Hi, my name is Naz4!
Hi guys. I was a very functional guy, mostly grade A, studying economics at the Unviersity of St. Andrews. I took a year off because of family issues. In that time, I had a head on car crash with a drunk driver. Then a year later I was randomly assaulted and sucker punched and basically turned upside down and smashed my head on the pavement. Two head injuries in about a year. I've tried to persuade myself it didn't affect me, now I live in a bungalow on a medical priority / elderly estate. I don't think I can hide from the effects now.
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@Naz4 Hi, just wanted to say welcome and I'm so very sorry for what you've gone through. I live in a similar environment it'll be 3 yrs in Aug. I was a nurse for last 10yrs, head of hr 20yrs prior. Covid got me, very ill in Nov 20 for 5 wks and ruined my health. Two things you say, 'tried to persuade yourself it didn't affect you' and 'don't think you can hide from the effects now' really resonates with me in many ways. Coming into the fifth year now and still struggle to work out what my life is after losing 2 jobs (2 yrs now since working) and losing my lovely home. Accepting and adapting is still my mission. I don't forsee i will work again - whatever the government do - my focus daily is just surviving and protecting my health from further deteriorating. Had 36 good days since Nov 2020 and still trying to work out how to feel OK/? happy /accepting, of my bad days. Just thinking of you. This group is very supportive, genuinely kind and caring. It has helped me. I'm sorry if my post is not particularly uplifting but we all matter, I'm just still working my own way of really trying to accept and appreciate that. Take good care, and I hope that you have a good support network.
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Hi @Naz4, welcome to the community. I'm really sorry you went through all that, it must have been a horrible time for you. I can really empathise with how hard it is to come to terms with how your life has changed, and I'm sure many other members will feel the same way.
Feel free to join in with the chat wherever you'd like to. I hope you'll enjoy your time on the community ๐
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To Santosha and Rosie, thank you for the lovely comments! I've just turned 49, so at that normal mid life crisis point in any case. In 2019 I had a suspected one off (so far) MS attack, then in 2023 got Pneumonia because my council bungalow was full of damp, so to say life has been challenging is an understatement. I have a friend who has severe cerebral palsy, and she works and has bought her own home, and you can't but admire her fight, so I try to ground myself as often as possible. What is tough now is that I'm being forced from the old ESA to universal credit, and if I've understand what I've been told it is a stealth ยฃ60 cut on a base ยฃ240 per week. I wish the government would leave us alone! Santosha, you sound talented, I'm sorry that you've had to go through that.
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Thank you so much @Naz4 oh i do hope your bungalow got sorted re damp, I caught pneumonia at Christmas, just nearly recovered, turned to double pneumonia in Jan after a 3 week wait getting gp appt for more antibiotics. To add insult to injury, just found out I've lost 30% of kidney function because of it and medication that harmed me, I'll know in a few weeks if it's permanent, just another thing to add to my gripes ๐คญ ๐คฃ. I'm glad you mentioned Grounding. I qualified 16 years ago as a reiki master but not practised since I became ill, that I think I should restart! Your friend sounds inspiring by the way. I don't know about ESA to UC but I imagine they'll be others here with good knowledge. I do receive LCWRA and standard rate of PIP for daily living luckily and hope that you do get these sort of benefits, especially if there's a reduction from your transition to UC. If not, please consider applying especially in case changes become imminent after the Spring budget although I don't expect they'll happen very soon after.
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Hi Santosha. Sorry for lack of response. Your situation sounds really harsh, and I hope your kidney issue is better now. Was it because of the antibiotics? I had one used to treat anthrax poisoning, I didn't enjoy it.
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Hi Santosha, I'm reposting this as I didn't realise about the quote function. Sorry for lack of response. Your situation sounds really harsh, and I hope your kidney issue is better now. Was it because of the antibiotics? I had one used to treat anthrax poisoning, there was a recent article in the papers about how it adversely some poor person, I didn't enjoy it.
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Thank you Rosie. Especially under the current climate, it's nice to have a space to speak to people who can understand the challenges we face. Well done to Scope to have such a decent forum.
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Hi @Naz4 gosh no need to apologise at all. I do hope you're OK. Oh, Anthrax poisoning, I imagine (hope) that that's very rare. Do you mind me asking how you got that ? It wasn't my antibiotics that caused my kidney damage it was most likely because of how long I had pnuemonia as the infection can cause it but I was also prescribed Indapamide (diuretics) for how blood pressure in early Dec, I should not have been on them alongside 2 other BP meds (Losartan Potassium and Bisoprolol) ar the same time, my BP was dropping to 80/50 so I was 'over-medicated) then GP stopped the Bisoprolol and my heart was all over the place (145 rate when I called paramedics on Boxing Day). I think the diuretics were the cause, certainly initially, and also the cause of dangerously low magnesium and low potassium) of an acute kidney injury (AKI they call it). So probably a combination of the meds and then the pnuemonia. My GP chastised me for not getting antibiotics quickly enough in late January...I had to wait 3 weeks to get an appt so it wasn't for the lack of me chasing. Often the kidney can recover from AKI, it's usually chronic kidney disease where it's permanent damage to the nephron cells in kidney, but I think mine was so bad my function has dropped a bit more since Feb. Recent xray shows scarring to lungs especially left one but that's not from the pnuemonia as its from covid in 2020 and 2022. Needless to say, I won't be taking Indapamide ever again, well certainly not in combination with other BP meds.
I've got more blood tests in April to check kidney function I think my GP is hoping it does come back up. She said it's 'normal' because I'm aging (62 tomorrow ๐คฃ). It isn't. Not a 30% sudden drop that is from an AKI. Anyway, don't want to be disagreeable and argue with her she's really tried to help.
Sorry for such a long-winded reply (why use 20 words when a hundred will do lol). Seriously though, I err towards thinking the detail could help someone else.
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So sorry @Naz4 I've just realised you posted to me on the 15th which I'd not responded to so thanks for reposting your question.
I did realise I might have misunderstood when you mentioned antibiotics for Anthrax poisoning (I'd assumed you were being treated for that whereas you might be meaning you were on the antibiotics that are used to treat that, sorry for being confusing ๐ ). There are some nasty antibiotics Tyacin comes to mind and I hate Metronidazole) although when I am ill I thank God for them. I must have been on them c 20+ times in the last 3 years or so.
I hope you were able to get the damp sorted in your bungalow. Have you ever had the jab for pnuemonia ? It's a one-off jab, not yearly, they're trying to encourage me to have it, just been too unwell since Dec to be able to. I've made appt for 28th March for flu jab (finishes at the end of March) then I'll work out when for the pnuemonia one. Even though I was a nurse I have a needle phobia if they're going in me ๐๐คฃ.
Did your move from ESA happen/go smoothly? Today will be 'interesting', for want of a better word. I wanted to suggest you applying for for LCWRA but I've just heard on the news they're changing that to something else so guess we have to wait and see, I'm sure they'll be a lot of people on here who can help/support depending on the changes.
I hope you have a good day and take care.
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@Santosha12 Hi, posted an at length response, but it didn't seem to post, but nice to hear back from you and will recompose sometime.
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@Naz4 that's happened to me before it's very frustrating so no worries but thanks for your for your reply
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Hi, due to your experience you obviously understand what's going on with you. In my case, something similar happened. BTW I didn't get anthraw poisoning, it's what the antibiotics can be used for. I had an ear infection, confirmed by swab, and was given simple amoxicillin. I said at the time I though it was due to damp in the house, and I did even think myself why give me them in an active damp environment. Anyway, the infection did not go even with ear drops (they can can issue themselves) so was prescribed I think Ciprofloxacin, and then shortly after that's when my o2 sats dropped and chest infection. I think the combination of multiple antibiotics in an environment with active pathogens may have contributed, so over medication. Regarding your lungs, I have heard several times that Covid was unusual in it's effects on the lungs, so get what you're saying there. TB can also cause scarring and people go on to be healthy, so hopefully in your case you can recover too.
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I got a message my post went into junk folder but been released, my original response has now popped up, @Santosha12
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@Naz4 ah, I thought that re anthrax ! Really weird that as in 2010 I had really bad ear pain. To cut a very long story short GP dismissed me for 7 months as if it was my imagination , went to see ent privately and had necrotising Otitis skull based osteomyelitis as the infection had spread from my ear to skull. I was too scared to have surgery, had just started nurse training and didn't want to interrupt that so I attended ent every 2 weeks to have ears packed with antibiotics (Ciprofloxacin too)and steroids which they'd use suction to get bone particles out yuk until I eventually had surgery on my birthday 19.03.12. Was to take 3 hrs but I woke up in recovery after 1 hour, feeling my ears, no ill effects and convinced they hadn't operated. They had and no problems since! Hence my delight at antibiotics ๐ . Tomorrow ill be removed from the nursing register as not been able to revalidate/illness etc so very poignant time at the moment. Today feels very emotional for me, for one reason and another.
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Plus must add, anyone with children with excema should not allow water in their ears, use cotton wool every time to protect, it was partly because I had ears syringed, plus alcohol containing ear drops, which knackered my ears (apologies for language can't think of suitable/appropriate alternative) ๐คฃ. But open wounds in ear channels please avoid water.
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Stressful hope you don't feel too down.
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@Naz4 thanks, but no I don't. If I've got one strength at all it's the genuine ability to be pragmatic about things. So not THAT emotional ๐คฃ just have my moments which I'll move on from, thankfully.
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๐You sound quite firey ๐คจ
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I'm on a mission ๐คฃ๐คฃ๐คฃ
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