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I have just discovered the reason my room way so gloomy. I had a 60 watt bulb up instead of the normal 100 watt one. I feel there is some kind of inherent zenlike wisdom here: when life appears at it's darkest, change the lightbulb.
In other news: saw the specialist on Friday, and what they told me can be summed up as follows:
1) I definitely do have Erythema Nodosum (well, that was always obvious) but while the textbooks say it clears up in 6 weeks that figure can vary wildly so i's possible that it will still be hanging round in another month, though hopefully by then it will be barely noticable. This much I knew before going.
2) I ~might~ have sarcoidosis. I have several of the symptoms (but not all... although it apparently typical to not have ~all~ the symptoms) but seeing as how none of these are conclusive the best they can ever say is that you might possible probably maybe have it. The only way to know for sure is by doing some kind of biopsy and seeing as how this involves taking a slice out of your chest they only do it if it's strictly necessary. And seeing how as they only do that in severe cases and mine isn't I just have to be satisfied with "maybe"
I'm actually kind of a little disturbed by this as I'm not 100% convinced I have sarcoid at all. Partly because the whole reason they diagnosed it was that on an x-ray I had infamed lymph glands in the chest, whereas on the big x-ray they did yesterday those had gone down a great deal, more than they would have expected (and I never did trust the first x-ray... they let me keep an underwired bra on! so it couldn't have exactly been all that accurate)
More importantly, one of the most common causes of E.N is streptococcal infections. Now, a couple of years ago I had really bad sinus infections, and they ended up operating to drain them, and when the results from that came back it was down to streptococcal pneumonia or something like that. That was too long ago to make any difference, and for a while after my sinuses were completely clear. But especially what with being a hayfever sufferer I do get bunged up sinuses which do seem to last for a long time and I just get used to breating through my mouth and ignoring them. But it did occur to me before Christmas that they hadn't really been clear since at least the start of September and probably a long time before that, and i thought vaguely I ought to keep an eye on them. When I found out that what I was suffering could be caused by infetions I remembered this, especially since in my blood tests they had found a heigtened level of streptococcal antibodies. A couple of weeks ago I ended up getting penecillin to ease my bunged-upness and that helped, but it now seems to be coming back.
All this makes me think there might actually be some kind of underlying infection in my sinuses. And when you add up that the blood tests show that I have \ had a streptococcal infection, that the last time I had serious sinus problems it was a streptococcal infection, and that the symptoms pointing to sarcoid are circumstantial to say the least, and that the major symptom upon which they diagnosed that (swollen lymph glands) seems to be going down far quicker than expected then you can see why I'm not entirely convinced by the diagnosis.
Going back to my own doctor on Tuesday so I'm going to explain all this to him and see if it's possible to get someone to check my sinuses - especially since if it is that, it might explain why the E.N seems to be taking it's time in settling down.
Funny thing... something someone sai on their LJ coincided with something that I'd noticed recently... Leeds doesn't seem to have the same "scene" as it did previously. At one point I was considering what to do next Saturday (my birthday is on the Sunday so usually I'd go out on the Saturday too so I could celebrate at midnight but I doubt I'll be up to that within a week) and was thinking about just going to a pub. Decided against it just on the grounds that on a Saturday night, even a pub will probably be too much for me, but also I just don't seem to know the people to invite along anymore. Or rather I do (please anyone in Leeds reading this don't think I wouldn't invite you to the pub!) it's just not like a few years ago where it would of been a case of inviting "the gang", or rather serveral gangs. Most of the people who are important to me are still here, but the scene seems to have got thin and whispy in between them, there's not the coherence there once was. I don't know if that's just me being mopey, or the natural progression as people migrate and drift away after Uni, but I can't think of anything that felt at all monumental recently, when there was a time when every weekend something major was going down. Maybe I'm just getting old.
In other news: saw the specialist on Friday, and what they told me can be summed up as follows:
1) I definitely do have Erythema Nodosum (well, that was always obvious) but while the textbooks say it clears up in 6 weeks that figure can vary wildly so i's possible that it will still be hanging round in another month, though hopefully by then it will be barely noticable. This much I knew before going.
2) I ~might~ have sarcoidosis. I have several of the symptoms (but not all... although it apparently typical to not have ~all~ the symptoms) but seeing as how none of these are conclusive the best they can ever say is that you might possible probably maybe have it. The only way to know for sure is by doing some kind of biopsy and seeing as how this involves taking a slice out of your chest they only do it if it's strictly necessary. And seeing how as they only do that in severe cases and mine isn't I just have to be satisfied with "maybe"
I'm actually kind of a little disturbed by this as I'm not 100% convinced I have sarcoid at all. Partly because the whole reason they diagnosed it was that on an x-ray I had infamed lymph glands in the chest, whereas on the big x-ray they did yesterday those had gone down a great deal, more than they would have expected (and I never did trust the first x-ray... they let me keep an underwired bra on! so it couldn't have exactly been all that accurate)
More importantly, one of the most common causes of E.N is streptococcal infections. Now, a couple of years ago I had really bad sinus infections, and they ended up operating to drain them, and when the results from that came back it was down to streptococcal pneumonia or something like that. That was too long ago to make any difference, and for a while after my sinuses were completely clear. But especially what with being a hayfever sufferer I do get bunged up sinuses which do seem to last for a long time and I just get used to breating through my mouth and ignoring them. But it did occur to me before Christmas that they hadn't really been clear since at least the start of September and probably a long time before that, and i thought vaguely I ought to keep an eye on them. When I found out that what I was suffering could be caused by infetions I remembered this, especially since in my blood tests they had found a heigtened level of streptococcal antibodies. A couple of weeks ago I ended up getting penecillin to ease my bunged-upness and that helped, but it now seems to be coming back.
All this makes me think there might actually be some kind of underlying infection in my sinuses. And when you add up that the blood tests show that I have \ had a streptococcal infection, that the last time I had serious sinus problems it was a streptococcal infection, and that the symptoms pointing to sarcoid are circumstantial to say the least, and that the major symptom upon which they diagnosed that (swollen lymph glands) seems to be going down far quicker than expected then you can see why I'm not entirely convinced by the diagnosis.
Going back to my own doctor on Tuesday so I'm going to explain all this to him and see if it's possible to get someone to check my sinuses - especially since if it is that, it might explain why the E.N seems to be taking it's time in settling down.
Funny thing... something someone sai on their LJ coincided with something that I'd noticed recently... Leeds doesn't seem to have the same "scene" as it did previously. At one point I was considering what to do next Saturday (my birthday is on the Sunday so usually I'd go out on the Saturday too so I could celebrate at midnight but I doubt I'll be up to that within a week) and was thinking about just going to a pub. Decided against it just on the grounds that on a Saturday night, even a pub will probably be too much for me, but also I just don't seem to know the people to invite along anymore. Or rather I do (please anyone in Leeds reading this don't think I wouldn't invite you to the pub!) it's just not like a few years ago where it would of been a case of inviting "the gang", or rather serveral gangs. Most of the people who are important to me are still here, but the scene seems to have got thin and whispy in between them, there's not the coherence there once was. I don't know if that's just me being mopey, or the natural progression as people migrate and drift away after Uni, but I can't think of anything that felt at all monumental recently, when there was a time when every weekend something major was going down. Maybe I'm just getting old.
no subject
I was in Oxford the other week and went along to the weekly pub meet of the Oxgoth mailing list. A similar thing used to happen in Coventry as it does in most big cities, it seems. I put forward the idea of a Leeds mailing list but there was never much interest, mainly because a lot of people feel that the Black Sheep forum fulfils that role and that Black Sheep itself negates the need for a regular pub get-together type thing. In a way I suppose it does but the Phono isn't really somewhere you can socialise easily (well, except for in the toilets where there isn't the space! ;-p) and for newbies who want to come and meet people it must be quite intimidating.
Its a shame really. I'm certainly no social recluse but it's just occured to me that I've never been to a oparty as such in Leeds despite living back up this way for nearly 3 years! When you and I are back on our feet we should try and meet up for drinks if you like. I see people who live 3 hours drive away more than the likes of you/Kris/Simon/Ketlogic etc, and that just seems a bit daft!
Anyway, it sounds as though you've been through the mill a bit recently healthwise, so get well soon. Hope to see you around soon, without either of us requiring wheeled assistance ;-p
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no subject
Will definately be trying for a Goth team to do the cockpit music quiz it it's still on. If not then just find a pub quiz anywhere if how much fun was had in winch is naything to go by should be a riot.
RJ
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(And Sunday is my actual date of birth birthday day, not just the nearest weekend or two to the day that I'm hijacking for a party or somesuch...)
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have a good birthday though. And eat lots of cake.
Did I mention I hate phono most of all? Well i do, of all the clubs I've been to Phono is very near the top of my most hated list. Irrational? yes. but there you go, I am getting more misantghropic as I get older. Is this a good thing? maybe, maybe not. Who knows.
Do my CHarlies Angel picture!!
RJ
no subject