There's something quite upsetting, yet enlightening, about leaving a blog for so long.
When you finally pluck up the courage to go back and have a look at how you were (in my case way back in February 2017) you sometimes see the reason for the lack of blogging.
Today, as I was at a loose end for the first time in months, I thought "I know! I'll catch up with the Fibro Blog!" When I logged in to the account and re-read the last post from February, I saw some hope. Hope that I might be able to persuade my readers that I had finally turned a corner, that my pain levels were now manageable, I wasn't depressed, my life was back on track...
But it isn't.
And this has, somehow, led me to the conclusion that it never will be. My life now is my life tomorrow, and the day after, and the week after that. My life is going to stay the same from now until I die.
What strikes me is this: My life will stay the same, but my attitude to it will fluctuate.
I'll have good days and bad days. I'll have days with lots of pain and days with limited pain.
I'll never have a day when I don't have pain, in one form or another - be it emotional or physical.
What I will have is days where I can handle the emotional and physical pain and days where I can't.
I just have to recognise the good days and the bad days and live my life accordingly - without getting depressed about how things are because I know that, although today might be a bad day, tomorrow could be fantastic!
Thursday, 29 June 2017
Saturday, 11 February 2017
Getting By.
I'm slowly rebuilding my strength. I've spent almost a whole year doing as little as possible - except for one thing - focusing on myself.
About this time last year I had so much going on in my life - blogs, reviews, websites - building and maintaining my own as well as developing new sites for friends and family, research, product reviews, contractual obligations, reading, maintaining the FibroMen site, trying to build the FibroMates site and their associated Facebook, Google+ and Twitter accounts - and all the while feeling worse and worse, suffering from agonising pain that not even morphine could counter and sinking further and further into depression and at the same time holding down a physically demanding job and trying to cope with a disabled wife and a disabled daughter, it all just became too much and one day I sought refuge in the form of a little too much medication - cocodamol, morphine, fluoxetine (Prozac) and alcohol. Not an overdose, merely a combination that was too much for my fragile state of mind to handle. I imploded.
The meltdown was so swift and my mood so dark that I shut out everything and everyone - including my wife and, to a lesser degree, my daughter - quite literally overnight. I became obnoxious. My marriage crumbled.
Apparently my whole persona changed. At work I maintained my old jovial, friendly and helpful state, but at home I was rude, indifferent and bullying. I was simply awful. I didn't want to be around my family and I tried my best, it would seem, to make them dislike me so that I could have a valid reason for leaving - there was a deeper issue going on which I can't/won't explain here, but those of you who know me personally are aware of what this issue was. All I will say is that many years, many decades, of pent up emotions and past grievances came bubbling to the surface. I hated myself, my life and everything/everyone in it. I painted on my smile and went to work for sixteen hours a week.
Now I'm getting by. My pain levels are at an all time high because I dare not take morphine again, but I'm getting by without it. I started going to a gym in late summer last year and, whilst this may be adding to my pain, or at least perpetuating it, I have fixed in my mind that the pain is a good sign instead of coming from the unknown like fibromyalgia, and I'm finding it beneficial to improving my strength so I can still work sixteen hours a week in a busy retail role. I look better too, so to hell with the pain!!
As for my marriage - well, I'm still at home. We still row, and my wife is keen to remind me how awful I was, but we're getting by.....
About this time last year I had so much going on in my life - blogs, reviews, websites - building and maintaining my own as well as developing new sites for friends and family, research, product reviews, contractual obligations, reading, maintaining the FibroMen site, trying to build the FibroMates site and their associated Facebook, Google+ and Twitter accounts - and all the while feeling worse and worse, suffering from agonising pain that not even morphine could counter and sinking further and further into depression and at the same time holding down a physically demanding job and trying to cope with a disabled wife and a disabled daughter, it all just became too much and one day I sought refuge in the form of a little too much medication - cocodamol, morphine, fluoxetine (Prozac) and alcohol. Not an overdose, merely a combination that was too much for my fragile state of mind to handle. I imploded.
The meltdown was so swift and my mood so dark that I shut out everything and everyone - including my wife and, to a lesser degree, my daughter - quite literally overnight. I became obnoxious. My marriage crumbled.
Apparently my whole persona changed. At work I maintained my old jovial, friendly and helpful state, but at home I was rude, indifferent and bullying. I was simply awful. I didn't want to be around my family and I tried my best, it would seem, to make them dislike me so that I could have a valid reason for leaving - there was a deeper issue going on which I can't/won't explain here, but those of you who know me personally are aware of what this issue was. All I will say is that many years, many decades, of pent up emotions and past grievances came bubbling to the surface. I hated myself, my life and everything/everyone in it. I painted on my smile and went to work for sixteen hours a week.
Now I'm getting by. My pain levels are at an all time high because I dare not take morphine again, but I'm getting by without it. I started going to a gym in late summer last year and, whilst this may be adding to my pain, or at least perpetuating it, I have fixed in my mind that the pain is a good sign instead of coming from the unknown like fibromyalgia, and I'm finding it beneficial to improving my strength so I can still work sixteen hours a week in a busy retail role. I look better too, so to hell with the pain!!
As for my marriage - well, I'm still at home. We still row, and my wife is keen to remind me how awful I was, but we're getting by.....
Saturday, 14 January 2017
My Mid-Life Rebirth
I've been absent from most social media and websites for a period of some seven months.
I apologise if my disappearance caused anyone any concerns.
The truth of the matter is that I suffered some kind of meltdown. Years of pain coupled with months of depression finally caught up with me and I decided, for my own sake and the sake of my family, to shut down everything!
I avoided my computer. I left contractual obligations unmet and projects unfinished, I stopped responding to emails and, eventually, gave up even opening my email client on my phone or tablet.
I sought help from my doctor, who prescribed Prozac. The prozac kicked in after three weeks and for a few weeks I felt bouyant enough to concentrate on getting myself fully better. I had some hope of beating the negativity I'd been feeling for months. But within a few weeks the Prozac had stopped working - or had worked too well - because I suddenly found that my whole personality had been transformed, and not in a good way. My wife and daughter bore the brunt of this new "personality." I became unemotional, withdrawn, spiteful, argumentative and downright bad-tempered.
My life, in just a few weeks, had irrevocably changed. My marriage suffered (beyond repair) and we are now still living in the same house, but only because we cant afford to divorce or sell the home we had made for our daughter's future. If this situation continues to work for us both then at least Emily will always have a home once the mortgage is paid off - but it's far from ideal for either of us.
I became a different person - in so many ways I'm not going to describe here - I changed, and not in a good way.
At the time of writing this- it is now January 14th 2017 - I have reached a point where I feel I can function. To me I'm back to my old self - but it seems, that to my family, and in particular my wife, I am still the person I became in early summer last year.
Being in constant pain meant I was prescribed many different drugs - all of which played a part in my downfall. Most notably I was prescribed Prozac - which, when combined with morphine, amitriptyline, cocodamol and copious quantities of alcohol, completely altered my personality in the way already stated.
I am still in constant pain - despite the drugs. Despite the drinking. Despite everything.
Pain is now my life - emotionally as well as physically. Pain rules. I no longer take Prozac. I no longer drink to excess, I limit my morphine intake to days when I'm not working. Yet still - pain rules.
PAIN RULES as it has done for the past fourteen years.
It reached a peak in early summer 2016. I took prescribed medication to help. It didn't help.
I took advantage of the breakdown of my marriage to indulge in a different way of life - in the hopes that being true to myself would somehow heal my pains- it didn't.
I undertook a course of psychological counselling to try to beat my depression. It didn't work, but it did force me to take a good look at myself, and the overriding facts became clear (so in that way I suppose the counselling did work.) Pain was ruling and ruining my life because I was letting it take over. From waking to going to sleep pain was in my every thought and action. Pain, pain, pain. More pain and a little pain added for good measure. I was encased in pain. Not merely physical pain, but mental pain too.
I forced myself to join a gym. I turned the mental pain into more physical pain - but there was a reason for this pain. A cause to my suffering that I could identify - I was exercising my aching muscles and now they ached because I was working out - not because of the fibro - I was causing the pain and, in this way, it became more acceptable psychologically.
Being able to identify the cause of at least some of my pain made it a whole lot easier to accept - plus this pain has added benefits in that I look much better, physically, than I've ever looked. I have muscles - the guys at work now compare themselves to me rather than the other way of me comparing myself to them (and feeling inadequate like I always did) I'm fifty one, but I feel so much better than I did when I was twenty one.
Some might call it a mid-life crisis. I call it my mid-life rebirth.
I apologise if my disappearance caused anyone any concerns.
The truth of the matter is that I suffered some kind of meltdown. Years of pain coupled with months of depression finally caught up with me and I decided, for my own sake and the sake of my family, to shut down everything!
I avoided my computer. I left contractual obligations unmet and projects unfinished, I stopped responding to emails and, eventually, gave up even opening my email client on my phone or tablet.
I sought help from my doctor, who prescribed Prozac. The prozac kicked in after three weeks and for a few weeks I felt bouyant enough to concentrate on getting myself fully better. I had some hope of beating the negativity I'd been feeling for months. But within a few weeks the Prozac had stopped working - or had worked too well - because I suddenly found that my whole personality had been transformed, and not in a good way. My wife and daughter bore the brunt of this new "personality." I became unemotional, withdrawn, spiteful, argumentative and downright bad-tempered.
My life, in just a few weeks, had irrevocably changed. My marriage suffered (beyond repair) and we are now still living in the same house, but only because we cant afford to divorce or sell the home we had made for our daughter's future. If this situation continues to work for us both then at least Emily will always have a home once the mortgage is paid off - but it's far from ideal for either of us.
I became a different person - in so many ways I'm not going to describe here - I changed, and not in a good way.
At the time of writing this- it is now January 14th 2017 - I have reached a point where I feel I can function. To me I'm back to my old self - but it seems, that to my family, and in particular my wife, I am still the person I became in early summer last year.
Being in constant pain meant I was prescribed many different drugs - all of which played a part in my downfall. Most notably I was prescribed Prozac - which, when combined with morphine, amitriptyline, cocodamol and copious quantities of alcohol, completely altered my personality in the way already stated.
I am still in constant pain - despite the drugs. Despite the drinking. Despite everything.
Pain is now my life - emotionally as well as physically. Pain rules. I no longer take Prozac. I no longer drink to excess, I limit my morphine intake to days when I'm not working. Yet still - pain rules.
PAIN RULES as it has done for the past fourteen years.
It reached a peak in early summer 2016. I took prescribed medication to help. It didn't help.
I took advantage of the breakdown of my marriage to indulge in a different way of life - in the hopes that being true to myself would somehow heal my pains- it didn't.
I undertook a course of psychological counselling to try to beat my depression. It didn't work, but it did force me to take a good look at myself, and the overriding facts became clear (so in that way I suppose the counselling did work.) Pain was ruling and ruining my life because I was letting it take over. From waking to going to sleep pain was in my every thought and action. Pain, pain, pain. More pain and a little pain added for good measure. I was encased in pain. Not merely physical pain, but mental pain too.
I forced myself to join a gym. I turned the mental pain into more physical pain - but there was a reason for this pain. A cause to my suffering that I could identify - I was exercising my aching muscles and now they ached because I was working out - not because of the fibro - I was causing the pain and, in this way, it became more acceptable psychologically.
Being able to identify the cause of at least some of my pain made it a whole lot easier to accept - plus this pain has added benefits in that I look much better, physically, than I've ever looked. I have muscles - the guys at work now compare themselves to me rather than the other way of me comparing myself to them (and feeling inadequate like I always did) I'm fifty one, but I feel so much better than I did when I was twenty one.
Some might call it a mid-life crisis. I call it my mid-life rebirth.
Thursday, 14 July 2016
Can A Scent Improve Your Fibromyalgia?
.I've never been big on aromatherapy. I mean, how can smelling some pungent odour treat your ailments?
The constant pain of fibromyalgia makes sitting, in a relaxed fashion for an hour or so, whilst inhaling some heated herbal concoction, a no no from the start. I can barely sit for more than five minutes without having to move around, fidget, or stand up and walk around the room for a few minutes. It's exhausting being unable to relax because of the pain.
Despite my known aversion to aromatherapy I was offered the opportunity to try out a new essential oil diffuser - a stylishly designed electric diffuser with a glass bowl and fluted pipe / chimney to disperse the aroma around the room. No sticking a tea light under a warming pot - no risk of fire, no mess, no hot parts on which to burn your skin. The company which make these diffusers, Organic Aromas, claim that it can help with the pain of fibromyalgia - hence my intrigue.
Having had constant pain in my lower back for many years now, as well as varying pains elsewhere and everywhere, and having tried many, many 'remedies' from medication to massage, exercise to electronic stimulation, with little to no success, I've reached the point of 'I'll try ANYTHING - just please let it work, for just an hour, or even half an hour! Okay, I'll settle for five minutes without pain.'
I've tried creams and potions, foam mattress toppers (which actually helped ease pain AND improved my sleep!) and drugs (not the illicit kind!) The drugs definitely don't work. I take them religiously because that's how to ensure that they have the maximum benefit - even when the pain is bearable - and they have absolutely no effect whatsoever (until, of course, I don't take them for a few days and the pain gets worse - so I suppose they do work after all, just not very effectively!!) and the drugs do have side effects, some of which can be worse than the pain they're used to treat!
So, getting back to the point - aromatherapy - would it work to get me relaxed and pain free?
Within ten minutes of my package arriving in the post the device was set up, primed with the supplied essential oil and switched on. Instantly the room was filled with what I described as a heady, sweet aroma - unfortunately my wife thought it sickly sweet and 'cloying'. That was the Organic Aromas Signature Blend essential oil - sadly not a great success in our house. But I was enthused by how effective the device was - once a gadget man always a gadget man - it had seemed to fill the room within a matter of moments. So I decided to invest in a different scent of essential oil - we both love lavender, our garden is full of it, so I bought some of that.
The next day, whilst the wife and daughter were out, I set about my daily chores - with the added benefit of the beautiful aroma of lavendar silently filling the air. By the end of my daily tasks I felt as if I could do them again! Usually I'm fit to drop.
Could it have been the aroma? Had it had some therapeutic benefit after all?
Some time later I was contacted by Organic Aromas who were keen to learn how I'd got on with their product and, more specifically, their signature blend essential oil. I told them I was really pleased with the diffuser but that the oil they had supplied had not gone down too well. The mark of a professional company is how well they respond to negative feedback - Organic Aromas sent me two new oils to try out - their Serenity and Purity blends.
Both blends provide a delightful scent which helps me breeze through my domestic chores during the day, whilst on an evening I find I can sit for longer than my usual five minutes without fidgeting and when it comes to bed time I am able to switch off and sleep far more quickly than I have done for many, many years.
Relaxation is key to conserving energy for people with fibromyalgia, or any chronic pain condition. Often the hardest part of living with these conditions is poor quality, non-restorative sleep. My little diffuser works a treat at bedtime - and what's more, I don't need to worry about putting out the candles before I go to sleep - this little miracle turns itself off too.
All in all the Organic Aromas Essential Oil Diffuser is a massive hit in our household!
The constant pain of fibromyalgia makes sitting, in a relaxed fashion for an hour or so, whilst inhaling some heated herbal concoction, a no no from the start. I can barely sit for more than five minutes without having to move around, fidget, or stand up and walk around the room for a few minutes. It's exhausting being unable to relax because of the pain.
Having had constant pain in my lower back for many years now, as well as varying pains elsewhere and everywhere, and having tried many, many 'remedies' from medication to massage, exercise to electronic stimulation, with little to no success, I've reached the point of 'I'll try ANYTHING - just please let it work, for just an hour, or even half an hour! Okay, I'll settle for five minutes without pain.'
I've tried creams and potions, foam mattress toppers (which actually helped ease pain AND improved my sleep!) and drugs (not the illicit kind!) The drugs definitely don't work. I take them religiously because that's how to ensure that they have the maximum benefit - even when the pain is bearable - and they have absolutely no effect whatsoever (until, of course, I don't take them for a few days and the pain gets worse - so I suppose they do work after all, just not very effectively!!) and the drugs do have side effects, some of which can be worse than the pain they're used to treat!
So, getting back to the point - aromatherapy - would it work to get me relaxed and pain free?
 |
| The Organic Aromas Raindrop Diffuser |
Within ten minutes of my package arriving in the post the device was set up, primed with the supplied essential oil and switched on. Instantly the room was filled with what I described as a heady, sweet aroma - unfortunately my wife thought it sickly sweet and 'cloying'. That was the Organic Aromas Signature Blend essential oil - sadly not a great success in our house. But I was enthused by how effective the device was - once a gadget man always a gadget man - it had seemed to fill the room within a matter of moments. So I decided to invest in a different scent of essential oil - we both love lavender, our garden is full of it, so I bought some of that.
The next day, whilst the wife and daughter were out, I set about my daily chores - with the added benefit of the beautiful aroma of lavendar silently filling the air. By the end of my daily tasks I felt as if I could do them again! Usually I'm fit to drop.
Could it have been the aroma? Had it had some therapeutic benefit after all?
Some time later I was contacted by Organic Aromas who were keen to learn how I'd got on with their product and, more specifically, their signature blend essential oil. I told them I was really pleased with the diffuser but that the oil they had supplied had not gone down too well. The mark of a professional company is how well they respond to negative feedback - Organic Aromas sent me two new oils to try out - their Serenity and Purity blends.
Both blends provide a delightful scent which helps me breeze through my domestic chores during the day, whilst on an evening I find I can sit for longer than my usual five minutes without fidgeting and when it comes to bed time I am able to switch off and sleep far more quickly than I have done for many, many years.
Relaxation is key to conserving energy for people with fibromyalgia, or any chronic pain condition. Often the hardest part of living with these conditions is poor quality, non-restorative sleep. My little diffuser works a treat at bedtime - and what's more, I don't need to worry about putting out the candles before I go to sleep - this little miracle turns itself off too.
All in all the Organic Aromas Essential Oil Diffuser is a massive hit in our household!
Wednesday, 22 June 2016
Would You Want To Know How You Might Die?
I recently undertook a test. A simple spit test, into a vial, which was then posted off to some
laboratory in deepest, darkest Eastern Europe.
The purpose of this test was to determine, from my DNA, my risk factors for developing specific ailments in later life (at least I hope they're for later life. Much later)
Why did I do this? Who really wants to know how they might die? Not me, that's for sure. Or so I thought.
But then I considered the evidence of how my life has changed so much in the past thirteen years. How I've developed these 'conditions' which have led to such drastic change for me and my family. How limited I am now in what I can do. And I thought to myself: If you'd known fourteen years ago how bad life was going to be wouldn't you want to have had the chance to do something about it? If not stop it completely at least stave it off for a few more years by doing things differently, or changing my lifestyle, getting treatment earlier?
Now I know that that is not how it happens with fibromyalgia or crohn's disease - you either get it or you don't. I don't think there's anything anyone could do to stop or delay or prevent these conditions. But there are so many preventable conditions out there that, if only they'd been caught earlier, might not lead to such drastic consequences - ie. death.
The old adage "prevention is better than cure" kept popping up in my head.
What if? Life is full of "What if?" - "What if I hadn't smoked for thirty years?" - "What if I'd exercised more?" - "What if I'd eaten more healthily?" We're plagued by "what ifs?" and, if you're anything like I used to be, we dismiss them and think "life is for living, let's not think about that right now - pass me another ciggie and pour me another beer so I can wash down this bacon double cheeseburger and fries before I bunjee jump off this suspension bridge!"
It inevitably comes with age. The creeping doubts, like the creeping lines in your skin. What if I'm getting old?" "How much longer have I got?" "Ouch! Where did that sudden pain come from?" The old me would say "Ah, it's nothing." The current me thinks otherwise; "it's cancer, it's diabetes, it's heart disease..." the doubts. Prevention is better than cure.
So, against my better judgement, I signed up for The Futura Genetics DNA Test. When my kit was delivered I hesitated for a short while (two days) Did I really want to do this? I did it.
I registered my kit online and completed the online registration questionnaire which asked if I wanted to know my risk of developing Alzheimers - I ticked "NO" - (As it turned out they gave me the result anyway - but that's another story!!) I parceled up my spit tube and the courier came to collect it the next day.
That was a month ago. My results came through today. I'd forgotten all about it! (Doesn't bode well on the Alzheimers front!!)
I now know I'm unlikely to die of melanoma, an aneurysm or breast cancer. I do know that my risk of developing prostate and colorectal cancer is above average and that I am 7.4 times more likely to develop Type 2 Diabetes than the average - this was by far the largest multiple on my result sheet and something I wasn't expecting - I am unlikely to develop lupus, arthritis or arterial thrombosis and I am at only slighter higher risk of developing heart failure. I am 2.4 times more likely to develop multiple sclerosis than the average.
Each result is countered with a disclaimer - that other risk factors and lifestyle choices have not been considered and that the result is based purely on the DNA sample provided and checked against a vast array of previous results from white males of my age group.
I have to say that I was scared to open the report at first - I really didn't want to know what future ailment might see me off into the great Fibro lounge in the sky - so it was with some trepidation that I finally plucked up the courage to view it.
By far the biggest shock was the risk of Alzheimers - despite my request to not be advised of this risk. (I have to say that I have spoken with Futura about this and they are working on ensuring it never happens again - it was a system failure which has now been rectified.) My risk of developing Alzheimers is quite high and I am probably going to spend the rest of my life looking out for signs and symptoms - I already have the confusion of fibro-fog and am quite forgetful - especially when it comes to remembering films I've seen in the past - my wife will often say "Shall we watch that again?" and I won't have any recollection of watching it previously!
My main concern however is the risk of colorectal and prostate cancer - I have had bowel 'issues' for a number of years now - and many polyps have been removed during the three or four colonoscopy examinations I've endured. It's probably just a matter of time before one of them becomes cancerous and I've been aware of this risk since 2007 - this test confirms that I need more regular check ups in this area and that confirmation via this test is undoubtedly a good thing. Another plus to the knowledge I now have is that I can put in place lifestyle choices to counter and reduce any potential future risks - specifically in relation to my much hightened risk of Type 2 Diabetes - I hadn't been aware of any potential risk. I'm not obese, I eat as healthily as I can and I avoid most sugary foods and drinks - though I am partial to chocolate and beer!! It has also highlighted a high risk of me developing celiac disease - which I was tested for earlier this year with negative result - this also will need to be checked regularly.
Above all, and despite the unfortunate alzheimers result, I'm really pleased that I now know the extent to which my lifestyle might impact the diseases I could develop later in life. It is reassuring to know where my risk factors are high and (sort of) comforting knowing that I have the opportunity to change things by just altering some small things in my life.
I'm glad I did it. I can either use it as a warning to change or try to bury it in the bowels of my mind and forget all about it, but then what would be the point in that? I have been given the risk probabilities. I know where trouble might lie and I can do something about preventing or delaying it - that's got to be a massive plus for this test.
The purpose of this test was to determine, from my DNA, my risk factors for developing specific ailments in later life (at least I hope they're for later life. Much later)
Why did I do this? Who really wants to know how they might die? Not me, that's for sure. Or so I thought.
But then I considered the evidence of how my life has changed so much in the past thirteen years. How I've developed these 'conditions' which have led to such drastic change for me and my family. How limited I am now in what I can do. And I thought to myself: If you'd known fourteen years ago how bad life was going to be wouldn't you want to have had the chance to do something about it? If not stop it completely at least stave it off for a few more years by doing things differently, or changing my lifestyle, getting treatment earlier?
Now I know that that is not how it happens with fibromyalgia or crohn's disease - you either get it or you don't. I don't think there's anything anyone could do to stop or delay or prevent these conditions. But there are so many preventable conditions out there that, if only they'd been caught earlier, might not lead to such drastic consequences - ie. death.
The old adage "prevention is better than cure" kept popping up in my head.
What if? Life is full of "What if?" - "What if I hadn't smoked for thirty years?" - "What if I'd exercised more?" - "What if I'd eaten more healthily?" We're plagued by "what ifs?" and, if you're anything like I used to be, we dismiss them and think "life is for living, let's not think about that right now - pass me another ciggie and pour me another beer so I can wash down this bacon double cheeseburger and fries before I bunjee jump off this suspension bridge!"
It inevitably comes with age. The creeping doubts, like the creeping lines in your skin. What if I'm getting old?" "How much longer have I got?" "Ouch! Where did that sudden pain come from?" The old me would say "Ah, it's nothing." The current me thinks otherwise; "it's cancer, it's diabetes, it's heart disease..." the doubts. Prevention is better than cure.
So, against my better judgement, I signed up for The Futura Genetics DNA Test. When my kit was delivered I hesitated for a short while (two days) Did I really want to do this? I did it.
I registered my kit online and completed the online registration questionnaire which asked if I wanted to know my risk of developing Alzheimers - I ticked "NO" - (As it turned out they gave me the result anyway - but that's another story!!) I parceled up my spit tube and the courier came to collect it the next day.
That was a month ago. My results came through today. I'd forgotten all about it! (Doesn't bode well on the Alzheimers front!!)
I now know I'm unlikely to die of melanoma, an aneurysm or breast cancer. I do know that my risk of developing prostate and colorectal cancer is above average and that I am 7.4 times more likely to develop Type 2 Diabetes than the average - this was by far the largest multiple on my result sheet and something I wasn't expecting - I am unlikely to develop lupus, arthritis or arterial thrombosis and I am at only slighter higher risk of developing heart failure. I am 2.4 times more likely to develop multiple sclerosis than the average.
Each result is countered with a disclaimer - that other risk factors and lifestyle choices have not been considered and that the result is based purely on the DNA sample provided and checked against a vast array of previous results from white males of my age group.
I have to say that I was scared to open the report at first - I really didn't want to know what future ailment might see me off into the great Fibro lounge in the sky - so it was with some trepidation that I finally plucked up the courage to view it.
By far the biggest shock was the risk of Alzheimers - despite my request to not be advised of this risk. (I have to say that I have spoken with Futura about this and they are working on ensuring it never happens again - it was a system failure which has now been rectified.) My risk of developing Alzheimers is quite high and I am probably going to spend the rest of my life looking out for signs and symptoms - I already have the confusion of fibro-fog and am quite forgetful - especially when it comes to remembering films I've seen in the past - my wife will often say "Shall we watch that again?" and I won't have any recollection of watching it previously!
My main concern however is the risk of colorectal and prostate cancer - I have had bowel 'issues' for a number of years now - and many polyps have been removed during the three or four colonoscopy examinations I've endured. It's probably just a matter of time before one of them becomes cancerous and I've been aware of this risk since 2007 - this test confirms that I need more regular check ups in this area and that confirmation via this test is undoubtedly a good thing. Another plus to the knowledge I now have is that I can put in place lifestyle choices to counter and reduce any potential future risks - specifically in relation to my much hightened risk of Type 2 Diabetes - I hadn't been aware of any potential risk. I'm not obese, I eat as healthily as I can and I avoid most sugary foods and drinks - though I am partial to chocolate and beer!! It has also highlighted a high risk of me developing celiac disease - which I was tested for earlier this year with negative result - this also will need to be checked regularly.
Above all, and despite the unfortunate alzheimers result, I'm really pleased that I now know the extent to which my lifestyle might impact the diseases I could develop later in life. It is reassuring to know where my risk factors are high and (sort of) comforting knowing that I have the opportunity to change things by just altering some small things in my life.
I'm glad I did it. I can either use it as a warning to change or try to bury it in the bowels of my mind and forget all about it, but then what would be the point in that? I have been given the risk probabilities. I know where trouble might lie and I can do something about preventing or delaying it - that's got to be a massive plus for this test.
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