I am unfortunately still coughing a great deal and have also got tinnitus now which is doing my head in. So am stuck in bed. But this isn't the point of my post today.
I really just wanted to share a site that has tons of free online courses with so many different catagories to choose from. Some courses are short and some run for up to ten weeks. Future Learn is the name of the site. They work with universities to provide these courses. It really encourages discussion and learning with and through others on the same course. I am currently enjoying a course about William Shakespeare. It takes my mind off feeling unwell and I can do the coursework easily. I just need my laptop, phone or Kindle. It is especially helpful when I'm poorly and can't go anywhere.
Im not sure I'm making much sense today as the constant ringing in my ear is distracting beyond words. So here's the link
Caspiana I hope you start feeling better soon I don't know how you manage to concentrate on your courses Di'awn you sending huge cwtches to you nos da caspiana X
Hi Cas - I was recommended to use Future Learn last year and have done several courses and they are really good. Lots of different subjects and presented mainly by university lecturers/professors from all around the world. Great that you have shared it here.
Not at the moment but I did the Logical and Critical Thinking course and it was very good - two boffin types from a university in New Zealand. I have been away from home for nearly ten weeks while I mine shaft under my house has been sorted out. Going home on Monday and once I've got things sorted out will be looking at other courses - will be particularly useful in the winter months when I am often confined indoors for long spells with exacerbations and then getting over them.
Oh 😱 Ten weeks is a long time to be away from home. That must be tough.
Great re:courses. I am looking forward to the rest of my current course and looking at new ones. Exciting stuff.
I guess for most of us winter is the worst time of the year. It is good to be able to take the focus off being poorly by doing a course. I know it's helped me so. 😊
Oh Cas poor you, tinnitus on top of everything else is just too much. Good that you can concentrate on learning though. Hope you soon feel better. Love S Xx
sorry to hear you have tinnitus I hope it goes soon, glad your enjoying doing your course its good to keep the mind busy when you cant get out and about and it helps pass the time , I find winter time just drags when your stuck in doors all day especially if your not feeling to good , you probably been on here long enough now and seen some of my comments to know my hobby is winding the ladies up on here , I must say it is in fun not in spite .
Hello MM. Winter is indeed horrible and oh it seems to drag on forever! I am pretty tired and impatient of being poorly and try to immerse myself in things to keep me occupied like eating ice cream which I know I am going to pay dearly for during my next weigh in.
Lol. I have noticed your hobby but I must say all the ladies give you a run for your money!! 😃😎
Thank you for your input. I hope you have a lovely day today.
they love it , if I have a few days when im not sending out insults im getting privet messages asking if im ok and when am I coming back to comment on posts
Hi Cas, Tinnitus?? Wot next? No, seriously I'm really sorry. It's very hard to deal with.
Excellent news about your course - best thing about it is that it's nothing to do with being poorly. More about what you can do at a time when there seem to be too many things you can't do.
Sorry, but I think you have to have another Big Hug!! Sue x
Hi Cas, so sorry you have developed Tinnitus. I too have it, as do lots of us on this site. Have you had a hearing test? I had one and was surprised to find I need hearing aids, they help with the Tinnitus. My Tinnitus is not with me all the time, I seem to have a week off and 10 days on. I too find it very tiring, as all day I am subconsciously blocking the hissing sounds out, but the worst is the night time when I try and enjoy TV or listen to friends talking. What an awful problem it is on top of having lung disease. I have just been told that the Azithromycin could be the cause, I was supposed to have a 3 month holiday from the Azith to see if my hearing improved, but I have problems with my bones thinning so no holiday for me. I also take Amitriptyline which also causes hissing in the ears, so I am busy at the moment weaning myself off them. I hope it works. Thank you for the information on the courses, what a great idea to keep you busy and occupied during the bad times. When I was at my worst I took up tracing my family tree and patchwork and quilting. I can honestly say that without these hobbies to focus on I would have been very depressed indeed. So good luck, let us know how you get on. Take care Maximonkey
This is in fact the very first time I have ever had Tinnitus. It is awful because there is no reprieve. You are right about trying to listen to people talking. It is hard for me to pick up words. It is very annoying. I'm so sorry you have it too. It's funny that it stops and starts for you. I wonder if mine will ever stop. How do you manage to sleep?
I was taken aback when you said many people on this site have it. I don't take the drugs you mentioned so I am wondering if mine is from my bad cold.
It is really good to have a distraction from our illness. I am starting to develop hobbies, something I never had time for in my past life.
Thank you for your kind message. Much appreciated!!
Hi Cas, before I was diagnosed with Bronchiectasis I had suffered a couple of times from tinnitus after a really bad head cold. The doc said this was caused by my sinus problems and it did go away with 2-3 weeks. Maybe yours will go away as your sinuses clear, I do hope so. Going back to the drugs I take, my GP told me that any antibiotic ending with "mycin" effects the hearing, apparently this has been known for many years. During my bad 2 years before diagnosis I was taking steroids and anti-biotics every month, so I guess some of the damage could have been caused then. As I take Azithromycin 3 days per week, to keep me well (and it is a real miracle pill for me) I suppose it was inevitable that I would have this problem but it does not stop me trying to improve my lot. As for sleeping with the Tinnitus, this only bothers me when it is really loud, sometimes it is just hissing and because I am tired I am able to overcome the tinnitus sounds, however, it does bother me if I wake in the night, I find it very difficult to get back to sleep and usually end up having a hot drink and reading until I feel really tired again. If the Tinnitus continues I would go back to your GP as mine told me that if Tinnitus is left to its own devices it does affect hearing. I was really vane about the aids when I first got them but I told my hairdresser to make sure when she cut my hair to cover the aids, she did this and no-one knows I wear aids unless I tell them, the upside was I got a whole new hairstyle which I am told by everyone really suits me. Keep going on your Shakespeare, it is really good to have a hobby that takes you to a happy place, where you can forget your illness. Take care and let me know how you get on. Max
Hi Cas, delighted that you've found Future Learn. I learned about it here last September and have done three courses. First one was Language and Culture from Bristol University and by week 3 I admitted to myself that I just wasn't enjoying it. I didn't finish that one but decided I'd try again in January. Next was 'Strategies for Successful Ageing' from Trinity College, Dublin and this one was excellent. Encouraged by this, I started 'Creative Writing 'which is an Open University course that Future Learn makes available to their students. I'm currently on Week 7 and there's one more week. I'll probably give it up for a while now but would like to do the Mindfulness course from Monash University. Might try the Shakespeare too.
Glad you're enjoying it and hope you feel a little better soon.
Hello Billiejean_2 . I am so pleased you are working on courses from FL too. If you start a course and feel it's not really for you, pulling out is an option so that's a plus. The Shakespeare course has been excellent. There's quite a bit of reading to do but I'm okay with it. I have three weeks or so to go then I am going to look at something else to sink my teeth into. 😁
I hope you're well and thank you for the well wishes.
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I've just joined this site and suspect I'm not getting how it works. Posted a blog earlier which I suspect didn't go up. Here it is.
Long running chest infection 
Bronchiectasis & chronic chest infections 
Breath and dry cough
Newbie and anxious
