dropping a single drop of the...
  26. ladycatlover

    A brilliant new cure guys ;) Thrive programme

    Thrive is also a UK Charity: http://www.thrive.org.uk/ What we do Thrive uses gardening to bring about positive changes in the lives of people living with disabilities or ill health, or who are isolated, disadvantaged or vulnerable. =================>>> I wonder if they are aware that some...
  27. ladycatlover

    Clinical Trial at Brighton/Sussex Hospital

    He was "Clinical Champion" here in Liverpool some years ago. I went to a talk he gave on CFS, I think it might have been in the University Bookshop. He sounded very reasonable until you thought about what he was saying. I suspect he was disappointed that most of the audience were patients rather...
  28. ladycatlover

    Clinical Trial at Brighton/Sussex Hospital

    As usual I only have humour and distraction about serious stuff... :rolleyes: But Dr Jessica Eccles... Every time I see that name I'm reading it as Jennifer Eccles. Real give away of my age! :rofl:
  29. ladycatlover

    "You and yours" BBC phone in on "chronic fatigue" -26 sept

    Had broad beans for lunch today. I really like them. We just planted a load of seeds too, ready to plant at lotty when (if) they start to grow. I've only been eating them the last few years though, when I first got sick I'd never eaten them so far as I can recall.
  30. ladycatlover

    "You and yours" BBC phone in on "chronic fatigue" -26 sept

    Suspect her bit recorded earlier as she said "Good morning" whereas any fule know after 12 it's afternoon. Of course St Esther may well be that fulish. (going all Nigel Molesworth here)