Common denominator and symptoms

[DanMorris]

Good Afternoon,

I am still under the impression that part of the problem people have in modern life is we don't fully understand what the long term effects of electronic devices on our bodies are. For example I believe heavily that using a laptop every day sat down with cold feet and arms will if not cause a DVT certainly not help prevent it.

I am 28 years old and would sit down at work and it was like a fridge. My feet would be like ice in the winter and as there is normally concrete floors in offices & no insulation to prevent the cold coming up through the floor sometimes i would have to go for a walk to warm my feet up.

I would often learn new software at home and also continue my work at home on an evening via my laptop. The fan from the Laptop would blow hot air on to my leg constantly so much so I would have to rise the laptop up on a pillow or book. You would then have the hard drive going and where the main impact of the laptop would have impacted me was where the clot in my left leg formed and possible contributed towards my APS.

Are there any medical studies that are looking into the medical effects of such things as Laptops, Ipads, iphones etc as i feel a lot worse when I do use my laptop for long periods.

I was fit and active would bike to and from work everyday but have had to give this up as well as many other things as i feel so tired. Can no longer go for a run and if i get stressed out by ringing DWP, HMRC NHS etc lose eyesight in parts and need to sleep more often.

I am currently on 6 mg of warfrin a day but feel like crap. Woke up this morning and had a massive pain down the left of my neck running a bit further down in between my shoulder blades. Pain killers do not help and are not a fix.

Let me ask on a day to day basis how many hours do you think you could work without feeling like crap the next day or having a night from hell.

Also who wants to work but cant?

If you are an employer would you regret hiring someone who is unpredictable in there day to day work.

I miss working but I have to try and find a job that is the correct hours and will put up with some mistakes. Finally would it not be good if they help people like ourselves to work for ourselves and offer support with kids at weekends so we can work. Getting to and from work is expensive on public transport. Here is a note to the government lower or help with transport costs to and from work and NHS appointments it is cheaper for me to drive to Birmingham than get the train, no wonder no one uses it.

So my question to you all is....

Do you use electrical devices and if so how often?

Do you think it could of caused the clots? (Where did the clot form? Has your condition got worse since using things like Laptops iPhone etc.)

If working at the moment how many hours a week and who for?

Who is working but would rather not be and who is not working but rather would be?

[Hidden]

I sort of agree but for different reasons. I'm 38, and have been using electronic devices since I was 12- in them days that meant a desk top I couldn't move from class to class! Now a teacher - love my job, its really tiring but forces me to smile through for several hours a day which really improves life quality, and more than half of my work hours are planning & marking which I can do at times to suit me, also my boss is happy to give me yearly targets, so I can arrange my own schedule- when I feel really bad days on the way, revision tests and or fun stuff, with the difficult stuff done when I'm at my best. I am profoundly dyslexic and can't function without technical help, but I learned the importance from a young age of movement, posture and brakes so I don't have any of the problems you describe - I also haven't had any major clots. I am a firm believer however in taking regular electric brakes. I reckon that as almost all of humans evolution has taken place without such devices, and so much of our nervous system is controlled by electrical pulses, its a good idea to try and escape it when ever I can. Unfortunately this is hard when you need it most - if I'm tiered and need to reset, I can't climb a mountain. At first, my husband was indulgent to what he saw as my oddities, now its him who calls for escape. Beaches, chess type games and thick blankets are popular with us, I particularly like flat seaside walks, and camping if the weather holds. No watches, phones radios aloud

[MaryF Administrator]

I can only say, that with regard to lifestyle from my own perspective, electrical devises or otherwise, even if ill in bed, I get up regularly and move about, same if I am at a computer, I feel being still for two often is not good for any condition. I also try and spend a percentage of my day outside, which at times in the winter involves treble thermals in order to get any good sunshine and fresh air. Mary F x

[GinaD]

I do not work outside the home currently, but back in the day I was a fast typist. And I both loved and hated typing. The hated part came from the required immobility to keep up your typing pace. I welcomed the flexibility of lap tops.

But for more input on electric device sensitivity you should google " green Bank WV radio quiet zone.". There are large radio telescopes in the beautiful hamlet of Green Bank. To ensure the best images possible, a radio free zone was established decades ago, and persists today. Only cable TV, no microwaves, no wi fi, and forget cell phone coverage! And now Green Bank is home to a growing number of device sensitivity patients who need to live in an electronic field free zone. I understand there is some friction between these newbies and some natives who dream of wi-fi.

But if you want info on device sensitivities, these are the people to ink to.

[ratbert]

Do you use electrical devices and if so how often?

- yes, every day, a lot. Laptop at work, desk pc at home. Carry a smartphone but don't use it for anything other than phone calls or quick text/email. Don't use a tablet coz the ergonomics don't work well.

Do you think it could of caused the clots? (Where did the clot form? Has your condition got worse since using things like Laptops iPhone etc.)

- No I don't. I tend to generate DVTs in my legs. When INR is low I get vision disturbances, nerve pain, dizziness etc etc which suggests clot/coagulation issues in the brain. I've been using laptops etc since long before diagnosed with APS.

- Having said that I do think that posture, lack of movement for long periods, poor hydration etc etc, which often go with using personal IT technology, carry signficant risks for us. I rarely use a laptop as a literal laptop - it is usually hooked up to a keyboard and screen at a desk with a decent ergonomic chair coz if I don't I spend a lot on my physiothereapist! Since diagnosed with APS I also make sure I stand up and move about regularly and keep hydrated.

If working at the moment how many hours a week and who for?

- I work full time (which in practice means about a 50hr week) in IT for a telco - Chorus NZ which is roughly New Zealand's equivalent to BT Openreach in the UK.

Who is working but would rather not be and who is not working but rather would be?

- I'm happy to be working, since I'm mostly symptom-free when INR is therapeutic. I also realise from this forum how very fortunate I am to be able to say that!