Runnin On Empty

I’d like to start by apologising  for the  confusion and inconvenience caused to many of you by my  having an illness that’s not evidently obvious for you to see, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E) to be exact, a physical illness & multi-systemic disease, classified by the world health organisation on diseases of the nervous system (Neurological) . I would’ve much rather of chosen  one that came with a neon flashing light or failing that at least a  more popular  fluffy  palatable one, but  unfortunately  I didn’t  get the option of an  A, B or C.  As medical, media and public perception go, M.E is without doubt the witch hunt of the modern age.  Back in the 17th century a suspected witch was tied up and  dunked in water, the water god had anointed baptism stylee, so if she sank and drowned it meant she’d been accepted by the holy water and  was deemed innocent, but if she floated  she was...

Hi, Some of you will know that awhile ago I decided to   take a step back from social media in a social capacity, but more about that in a minute. First onto the good news. Due to the popularity of the Runnin On Empty Gage Merchandise that I had in my Music store I’ve been beavering away creating designs based on the original gage  and also creating totally new ones to open a separate charity based store called…? Well it’s a no brainer….” Runnin On Empty” http://runninonempty.dizzyjam.com/ All profit from each sale will be donated to charity. 50% will go to Invest In ME  http://www.investinme.org/ on a regular bi-monthly basis when profit is paid out, the other 50%   will go to various other charities and good causes and will be announced at the time.   It’s been a huge struggle getting it up and running (No pun intended) so I’m  hoping you’re going to like the designs and be willing to share the site around with your friends and follo...

So  M.E  &  Jaws,  You’re probably hearing the theme music in your head right now huh?......Well have no fear, I’m not talking big scary fish with large mouth & sharp  teeth, I’m talking TMJ also known as TMD (Temporomandibular joint disorders/dysfunction).                                   Over the years I’ve often seen people in M.E chat rooms talk about developing pain in their  jaw and things such as their mouth getting stuck for a split second when they open it, causing them to panic, and also a clicking sound….well this is likely to be TMJ. This was one of the many symptoms I developed after getting M.E/Fibromyalgia, Now whether there is a link is still under scientific study, but look at it like this, when I was diagnosed with M.E but still being passed around consultants, a neurologist gave me an added diagnosis of Fibromyalgia, he said tha...

After Yesterdays  ping pong Twitter banter  with  Mr Parker I thought I would make my views clearer, and the reasoning behind those views.   I consider myself a positive, open minded person of reasonable intelligence…..oh yes, I know how to use a knife and fork dontcha know?   & I’ve strong belief that without doubt there are those that can improve from M.E, especially newly diagnosed, as with any other illness the earlier it’s caught the better the chances.  I also firmly  believe that there are many alternative  things out there that can help with symptoms, alleviate certain symptoms,  & generally bring  comfort, I know this because I’ve tried many of them ……… I’ve gagged from the foul Chinese concoctions I drank while holding my nose twice a day for three months,  which was no mean feat seeing as it resembled someones bowel contents after a vindaloo and 10 pints & smelt just as bad. Every windo...

                                Everytime I’ve had a blood test its ended up in a song and dance performance as they struggle to get any out.  After puncturing my arm numerous times turning it into a tea strainer, they give up and get  a colleague,  who promptly turns my other arm into a tea strainer, before calling yet another colleague at which point I start to feel like some Monkey  lab experiment. There’s four in the room now, (someones just come in to watch) & by  the time  blood finally  breaks through  the surface,  its such a relief, I imagine multi- coloured ticker tape falling from the ceiling along to the strains of Cliff Richards, Congratualtions. So according to every phlebotomist , nurse, doc  I’ve ever had, I have sticky blood, in other words  it matches my intelligence level…. ...

I often see status’s from people with M.E worried about certain symptoms & It’s the same worries and symptoms I’ve seen time and time again over the years, so I thought I’d  write a few blogs over the coming weeks that will hopefully address and alleviate some of those worries. I’m going to concentrate on one symptom at a time so as not to overwhelm and hopefully it will be more easy to digest and more helpful. The aim of this blog is to  try and reassure, in a fun informative way, but I’m not a doctor, and I don’t know your circumstances, this is purely from my own 24 year journey and experience from living with M.E, so if you’re having any symptoms it’s important to get it checked out. This first   blog looks at  muscle Spasms  and chest pain. Having observed my mum & dad in my childhood years I’d always thought a muscle spasm was just cramp, something people only got in their foot or leg that caused them to hop around th...