Well enough to get out fishing at last….

Thankfully the beast has been asleep for quite a while and i haven’t been getting to many flare ups or attacks until early this morning where i was reminded that i suffer from the condition CH. I had been feeling better for some while after fining out that it was the pregabilin that was giving me the allergic reaction and all the problems. Since i stopped the medication i have felt a lot better and stronger but am still having problems with my lower back. I am still getting a lot of pain even though my bowels are working again and i can move around it seems that fatty lump they found in my scan is causing a lot of pain across my back.

When i had the scan and asked what it was they told me it is a fatty lump and i questioned what can i do about it and all they said is go back and see your doctor in two weeks time so that's what i have to do. I now have to wait until next week so that i can book an appointment with the doctor and make a plan of action of what to do bout this lump in my lower back as its just going to get worst as time goes on. I am still awaiting for the endoscopy to find out why i keep[ choking on water or food and why it traps and takes ages to pop through allowing me to breather normally again. This i an on going complaint that just seems to be taking ages just to get seen but i will be patient eventually they will get around to me.

Even when i am typing this blog i keep getting aches and pains up my left side of my back and left chest into my left arm making it feel as though i have a dead left arm or someone has punched me in the muscle hard, the sort of things you would do as a kid. At least i am no where near as bad as i used to be and my attacks at the moment are minimal and manageable using  my injections and i thank god it wasn't the injections giving me the allergic reaction as i wouldn’t be able to live with out them.

I was feeling so much better i even managed to get out and do an overnight carp fishing trip. I must have chosen the worst days to go as it rained all night and went very cold and the council opened the slues gates and drained most of the lake so we were fishing over night in a lake with very little fish left in. But that's how it goes sometimes and i wont let that put me of catching my winter carp. I will choose another venue and even may do some day pike fishing at the local lake to see if we can catch a nice big pike but need to get some trebles and wire traces but it should be fun and can't wait to give it a try.

Attacks are a bit better but i know why i was getting an allergic reaction for sure…

I am now able to confirm that it was the pregabilin tablets that was causing the allergic reaction. I stopped them for a while and things became better and i no longer needed antihistamines and could get on with things as normal. I tried to start the medication again as i was having early morning attack and although i can deal with them with my injections i thought the medication would help keep them at bay but all of a sudden the allergic reaction was back and i was in trouble so again i stopped the medication and now feel a lot better again.

it’s crazy the amount of different side effects you can have from medication and for ages we didn’t know what was going on.. Even the doctors were confused as i was getting signs of heart problems and yet when they did the tests there was nothing there and my heart was fine. The allergic reactions were responsible for all the different thing that's were going on with me and i am just grateful we have now found out what it is, I still suffer from attacks but mainly in the morning when it is cold or if i get a bad cold spell on my head it will also set off attacks but i can deal with them with the injections.

You have to be careful how many injections you take as it says you are only allowed 2 and if you take 2 every day for a while it cab actually make the headaches worst and you end up with extra problems as you are relying on the medication too much so its a very fine line as to how much you can rely on this medication. I am hoping the next time i see my specialist they will find something else for me that wont cause so many problems. I am starting to wonder if all the problems i was having with the different medication they kept trying was actually down to the allergic reaction i was having and not the new medication its something i should ask the specialist when i do eventually get to see him.

i Am also still waiting for an endoscopy that i was referred for in June this year and almost the year has passed and i still haven't heard anything yet. I know there is a long waiting list bit sometimes its just too crazy. I still have drink trap when i drink or food trap when i try and eat for no reason and it feels like its chocking me until i pops as it passes through. What is causing it i haven’t a clue but its still going on and very worrying, AT least i wasn’t as bad now as i was a few month ago so i can see a huge improvement i just wish the attacks would go away all together but that's just too much to hope for..

Things are still problematic but looking better than before..

Thankfully the Beast is still at rest an i am only getting attacks on the odd really cold days at the moment but am still waking up in the early hours even with out an attack coming on. I have tried everything from tablets that relax you to strong sleeping tablets and still they do nothing i have even tried drinking warm milk before bed to see if that would make a difference. Sometime it could be that by 5 or 6pm i an exhausted and have o go to sleep but even when i stay awake longer and knacker myself out i am still wide awake at 3 or 4 am in the morning,

I have t be grateful for the break in the attacks as i have had to stop my pregabilin tablets due to them giving me some king of allergic reaction and making me ill all the time,. I tried many different things with no success until i stopped taking the pregabilin and everything started to return back to normal or as normal as i can be. When i do get an attack i wait to see if it s going to be a big one or just one that lingers and then disappears. If it is a big one then i will take one of my injections and that usually takes care of the attack after 15 or 20 minuets. I am still getting a strange line up the left side of my back that feels strange every now and again and what ever it is it causes me pain in the lower neck.

I ma grateful for the break in the attacks as normally at this time of year with the cold weather outside i am normally suffering from 5 or 6 attacks per day but am happy to put up with 0ne or twice as i can deal with them with y injections and then they pass. I am slowly learning to live with my condition as  it has now become part of my daily routine i would just wish my bowels would rerun to normal and stop causing me so many problems. I sometimes go a week or two where mu bowels work and i can pass things and don't get any trouble and then i get the weeks where they just decided to give up and stop working all together including going to pee as it becomes very hot and very nard to push it out and pass it. I have had every test i can think of and even been looking for infections but nothing had shown up yet. I have one more test to wait for and that is an endoscopy to find out why liquid and food traps when i am trying o eat or drink and i am hoping it wont take as long as the scan did. I still have to wait another week before i can book an appointment with the doctor to get the results of the scan and see if there is anything they can do about the fatty lump that keeps pushing on nerves every now and again making thing rather painful.

To be honest my heath has been looking up for some time now and i don't really want to jinx myself by saying everything is fine now when i know i still have the normal things to deal with. The daily Bi-polar giving me mood swings like a woman on the change and making my depression really bad at times. It doesn’t help that i don't get out of the flat much at the moment di=us to the weather. As soon there is a break in the rain i will go out fishing but i can’t see that happening until next week sometime so fingers crossed the weather will be on my side.

One appointment done another to go how long his time….

Well finally my appointment came for the scan on my back and the lump on the side of my spine in the lower left back. After waiting an hour to be seen the scan was over in minuets and i was told it is a fatty lump and they are not sure what if anything they can do and that i have to report back to the doctor in two weeks time for the results. That’s now 2 sets of results i am waiting on including the blood tests they did to try and find out why i was having so many allergic reactions for no reasons that we could put our fingers on.

After lots of different testing and experiments stopping different foods and drinks and medication it all turned out to be the pregabilin tablets i was put on when i was first diagnosed with the condition CH and now i can’t take them anymore as i end up having red rashes and become very ill including swelling on the mouth and face. I don;t know what else they will be able to give me to help me but at least i can still take my injections if and when i need them if a big attack starts. I am just grateful that they have been behaving themselves lately just i don’t want to count my chickens too soon as winter is coming and so is the cold weather ad that's when they become really bad,

So far i have had a good break from the attacks and have only been getting one or 2  a week for the moment with a maximum of 5 in a week and that's a huge difference considering i used to get that in a day. I am hoping this will continue and that maybe my condition is going into remission as it can sometimes do that. It has left me to concentrate on other things such as my web sites and my fishing so i am planning a fishing trip very soon, in fact it should be next weekend or during next week if the weather allows it, I will be nice to get back out in the fresh air doing something i love so much again and not have to worry about being in pain all the time.

Whilst i have been unwell and ill all the time i have slowly been building up all my fishing tackle to make sure i have everything i will need for when i go on my trips and i am proud of all the equipment i have built up and of course with the top of the range tackle i won from korum i can now honestly say i have a collection to be proud of so i cant wait to get back out on the bank and start playing with some new toys. It will b nice catching some big specimen fish to go in the photo album.

I think i have found that answer to why have been so ill all the time.

I don’t want to count my chickens before they have hatched, so to speak, but it is now looking like it has ben the pregabilin tablets all along that has ben causing me so many problems and giving me hell. The last few months has been like a living hell with all the different side effects and problems i have been getting with my bowels and pains in my back all the time. It was just but mistake i had realised that by missing a dose the effects started to ease away so out of curiosity i decided to stop the medication completely and behold i no longer am having an allergic reaction or feel like i have been rolled in nettles. The swelling below my chest has gone down and i am no longer getting pains in the kidneys.

It is still early days and could just be a coincidence that they have stopped at the same time as the medication stopped but i don’t really want to take them again just in case it was them that was causing the problems as i have been through enough suffering lately. I am just hoping i will now continue on the road to recovery and will be able to get back to my normal health. It just goes to show how useless the doctors are as they should have noticed this a long time ago when i first reported it and it has taken myself to do different experiments in order to find out what was wrong. I am still getting the CH attacks and i don’t think they will ever stop as now i am diagnosed with the condition i will just have to learn to live with it but at least i wont have all the other problems to go with it and make it ten times worst.

At least the attacks have reduced to just a couple per day or week instead of between 2and 10 per day as normal. I don’t mind to odd attack here and there as i can cope with them when they happen and thanks to the injections i now have i can keep them under control and continue my life as normal. At least i have reclaimed some sort of life back and hopefully can continue with my fishing now. I have been looking forward to getting out fishing for months now as i have missed out on so much due to me being ill all the time but now these problems have stopped i am determined to make up for lost time so watch out my local lake i am coming for you.

If i am right and it is the pregabilin that has been making me ill all the time i think i will have to see the specialist and see if there is something else they can recommend that will help when the attacks become bad especially during the winter and cold periods as that is the main trigger for my condition. At the moment the attacks are calm and don#t seem to be increasing even though the weather is slowly getting colder and colder each month. Fingers crossed it wont be as bad as it usually s and i am also hoping when they find what is causing the lump in my back and finally treat it or remove it it may even get rid of the attacks all together but i think that is just wishful thinking.

Hopefully on the road to recovery for five minuets..

After all the experiments i have been dong in order to try and find out what has been causing the allergic reaction i have been getting i have found something new that could be causing the problems. I had decided to stop my pregabilin tables to see if i was those that were causing all the problems. I had mu suspicions a while back as i started to build up a lot of wind and swelling below the chest when i started the medication and pout it done to one of the side effects and hoped that it could get better over time but this never happened. It is also about the same time i started to get all the bowel problems and constant constipation that became so bad i ended up being treated for faecal impaction and was even rushed into hospital or an enema which i can assure you is one of the most embarrassing things a person can go through.

Due my to my suspicions and tests with all other types of foods and drinks i found that after stopping the pregabilin completely the effects of an allergic reaction has seemed to reduce and it and is almost completely gone. I am still getting it every now and again and i still become a little sore during the day but i think that the poison coming out of my system, so to speak. I know it will probably take a while for it to clear my system and could take up to 2 weeks before the drug flushes out of my body but at least it isn’t getting any worst. I still get problems when taking my injection as it seems to make what ever is causing the problem a lot worst. I don’t know whether it is because it thins the blood and spreads the drug around the body faster making me suffer a lot more than usual but at least these last couple of weeks i have been attack free and when they do try and play up i find that if i relax enough and keep my mind off the beast i am able to stop the attacks from building to a level that i just can’t cope with.

It’s amazing how much i have learnt about different medications and the effects that it has on my body and also about the medication and drugs themselves. If you saw my shelves where i keep all my medication in one place so i am able to find what i need quickly you would swear i had turned into a pharmacy. Understanding the drugs and what they do to you and the possible side effects can help you when you need treatment as you know what to look out for in case of a problem and if something isn’t right you are able to spot it a lot quicker than any doctor could. Over the last few years i have been through so much and had so many problems i could probably write and encyclopaedia with regards to the condition CH and the side effects of the different medications. I am grateful that the beast hasn’t been playing up no where near as bad as it used to and i am hoping this is the start of a long break in my pattern or cycle. It has been known that the condition can go into remission for a while and i could end up having a year or 2 break from all the pains so its now time to concentrate on my normal health and start to get myself fit again.

I am still waiting for the endoscopy to see why i keep getting food and liquid trapped when i eat or drink and it becomes very difficult to swallow as if i am chocking and then suddenly pops as it passes through to the gullet. I was referred back at the start of the year and it has taken almost 12 months since my last contact with them and i am still no closer to getting the procedure. I am also still waiting for the scan on the lump on my lower back so they can see what it is that keeps pressing on nerves on my left side of the body resulting in agonising pain and soreness all the time. As soon as they do the scan they will be able to see what it is and what’s causing it and maybe i will then be able to have it removed with a small procedure and finally will be able to move around a lot more that i can at the moment. I know the hospitals are busy and understaffed but it seems like they give priority to the foreigners rather than the persons that have been born in this country. I don;t really want to sound prejudice but that is the truth of the matter. I met a man who had exactly the same problem as me but not as severe as he was only getting pain once or twice a week where as i get mine every day. He also had a small lump at the side of his left spine that turned out to be a small cyst within a week he was in hospital and by the end of the following week he had the cyst removed and he was back home working again. If it was just because he was polish i don’t know and don’t understand but why is it when i have exactly the same problem i have had to wait almost a year for any treatment. I know it sounds a little racist but it is true and i am slowly getting fed up of being fobbed off when i seriously need the help.

Well on a better note i have been feeling a lot better today and that the allergic reaction i was getting has seemed to calm down for a while. I am hoping i am right when it comes to the cause and that i will now be on the road to recovery, I know it will take some time and a lot of effort on my part to get healthy again but i think with the help of my fishing and my web sites to keep me busy i will soon be back to my old self. For the first time in a long while i have started to feel more positive and hope it continues and that i am not tempting fate. The last time i thought i was getting better i suddenly took a turn for the worst and ended up back in hospital so fingers crossed this won’t happen again.

I have to be thankful for small breaks in the pain..

Even though i am still suffering from some type of allergic reaction to god only knows what i have to be grateful that the best has been behaving itself lately and i have been attack free for a while now. I am really hoping my condition is going into remission and that i will start to have a lot more pain free periods but this morning it tried to start a couple of times but i managed to relax and not worry about it and this seemed to calm it down and it didn’t set off the attack as it normally does. It has tried to play up a couple of times this week and i have managed to stay calm and just massage the side of my head and that seemed to be enough to stop it kicking of and bringing the beast. I am praying it continues to get better especially as we are about to hit winter and the cold weather which is one of my main triggers,

What is causing the allergic reaction we are still unsure and i have been back and fore the doctors several times this month and all they can do is give me antihistamines and hope that it eases soon. I have tried cutting out wheat and dairy products but am still suffering from something. I have also stopped taking my injections as i don’t need them with the head staying calm and also my pregabilin as it could be the medication what is causing it to feel like and allergic reaction. All i do know is when i wake up in the morning i feel as though i have been rolled in nettles and my skin stings all over the body and becomes red raw. When i take the tablets it eases off but if i take an injection it becomes 10 times worst. I have changed washing powder and cleaned the bedroom and bedclothes just in case it was something to do with that as well as all my clothes have been washed through in case i had suddenly become allergic to the washing powder i have used for years.

I am now watching what i eat and drink to see if there are any signs of a cause and i have noticed if i have milk in tea or coffee then i become worst so i have changed to lactose free milk just in case. I am avoiding wheat just in case it is when i eat bread or donuts and also staying away from anything with strawberries in as i used to be allergic to them when i was a child but seemed to grow out of it. Just in case it has started again i am making sure that nothing i eat has them in the ingredients. I really don;t know what else i can try at the moment and i am hoping it will soon get better as it has really messed up my stomach and bowels. I have started to feel better for a few days and then suddenly become worst and i still can’t put my finger on what’s causing it all the time. I have even watched out for mossy bites or bites from any other bugs just in case it is that that’s causing all the problems.

My bowels just don;t seem to want to work properly and even now with the help of laxatives and medication i am still having difficulty. Every time i try and go it is like i can no longer push down with my stomach muscles making it difficult to push anything out. I believe it is from my stomach being swollen from the allergic reaction and the wind pouches i now have just under my chest. When i wake up in the mornings the swelling seems to have gone down a bit and i am able to go to the toilet for a short while but as the day goes on the wind builds back up and so does the swelling making it very difficult to go. I know that the laxatives can cause wind but i wouldn’t be able to pass anything with out there help so i am just praying i can find a cause to all these problems soon and get my body functions back to normal or as normal as they can be.

Due to all the problems this year i have missed out on so much fishing. Fishing is now the only hobby and sport i am able to do due to my condition and it is the only thing that helps to relieve the stress and keep the beast away. I am hoping that now i have started to improve i will be able to get out again and am now planning my next trip which will hopefully be next weekend or just after and i will go for 3 or 3 days non stop carp fishing at my local lake. Believe me as soon as i am well enough and next year, hopefully, i will be making up for lost time and visiting some new waters and venues around Wales as i set out to do in the first place. I have also started a digital magazine all about fishing in Wales and this is set to launch in December this year. With my web sites and the magazine and also my fishing i now find that i have plenty to occupy my thoughts and stop me from thinking doom and gloom all the time due to my problems and illness. Its nice to keep busy and keep my mind off my illness so i am hoping this will continue and slowly but surely i will start to become a little better and claim back some of my life.