Joanne's Cottage Garden: MY TRUSTY FRIEND

Monday, 4 January 2010

MY TRUSTY FRIEND

Happy New Year to everyone. We have had a mixture of snow and frost over the last three weeks and these were taken on one of my walks by the woods with Beth.

I had great difficulty getting her to look at the camera she seems to know what I am trying to do and usually looks the other way.

I have been getting behind with posting on this blog and catching up on other blogs but must get back to it now the festivities are over.

I have been busy feeding my other blog though and recommend you have a quick look at this post. http://lookingatlyme.blogspot.com/ part of this video featured also on Canadian TV recently on an earlier post.

A new film just released in the USA was Under the Eight Ball have a look at the trailer through the link. Rather mind blowing and certainly thought provoking!

12 comments:

Rob (ourfrenchgarden)4 January 2010 at 17:51
Happy New Year Joanne!
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Liz4 January 2010 at 19:06
Lovely Dog, it's amazing to think that even dogs can be camera shy!

Happy New Year, I hope January so far has been relaxing and peaceful for you.
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Noelle Johnson 4 January 2010 at 20:00
Beth is such a lovely dog. I love to take walks with mine :-)
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Anonymous4 January 2010 at 20:59
Oh Beth is indeed a trusty, if camera shy friend, Joanne. May this year be the best ever for you and yours. :-)
Frances
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Catherine@AGardenerinProgress4 January 2010 at 21:05
Beth is so cute. My dog won't look at the camera either, she usually just walks away and I'll get get is her not so good side.
Happy New Year!!
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Dirt Princess4 January 2010 at 21:10
Animals never look at the camera when you want them
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Rosie Nixon Fluerty4 January 2010 at 22:54
ah Beth is lovely
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Anonymous4 January 2010 at 23:20
What a cute dog! Have you tried holding a little treat (my dogs went nuts for Beggin' Strips) and saying "Be good and smile for the camera and I'll give you a snack?" It just might work!
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debsgarden4 January 2010 at 23:43
Looks cold! I have a dog named Lily, and she never cooperates with the camera - she's too busy running and sniffing out little woodland creatures. Your Beth is beautiful!
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Carrie5 January 2010 at 00:15
It so hard to get one's dog to cooperate at the best of times! Happy New Year to you and yours and the beautiful Beth xx
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Teresa5 January 2010 at 03:24
Beth is a beauty. I have an English Setter. Bird dogs are such loving dogs. happy New Year!
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Anna5 January 2010 at 20:20
Wishing you a most happy and healthy new year Joanne!
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LYME LIFE written 2009

I started suffering with arthritis in mainly my large joints especially my knees 6 years ago. The symptoms varied and I remember saying that every joint was affected except my elbows to one doctor. I was told it would be hormonal and to take the usual supplements cod liver oil or glucosamine ( I would certainly recommend buying shares in the companies producing these supplements) They had no noticeable affect.

All my symptoms deteriorated significantly over a few weeks, 4 years ago. Hips shoulders and knees being the worst and I started with muscle weakness in upper arms and upper legs. I had difficulty standing and walking across a room. I was unable to walk upstairs and my husband was making plans to convert to a downstairs bedroom. I had seen 5 doctors and 3 Rheumatologists and put on steroids for Poly Myalgia Rheumatica diagnosis. I had been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and ME/CFS.

I have X rays and scans showing signs of osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid arthritis. I have been retired early from the Civil Service having lost my job not to mention my earning potential.

My illness seemed to progress through my body not affecting the same joints left to right at the same time. I had bursitis in left hip, right hip, left elbow. I had synovial thickening in both wrists. At that time I could not lift and hold a magazine so lifting a kettle I could only do if a third full and with two hands. Each joint in my hands fingers feet and toes were affected. I had swallowing difficulties and many other symptoms. None of this describes the endless and awful pain whenever I moved or the tiredness but inability to get quality sleep.

Two years ago my GP gave me Amoxicilin for a sinus/throat/chest infection. All my arthritis symptoms improved. The course ended the symptoms deteriorated I started a second course the symptoms improved. The improvement was more significant than when I had started taking steroids. This led my GP to suspect Lyme Disease. I laughed because we do not travel abroad but she said they had had other cases in the surgery in the early stages of tick bite and Erythma Migrans rash. She said, but you have not had a bite. I said oh yes I have I had two on my ankles with rashes, March 05 this was confirmed on her computer at the time I had seen a locum doctor. My worst symptoms were waking up feeling rigid and having to painfully flex every joint in my body before struggling to get up. The only other time I had experienced this was in May 2003 during a flu like illness like no other I had ever experienced. At that time I had a bite and similar rash on my right foot which lasted like the other rashes about four weeks. I had also consulted the surgery and it was dismissed as a virus. I walked our dog daily in the woods adjacent to our house where the deer roam, prime tick area.

Thus started my very lengthy search about Lyme Disease leading me through http://www.lymediseaseaction.org.uk/ to a doctor who specialises in this illness. He confirmed my GP's suspicions. I never had a positive blood test but then they are antigen tests and there is much research that shows they are unreliable. In my case the year of steroids and many weeks antibiotics could have affected the results. So with a clinical diagnosis and following ILADS International Lyme and Associated Disease Society guidelines I continued on antibiotics for two years. Both my doctors continued to treat me despite the Health Protection Agency advising against long term antibiotics. I am now nearly 100% recovered I have no pain or muscle weakness. I can walk upstairs something I could not do for three and a half years. I can garden do house work and live a normal life. I still need to pace myself and with only a few months to 60 will not be looking to return to work.

Life is such a joy.

Sadly there is much controversy about Lyme Disease and doctors in UK are taught that it is so rare. Well where I live in Guildford I have been in contact with a dozen other people with it so perhaps not so rare as HPA would like us to believe. I am in touch with nearly 2000 other patients through a chat line Eurolyme most had been misdiagnosed with several other illnesses.

Look at UK charity http://www.lymediseaseaction.org.uk/ if you want to read more about this illness. There are many MP's taking an interest in the problems surrounding diagnosis and treatment see above charity links into a recent meeting at the House of Commons.

Thank goodness there are some thinking doctors around who have courageously treated me against opposition and I have made such a miraculous recovery albeit rather a lengthy one.

One day there will be many more people who are helped with their chronic illnesses when IDSA starts taking note of what our courageous LLMD’s are doing following ILADS Guidelines.

ME/CFS, Fibromyalgia, Poly Myalgia Rheumatica, Arthritis, Bell’s Palsy, MS,MN, ALS, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Heart Block, Stroke, Psychiatric, gastric problems the list is endless. Not all suffering from Lyme Borrelia but how many are even properly assessed for it.

UPDATE

Joanne's Cottage Garden

Monday, 4 January 2010

MY TRUSTY FRIEND

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