Writing and Running for ME/CFS No.14

A Norwegian Christmas, 1846 painting by Adolph Tidemand. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Writing:
The book is more or less where it was last week. Why? Many reasons, but mostly because it was Christmas and I had other things to do, people to see, happy times to have. Yes. I was having a break from the general work of writing. The coming week promises to be busy for a number of reasons, but I shall be making a real effort to spend some real time on the book. The house move is approaching, and we're awaiting an actual date, which will inevitably lead to more disruption. But things will settle down eventually, and I'll be able to get on with the job. Patience, they say, is a virtue. And it's a quality I came to understand only too fully whilst suffering with ME/CFS. We will get there.

Running:
This week the programme had me down for 2 ten minute runs and a fifteen minute run. I did the one on Monday, no problem. The next was due for Christmas Day, and I decided it was too cold to risk the wild outdoors, so completed that indoors before the family rose for present opening and the day's celebrations. Saturday was a fifteen minute run. Again, the temperature and icy conditions mitigated against an outdoor run and I ran indoors, wending my way around furniture and up and down the hallway for the full time required. Oddly, the indoor attempts seem to be less taxing than those outdoors. I suspect I take shorter strides when indoors; perhaps that takes less effort. In any case, the training continues on course, regardless of weather.

Writing and Running for ME/CFS No.13

http://fmp.cit.nih.gov/hi/ Title: Coronary artery bypass surgery Image ID: 657 B Photographer: Jerry Hecht Restrictions: Public Domain Image Date: 10/1/1981 Slovenščina: Kardiovaskularna kirurgija: koronarni bypass arterije. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Running:
Managed three runs, but one was truncated due to time constraints and travel. Still, managed to fit the regulation 3 in. Read below for the reasons for the shorter effort. Still on track with this. Believe it or not, I'm down to do a 10 minute run on Christmas Day!

Writing:
Been a very busy week for many other things. A visit to my wife's relatives and friends in Washington, (that's the original, not the USA copy), took us away from home for a couple of days. Then a diversion to visit my younger brother in hospital in Middlesborough. He's had a double heart bypass and, as a type 1 diabetic, he is taking longer to recover than most. But he's a tough old bugger, so he's now out of Intensive Care and in the recovery unit. I'm hoping to collect him and get him home to his wife before Xmas, all things being equal.
Still struggling to get some sense out of the buyers of our house so we can organise our move. But they're proving less than helpful. Patience,  it seems, is essential in this one.
My publisher released the last book in my fantasy trilogy, A Seared Sky, so I've been to visit him and sign some of the paperback versions. And, of course, been doing some marketing, especially as he's organised a special deal with all 3 digital versions for the Christmas period.
The truth is that I haven't been able to get to the book at all this week. But it's still there and still in preparation. I intend to do some more work on it once I've finished this post and posted it, in fact.
And, just to make life simpler at this time of stress and effort, a couple of the vital programs on my computer decided to play up this week. I think I've more or less sorted those now, but I'm not convinced!
The current week, of course, is Christmas. So, I'll be a little less busy with writing and associated things. A short spell of relaxation is necessary if I'm not to start dropping back into the ME/CFS: stress is definitely a serious factor in the condition and I refuse to allow it to take over my life again.
So, let's see what this week brings, eh?
Merry Christmas to all.

Writing and Running for ME/CFS #12

This should have been posted yesterday, but I was somewhat otherwise occupied, so my apologies. I have two brothers in hospital at present, a house move that is proving far more problematic than any other I’ve experienced (and I’ve moved home 14 times!), a new blog I’m trying to develop (that’s at www.stuartaken.net ) and all those other everyday things we, as writers, husbands, fathers et al deal with. So, excuses made; here’s the progress report:

Writing: I’m half way through the curation of the diary excerpts, so I’ll be able to start on the actual writing of the book in the very near future. I’m intending to publish this as both digital and print so that it’s available to as many people as possible.

Running: Missed the first 15 minute run on Monday– it was freezing out there, with ice on the pavements, and the cold always affects my health badly. If anything, this factor has increased since my recovery from ME/CFS, but that might simply be because another 10 years have zoomed past since I started the condition! Anyway, I did manage the 10 minute run on Thursday and I did the 20 minute run, on Saturday, indoors, since the weather was again very cold and icy.

This week has already started well, with a 15 minute run today – still relatively cold out there, but frost and ice free. I’ve another 15 minute run due on Thursday and a 20 minute run on Saturday. Tonight, I’ll be dancing (ballroom and Latin) with my wife at our usual dance class, so that’ll be more steps on the road back to full fitness.

As soon as I have confirmation that I’ve been accepted for the targeted run, I’ll post the link for sponsorship. But that may be some months ahead, as the run takes place in August (at least it’ll be warm!)

Writing and Running for ME/CFS #11

Image of a modern fountain pen writing in cursive script. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Running: The training programme was for a 10 minute run on Monday and Thursday and a 15 minute run on Saturday. Monday was fine. Thursday, I was far from home, visiting my brother prior to his admission to hospital, which has come up rather sooner than we all expected. But Saturday saw me legging it along the local roads for the required 15 minutes. So, still on track. Mind you, it was pretty cold out there. No longer just the shorts and t-shirt, but the track suit for this one.

Writing: Still curating the diary entries. But I am making progress on this. It's just taking longer than i expected. Much of the stuff in the diaries will be useful only for reference when I start to write the chapters, but some will be able to be incorporated in the book. Before I can decide, however, I need to reduce the sheer amount of text, and that's what I'm engaged on at present. No matter, we'll get there. If I've learned one thing from 10 years of ME/CFS it's the value of patience!

Writing and Running for ME/CFS #9

P writing blue (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Is it really only 9 weeks since I started this?

Writing:
The book is progressing. I managed to preserve all the dates of the diary entries ( a long job, but necessary). And I have now started the selection process. This will be another longish job as I have over 200 pages of diary entries and each one has to be read to detect anything of relevance or value to the book. Still, we're getting there. Allowing my subconscious to work on possible covers at present, and toying with some title options. I'll put some of these out shortly, to see what you think of them.

Running:
In spite of the back injury (which is still niggling a little) I managed my programme of 3 runs this week. That's 2 at 10 minutes each and one at 20 minutes. To think it took me all my energy to walk 100 yards at the height of the ME/CFS, and here I am running again! It's fantastic, and I hope it gives some encouragement to all those who are still suffering with the condition. Hoping the back will allow me to do the 15 minute run I'm due tomorrow. See how I feel in the morning.

So, still on track, though the house move is definitely a bind. Be very glad when all is finalised and we're in the new home so I can concentrate on what really matters again.

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Writing and Running for ME/CFS #8

Washing machine- without front (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Writing: Well; could have been better. I’ve been continuing with the curating of the diary entries, as I need to have them copied to a single file, so I can highlight and extract the relevant sections. But, in their weird wisdom, Microsoft seem to think that a date in a document should automatically change to the date the document is edited. Why they think that, I can’t imagine. In fact, I’m finding it hard to think of any circumstances in which it would be helpful to have a pre-existing date automatically change to the current date in any document. No doubt someone will enlighten me.

The point is, that in copying the documents over to a single file, all the entry dates changed to the date of copying. Something I hadn’t noticed at the time. This meant, of course, that I had to start again. Fortunately, I still have the original documents! But how to preserve the dates of the diary entries?

I use a desktop iMac with MS Word, because I’m familiar with that word processor. It took a while to discover how I could ensure the dates didn’t alter. A blend of highlighting the date and then pressing a combination of the ‘fn’, ‘cmd’ and ‘f11’ keys. But, of course, this has to be done for every date and can’t be applied to the whole document! Now, there’s a really helpful user-friendly solution. Do you think programmers make these things deliberately obtuse so that we are all left in the dark to struggle, and therefore made to believe they are somehow clever? Surely, any programmer worth his salt (and I use the male pronoun advisedly) could devise a way of preserving all dates in a document with a couple of keystrokes?

Anyway, the outcome is that I am still in the process of amending all the dates in the diaries before I can even start the proper curating. Oh, good!

Running: This week I was supposed to do 2 sessions of 10 minute running followed by a session of 15 minute running today. I managed my Monday run with no problem. However…

At the moment, we’re in the process of moving house and the packing has begun. Last week, the seal on the washing machine decided to split so, as it’s insured, we had an engineer booked to fix it. The washing machine stands in a corner with a tumbler dryer atop. In order to get to the back of washing machine, so he could change the seal, I had to lift the tumbler dryer off the top of the washer. No problem: it’s bulky and awkward, but not particularly heavy.

Turns out I didn’t need to lift it off; the job could be done from the front! No matter. I’d done it. When the man left, I decided to replace the tumbler dryer. Mistake. My back went. I have a slight weakness, which manifests itself from time to time in severe pain for a couple of days after an event followed by a period of delicate necessity.

So, no running until next week!

Writing and Running for ME/CFS #7

Writing (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The running continues to go well. This week, I started a new programme. So, a 10 minute run on Tuesday and another on Friday. Nothing for today, but tomorrow I start on 3 runs per week. I seem to be managing the training okay for the moment and I'm certainly getting fitter as the weeks go by.

The writing is also progressing. I've asked my wife and my daughter to produce some of their own words to describe how they felt during the course of my ME/CFS. I want to try to make the book as helpful to as many people as possible, and a view from a carer and a child of a sufferer should help with those perspectives.
I've started curating the diary entries, a fairly major task in itself. There are long periods without entries, of course, but i think the periods where there are entries will help form a more complete picture of the condition and its effects on me and my family.

So, progress continues. Life is a little hectic at present, with the house sold and the process of moving starting. Also, made a visit to Manchester on Friday/Saturday, so Kate to attend a job interview there.

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Writing and Running for ME/CFS #6

Progress for the 8 week period.

A rather peculiar week. My daughter had a minor mishap with her car on Thursday, which rendered it
unusable and in need of repair. We dashed the 12 miles to her place of work to get her safely home at 02:00 and this rather disrupted plans, especially as she works odd shifts and public transport won't serve her for those. So Dad has had to become taxi driver until the car is repaired.
The event didn't impact on my running, but it did have an effect on my writing.

The running has gone to plan and I've now completed the challenge, which was to run for 20 minutes by the end of the 8 week period. I also lost 4 lbs in weight. A bit more wouldn't go amiss, but it'll come off over the weeks, no doubt. So, that's the first level of fitness achieved.

I've started a new plan, which commences on Tuesday. No walking on this  one; all running. So I'm going to get fitter more quickly, and it lasts the whole period from now until the projected day of the actual half marathon I'm aiming for. More on that target once the ballot has been held and I've got a place!

The writing of the account of my experience of ME/CFS?
Well, I did manage a few notes. We're in the process of selling the house at present, so it's difficult to get into the sort of routine I prefer when I'm creating a new piece. But this will all settle with time. It's a little hectic, but I'll get there.

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Writing and Running for ME/CFS #5

Training progress for this week.

The running goes well. This week I had to do 3 x 3 minute runs followed by 3 x 1 minute walks followed by 3 x 2 minute runs followed by 3 30 seconds of walking on Tuesday. Friday was a 40 minute easy walk. Today I did my second 10 minute easy run. I knew I'd find this a bit tougher, as I had a 'flu jab yesterday and am suffering a minor level of the usual symptoms, but I thought the run might help disperse those negative effects so went ahead anyway. Glad I did, as I completed the run in the right time. So, still on course.

The writing is still at the preparation stage, a bit more research and a start on curating the diary entries to determine which pieces I need to include. So, that's also on course, though I do hope to make a start on the actual writing some time this week.

As Dan, my publisher at Fantastic Books Publishing would say, 'Onward!'

Writing and Running for ME/CFS #4

English: Man running (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A slight interruption to the programme today. I should have had a 20 minute brisk walk followed by 3 lots of running for 2 minutes and walking for 1. Tuesday was a 30 minute easy walk, which is never a problem, as my wife and I do this most days. On Friday, I did my first run for 10 minutes and covered a little over a mile. However, on Friday night, my daughter rang to say she'd cut herself on some broken glass at work (she works as a waitress in an Italian Restaurant at present) and was on her way to the A & E department with her boss. As is so often the case in NHS Accident and Emergency departments, the place was understaffed and quite crowded (Friday nights are notoriously busy with drunks and other assorted party-goers). We couldn't go to collect her (the hospital is 25 miles away and we'd both been drinking wine). So her boss took her back to the town she works in and she drove home with 5 stitches in the wound to her thigh, having been assured by the doctor she was safe to do so. But all this meant that we didn't get to bed until 04:30. (our daughter is fine, by the way and went off to work as usual this morning) My built-in alarm woke me well before 09:00, so I was rather tired during Saturday. Come this morning, I was feeling a little less than fit, so, having learned to listen to my body during the 10 years of ME/CFS, I decided to forgo the run for today.
However, Valerie and I have had a lengthy walk: 3.2 miles in 57 minutes, so I feel I've done pretty well. If I feel okay in the morning, I'll do my run then.
That's the running training.
The book?
Well, I've collected more information, read a couple of other books (they're both reviewed here if you look below this post), and started a rough plan of the book as I see it. So, progress on that front.

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Falling Through the World, by Rachel Clarke, Reviewed.

I read this novel as part of the research I’m undertaking before writing an account of my own experience of ME/CFS. The book is written from the point of view of a teenage girl brought down by this dreadful condition. It’s an honest, funny, moving and, at times, harrowing account of the life of a sufferer.

The reader is exposed to the prejudices of the ignorant, the helpless ignorance of the general medical profession, the casual cruelty that can come from friends and relatives, and the total lack of understanding that so frequently accompanies this much-misjudged condition.

Although this is a novel, it’s also a work that encapsulates the reality of ME/CFS. At the same time, it captures the fears, hopes, dreams and sorrows of a teenage girl and, to some extent, those of her family and friends.

A well-written story, full of hope, questioning, self-doubt, frustration and ambition, it carries the reader on waves of emotional ups and downs as the narrator describes what’s happening to her. Not a long novel, it nevertheless manages to incorporate most of what it’s like to live with ME/CFS, and provides readers with useful clues as to how sufferers, their families, and their medical helpers can best be approached.

There is the strong possibility that all readers will have some contact with either a sufferer or a member of the family of a victim. Because of this, I recommend the book to all. It’s punchy, accessible and short enough for all to read. Please do that, and educate yourself about this condition that attacks and ruins the lives of so many people of all ages.

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From ME to You, With Love, by Louise Harding, Reviewed.

A recovering ME/CFS sufferer, I read this book as research for a book I intend to write myself. It proved very illuminating in so many ways. There are differing degrees of this pernicious and horribly life-limiting condition and most of them are represented within the pages of this book.

Consisting of letters written by sufferers, carers, friends, family members, medical professionals and recoverers, it spans the wide panorama of experiences well. There is bitterness, hope, wonder, anguish, love, misery, pain, humour, anger, frustration and joy within these pages. There are examples of frustration with the ignorance of both the medical profession and the general public expressed effectively by both sufferers and carers.

Some of these accounts will make you cry, others will have you smiling, yet others will make you feel like shouting out loud, swearing with the frustration of it all. It’s an emotional roller-coaster, and I make no apology for that cliché, as this condition is one of difficult slow climbs followed by devastating drops.

If you’re s sufferer, carer, friend or family of someone with the condition, but, most of all, if you’re a medical professional, you should read this. It will educate, and hopefully squash those damaging and ignorant prejudices that blight the lives of so many who battle daily with this condition.

Well written and thoughtfully compiled, it contains the words of people who know what it’s like, who have lived with or are living with this devastating complaint and its multiple consequences. And, if you’re just an interested member of the public, wishing to expand your awareness, this is definitely for you. You’ll see that I’ve used the word ‘frustration’ repeatedly in this review: it’s a word that sums up one of the most commonly experienced emotions of sufferers and their carers. Consider: this is a condition that is generally experienced by those who are most active in society. Imagine, for a moment, the consequences of having such activity suddenly removed, and you might start to appreciate why frustration is such a universal experience.

I’d like to see everyone read this book. I know that won’t happen, but I hope that many will make the effort. You’ll find it worth your while.

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