Sunday, 28 February 2010

Meet the East Anglian Bendies!

About fifteen people gathered together at Starbucks who all live with Hypermobility Syndrome. First photo is me (Tabi) with Tabi!
Then there is Hannah from Cambridge, Betty from Cambridge, Addz (who is a free runner and 'anything dangerous' who is the partner of Jo and does not have HMS) and there's Tabi again posing in her new glovey things to hide her splints. Then there is Tabi glamming it up. We all have different degrees of HMS and showed off a few party pieces to each other. I turned my foot all the way round so it points backwards, Tabi dislocated her neck, Jo bent herself in half and dislocated her hips. Of course, we don't do these things because we enjoy it, just as an
illustration to each other.
These dislocations can be extremely painful and pain is one of the things that is most difficult to deal with. We've all been put on various forms of painkillers - none of which have worked so we have all found different ways of dealing with our pain.
For instance, I snowboard and do anything reckless or stupid (concentration), Jo does gymnastics and free running, Tabi climbs over fences to do Urban Exploration, Hannah studies at Art College and expresses her pain through her work. All of us have other conditions such as ME, Lupus which complicates treatment.
Jo is going to endure an operation when her pelvis and hips will be smashed to pieces and replaced by new technology.
It is a difficult Syndrome to diagnose as it mimics other syndromes such as fibromyalgia and it usually the top end rheumatologists who diagnose it.
You are born with it ... lots of people are hypermobile but when it becomes a syndrome that's when the problems start.
My left knee tends to dislocate without warning, so walking down the street is just as dangerous as snowboarding down a black slope because it could dislocate whilst crossing the road, my wrists dislocate
quite easily and my jaw - so going to the dentist is always an adventure and I take hubbie with me just in case so he can put my jaw back into place!
Later on this year Tabi, me, Jo and Addz are going to abseil down the maternity unit wall at Ipswich Hospital so I will be looking to you for sponsorship!

Connective tissue proteins such as collagen give the body its intrinsic toughness. When they are differently formed, the results are mainly felt in the "moving parts" - the joints, muscles, tendons, ligaments - which are laxer and more fragile than is the case for most people. The result is joint laxity with hypermobility and with it comes vulnerability to the effects of injury.

The Hypermobility Syndrome is said to exist when symptoms are produced, a state of affairs that may affect only a minority of hypermobile people. It is probably more correct to refer to Hypermobility Syndromes (in the plural) as a family of related genetically-based conditions which differ not only in the particular protein affected, but also in the degree of difference of formation. Thus at one end of the spectrum are the diseases with the potentially serious complications such as Marfan Syndrome or Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Vascular Type (formally EDS IV). At the other end are what is now called on good evidence Benign Joint Hypermobility Syndrome (BJHS) and Ehlers-Danlos Hypermobile Type (formerly EDS III), which may be one and the same. These may cause troublesome and persistent problems, but do not affect the vital organs and thus do not pose a serious threat to life.

Although there is still much to learn, understanding of these conditions is advancing and the knowledge gained can help people deal with the various aspects.

Monday, 22 February 2010

Even more snow!






Vostok Station in Antarctica currently holds the crown for the coldest place on the planet. It recorded -89.2 °C on 22 February 2010. But it could get even colder, with temperatures dropping to about -96 °C, if perfect cold-weather conditions prevail. Now that is chilly.
This is the lesser known snowhose snake - it coils awaiting unsuspecting passersby to trip over it when concealed under the snow and then sprays it with a freezing cold venom. It is usually found in habitats such as those illustrated here.
Protective footwear is always advised such as those shown.
Eminent herpetologist Professor Rosa Ford-Craw is shown examining data before her next expedition into the world of the snowhose snake.

Saturday, 20 February 2010

Celebration time!




My Lupus has gone into remission ..... party time!!!! Rosa is coming to stay for the weekend ...... party time!!! No Country For Old Men DVD is coming .... party time!! Sixteen days to vacation .... party time! Am completely nuts .... party time. Hey how about that skeleton bob sleigh ... how cool and crazy is that!!!

Thursday, 18 February 2010

Eighteen days to vacation time!






These photos have nothing to do with vacations or much else really. Taken whilst walking the dog or shopping. Blah blah blah. What a terrible mess the railway is making in town - all just to get some more CO belching trains in. Couldn't the money have been spent on something more interesting/productive/creative/intelligent/necessary? Hubbie went into Aylsham and even more shops are closed. All gardens look awful at the moment - can't wait for spring. When we get back from Spain/Morocco/Portugal hopefully things will look better - however I will be off on vacation again in April - so will miss April showers!

Saturday, 13 February 2010

Treacle's transformation

From woolly mammoth to splendid
springer. Well done Edna!!!

Thursday, 11 February 2010

Broken


Purchased brand new state-of-the-art camera - Nikon D-700 - three days ago - it has now broken down. Must have been made by Toyota or Honda. Bloody backache for four days - must have done that jumping up and down in frustration. Am now going to buy the cheapest digital camera I can find.

Monday, 8 February 2010

Oops!

I wondered why my elbow hurt after slipping over on some wet leaves yesterday. Dislocated.

Sunday, 7 February 2010

Stay misty for me






Went for an early morning walk in Felbrigg. No dog, no people, just me, the mist and nature. The smell was incredible - fungal, dank, fetid and everything was swollen with dampness and waiting to burst into Spring. Sound was muffled. No-one was there.

Saturday, 6 February 2010

My ridiculous wet garden






Have new camera. It has been tested by NASA (chucked out of a spaceship and it didn't explode entering whatever it is that burns things around the planet), steamrollered over, used in a tag match by The Pitbulls, put through the 80 degree cycle in the washing machine, kicked by the Irish Rugby Team, waterboarded, ejected from a submarine missile chamber, nuked, recycled and it still works.

Friday, 5 February 2010

If I had a hammer

Due to the sudden demise of my camera there will be a slight delay in posting more photos. I have a Yashica SLR which is 30 years old - it has been dropped on the ground and in water and it survived. My nice new digital camera got one little scratch on its memory card and it ground my camera to a halt. So I hit it with a hammer and am sending it back to Samsung with a note saying 'Fix This'.

Snow buntings









Having been told snow buntings were on Salthouse beach old nosey knickers here had to go and take a look. After almost breaking my neck climbing over heaped up pebbles, getting stuck in mud globs and swearing at the rain I just fell upon a group of the most gorgeously glorious little birds pecking away at the ground, twittering and chirping - gathered in groups of up to 30 and I could get so close I could almost touch them. Worth every aching moment.
Snow buntings are large buntings, with striking snowy plumage. Males in summer have all white heads and underparts contrasting with a black mantle and wing tips. Females are a more mottled above. In autumn and winter birds develop a sandy/buff wash to their plumage and males have more mottled upper parts. Globally they breed around the Arctic from Scandinavia to Alaska, Canada and Greenland and migrate south in winter. They are more widespread in winter in the north and east when residents are joined by continental birds.

Thursday, 4 February 2010

Ice






Not got much to say at the moment. Except bloody weather, cold and damp.
Have seen snowdrops and Nick saw snow buntings on the beach. Spring will come soon.
The Wind Sings Welcome in Early Spring by Carl Sandburg
(For Paula)THE GRIP of the ice is gone now.
The silvers chase purple.
The purples tag silver.
They let out their runners
Here where summer says to the lilies:
“Wish and be wistful,
Circle this wind-hunted, wind-sung water.”

Come along always, come along now.
You for me, kiss me, pull me by the ear.
Push me along with the wind push.
Sing like the whinnying wind.
Sing like the hustling obstreperous wind.

Have you ever seen deeper purple …
this in my wild wind fingers?
Could you have more fun with a pony or a goat?
Have you seen such flicking heels before,
Silver jig heels on the purple sky rim?
Come along always, come along now.