Hi there all you fellow Enkers, I haven't posted for a long time as there usually isn't much to report. It's like watching a glacier.
Plus I've been dealing with a succession of UTIs and other bacterial probs - Covid (I'm not vaxxed and it was a bit like flu), pneumonia and general fatigue lethargy.
I hate it when people say 'we're on a journey' or 'your not suffering - 'just experiencing' .....
they please me not.
I may have posted this before, see link below, I can't remember. It's a link to 'The Hashimoto’s Encephalopathy/SREAT & Seronegative Autoimmune Encephalitis Alliance' They are somewhat different to the UK Enc Society, are based in Chicago and LA and seem to be fairly lively and may possibly have info not yet with the Enc. Soc. If you register they can send news etc. to you - no fee.
They do podcasts and videos, book reviews, medication info, US meetups and seminars.
"HESA was founded in 2012 by Susan Foley, a productive businesswoman and Nicola Nelson a successful environmental attorney. After their diagnosis of Hashimoto's Encephalopathy they both scoured the internet for information about HE... and found little to no information.
Soon, they both found an online support group where they happened to find one another and soon decided they wanted to help others with this little known disease. That is when they formed HESA...and the rest as they say is history!"
Have a gander (look) and see what you think .... I'm sure they will welcome news/feedback.
Well yes, now here's some news about my 'journey' with Enc (engaging not suffering) -a joke.
Prior to my latest UTI (and they seem to be running out of anti-biotics ....) I went on a trek to a waterfall in the local countryside at Ingleton. Very thrilling and momentous and a great treat for my wife, nephew and I. It involved about a five mile walk over fairly rugged ground at times with steep gorges and furious torrents. Hardly any loose dogs and with my walking pole I could ward off any miscreants - some sort of French bulldog, whose owner assured me was quite safe - yes, sure. I was wearing about £400 worth of waterproofs etc and don't want them torn. The downhill return was easy but treacherous in parts and passed the remains of a slate quarry, quite interesting.
Our nephew was pleased to discover a small water insect which further research identified as a stonefly larva/nymph.
pondinformer.com/wp-content...
"Stoneflies are of the species that are intolerant of pollution, so having them in your pond is a good sign! In fact, they require between 8 and 10 parts per million (ppm) of dissolved oxygen. It’s possible for them to spend several years underwater as larvae or nymphs before they emerge as adults. Like mayflies, the adults have an incredibly short lifespan – about a day or two, just long enough to mate and lay eggs. The nymphs have gills in their armpits that enable them to stay submerged, and are typically less than an inch in size, making them palatable for many fish."
"What is the difference between a nymph and larva?
A nymph is an immature form of an insect that shares the general appearance and lifestyle of the adult. A larva is very different from the adult form, but transforms into the adult during an inactive pupal stage. So it was a larva - would look different as an adult. So I suppose human children are nymphs .....
We enjoyed a short visit to the village with rather expensive cottages, a shop and a couple of pubs. My wife bought me a Cornetto, sadly I was very poorly on the drive back and discovered what happens when you open the door window at speed and try to vomit outwards (sorry folks). I was glad to get home.
After I had a bath and a couple of days rest we went to enjoy a King Charles lll Coronation Tea at a local stately home. I avoided the complex delicacies and tried a black coffee, which (as is usual) I couldn't taste at all. A nice day out nevertheless and another successful addition to my bank of 'new memories' as advised by my psychology support nurse/lady/doctor/person. The trees are in leaf the birds sing, a warm wind may blow and the days lengthen, hurray!
I was poorly again on the return journey but we managed to come to a halt this time, slightly to the distress of the vehicle behind which peeped at us. I waved as they went by, courtesy costs nothing.
Often with Enc. it's difficult to gauge how well one deals with difficult and novel situations but I felt I was coping quite well.
That's part 1
G2
