Could I have [mild] ME?

[Christmastreedelivery]

Hello.

have had a bit of a light bulb moment this week. I am starting to wonder if I might have ME, in a mild form?

I have noticed that I seem to go through cycles of being ok. When I am in a cycle of not being ok, I have the things in my list going on.

Aches. Mainly joints, it hurts to walk up and downstairs. My wrists ache, and I get shooting pains through my long bones. My back aches in a tired muscle sort of way. My pelvis and hips ache like I have been running, even when I am just sitting.

Tired: No matter how I catch up on sleep, or get a normal amount of sleep for me, I feel dog tired. Like jet lag, I feel myself nodding at traffic lights.

Words: I get them mxed up, and use the wrong ones. I start a sentence fine and then it runs away from me and I can't finish it without really concentrating and stumbling through.

Skin: Sore. That's the only way I can describe it, especially over my cheeks and arms.

Sweating: I have days [the bad days] where no matter what I do, I just pour sweat. Only my armpits, but still. Could do without it!

Palpitations: yes. These are there on the down days, at rest. I've had a 24hr tape, it was fine. Naturally I didn't have any during that 24 hrs!!

Treacle: Feels like I am wading through treacle. Not surprisingly on these down days I am grumpy and horrid mummy

The thing is the cycle. That's what got me thinking. Yesterday I was great, baked, did crafts, did some plannning for work, tackled some jobs that needed doing [phoning for appointments and stuff like that]. I thought to myself last night, 'OOO you'll pay for this good day tomorrow' and that rang an alarm bell. I shouldn't be thinking like that should I?

I went to town for a 6 hour shopping trip, and seriously I had to go to bed for 2 days afterwards.

What do you think?

BTW, I am very unlikely to be anaemic, and I have had thyroid checked in the past.

Have Dr's appointment tomorrow. Will he think I'm a moaning bored mum who whould loose weight and get out more? I'm scared of getting the face!

Hello all, I came across this thread yesterday, and now I've read right through and I'm so sad you are having to go through this ME/Fibro/other Auto Immune illnesses with so little help and understanding. I'm hoping everyone is as well as poss today.

Alypaly asked a couple of pages ago about acidic urine (Ph 2) The trouble with that is you will be loosing many minerals, and indeed with ME we use loads of minerals (dissolves in acid) and vital minerals (vitamins) which is why it's good to supplement them. If anyone asks, I will expand on what is helpful to many, and why.

CFSKate is right, the debate about retroviruses in autoimmune disease is far from over. In fact, in the States, there are two big government studies going on right now to sort out what's real and what's not.

Me, I've been ill with ME since February 2009, diagnosed in Nov. 09, after a long and happy/busy life. I've got 3 dd's and 2 dgs's, and the thing I can't bear most is that I am just not physically able to help my dd more with the darling boys (aged nearly 2 and 3 1/2). I take my hat off to all the mums keeping things going while suffering so much. I pretty much live on my sofa and the interweb.

I'll be back!

Hello Clouty

Good to meet you. I hope we are able to offer some support to you, but it sounds like you are going to be the one teaching us.

I can so identify with the feeling bad about not being physically able to help and support other people.

My mum recently had a hip replacement op and due to a bad reaction post-operatively (same when she had her knee replaced) they now think she has Fibromyalgia. I felt so guilty and frustrated because I couldn't get to her, as I don't drive and its two bus rides to her house. Both my sisters took turns to come up and stay with her to help out in the early weeks, but me - five minutes up the road (although but daftly 50 minutes on the buses, plus waiting time) - I was worse than useless. I'm sure your dd understands though. I am sick of the sight of my sofa and thoroughly bored of the internet after being pretty much in crisis since before Christmas - I keep looking outside at the sunshine today and feeling sorry for myself. [pathetic Moose emoticon]

I definitely notice the difference really quickly if I forget to take my supplements. I have recently started taking a really good quality vegetarian omega 3 and dha supplement and I do think it has helped. I still get really bad, but seem to recover more quickly.

Thank you for the welcome, Moose :) My dd (the mum) is my main telephone buddy, most days we chat, in fact she has just rung to say she has the children in bed asleep already - a busy Saturday was enjoyed by all. She, more than anyone else, understands.

The lovely weather earlier this month seemed to mock me, it's worse, harder to feel positive, when one is missing more (lovely weather and such).

Are you taking VegEPA? I'm a cheapskate, I now take 2 grams of quality fish oil daily - I think omega 3's are a must. I'm thinking I should take more. It is what I blame for the improvement in cognitive ability. I still have roaring multi-voiced tinnitus though, wish someone would tell me a way to quiet the noise in my head. the bells, the bells!

I'm taking Opti-3, which is algae based and contains the right balance of 3, 6, EPA and DHA.

We all started taking it when I did some research about improving my ds1's nutrition (he has Aspergers and is also gluten intolerant) and there's definitely been an improvement in all of us in one way or another.

I've been reading a lot about Vitamin D deficiency this week as well and am starting to wonder about that. Like you and a lot of other people on here, I spend an awful lot of time stuck in the house and from what I've read, there's no way I can be getting enough natural Vitamin D from the sun.

My ds2 recently had a really worrying health scare, which looking back seemed to fit the symptoms of D deficiency almost exactly. He improved dramatically when I changed his multi-vits and mineral supplement to one with a higher Vitamin D level (I didn't realise this at the time) and also started him on the Omegas. Of course now the weather's better he's spent a lot more time outside in the sun as well and I am trying hard not to get twitchy and reach for the sun-block as soon as he goes outside.

Have you tried white nose for the tinnitus? My dh has suffered from it, although not as badly, since his early twenties and his consultant recommended white noise via headphones, particularly when trying to get to sleep.

Hi Clouty :), I have constant Tinnitus too, a loud high pitched sound which means I can't hear everything and when certain people speak at a particular pitch, I can't hear them at all and end up trying to lip read. Bloody annoying to say the least. I started getting it at about 17 intermittently and it's become constant since I have had ME and over the last 4+ years I suppose, it's got much louder...had a very screamy and loud Dd for her first 6 months :( and the volume went up x 7 times! I can often ignore it, but at times, it will not be ignored!!!

Moose, the pain is at the moment, on the inside but front of my thigh if that makes sense? I have though, in the past had it down my entire legs...
I often find that if I lay on my right side, that my hip is agony; I am sitting in bed with burning toes at the moment which is new.

Thanks Moose, I'll check out the Opti-3. Algae is where the fish get their omega 3 from, after all, so it's one step down the food chain at least, which has to be good for heavy metal pollution (mercury). Is that why you plumped for this one, or are you vege?

Vit D deficiency is common in pwME - the illness process, as well as the lack of time outdoors depresses levels. D3 is the one to take, it's more bio-available than D2 and anyways, vitD is cheap. A word of caution though, some people find it raises inflammation, which is what we have, and so makes it can make us worse. Some take 5,000 iu daily, but others find that is too much and aggravates their symptoms. It happened to me, so I cut down to 2400 iu which seems to work fine. I use Healthy Origins brand (from Amazon)(but there are many others) - a year's supply is £15, at my dose.

B12 is another one that we are commonly deficient in. The tests docs should run for us include Vit D and B12 levels. I take a general high-dose multi B vit capsule, but some people get great benefit from B12 injections. I'm going to ask my doc for these two tests, when I've screwed up the psychic energy. That's the route to getting the injections, if the tests show a deficiency. Some pwME find that even with supplementation their D levels are still low.

Hi Solo so sorry you are having a rough time, and you have this darned noise as well. All I can do with my tinnitus is accept it - it's always worse when symptoms flare, and I have to put the subtitles on the tele but not to upset the neighbours - it no longer stops me getting to sleep, but I know what you mean, I realized a while ago that I was lipreading because I couldn't "hear" so well if I couldn't see people's faces.

The prickly socks and gloves feeling is a neurological symptom, common with ME. I used to have one freezing foot and one burning hot, but now they are settling down a bit, and only burn in tandem, and only sometimes. Have you tried taking loads of Omega 3? It really helps me with the neuro symptoms.

Warning - I spend almost £20 a week on meds and supplements

OMG I have bent your ears quite long enough. May Sunday treat you well.

We're veggie Clouty, so fish oil was never an option for us. We did used to take a flax combination, but its hard for the body to convert, whereas the algae based stuff has everything we need in a readily usable format.

Thanks for the Vit D information. I have to go into town to take ds2 to the hospital on Tuesday, so will pop into the health shop then, they are really knowledgeable about this sort of stuff so I'll have a chat with them.

I am getting B6, B12 and Iron, C, Thiamin and Riboflavin from my Floradix. If I miss taking even one dose of that, I notice a big difference almost straight away.

Solo, I definitely think its time to go back to the docs. Some of your symptoms could be other things and need checking out.

I don't have tinnitus, but I do have problems with my hearing. I can't hear people speaking to me in noisy places. So for example on the school run, on the way home with the boys, I have to tell them to wait until we get in the house to tell me about their day, because I can't hear them when we are in a crowd or when there's a lot of passing traffing. Its horrible, because I used to love walking home and chatting about their days with them.

Blimey! £20 a week on supplements! that's 2/3rds of my food budget!

The burning sensations are new to me, but the tingles/pins and needles/numbness is something that has been with me for so long that I don't really notice it much anymore unless I think about it and 'listen'.

I was checked out for MS a few years back, but I have to admit that the symptoms my cousin gets with her MS are soooo similar to mine it's scary.

Right, I'm off out to do Mum's shopping now. Have a good day all :)

Solo, sorry to say, but that's what I was thinking. I have actually had someone private message me to urge me to get checked out because I have the same symptoms as her Mum who has MS, but was initially diagnosed with ME. I know I should go, especially with my MRI results being so questionable as well, but I am a great big wuss and have my head firmly planted in the sand about it all.

I'm feeling slightly better today, even after a truly horrible night with almost no sleep, but I have another blooming pokemon cake to bake for ds2's birthday tomorrow.

Am off for a bath and then going to get stuck in. Hopefully it will go better than last week's disaster.

moosemama - the alcohol intolerance you describe is a classic symptom for ME/CFS. When you read, do you prefer to sit up or lie down?

Having read that your father died of highly aggressive prostate cancer, I really think that you should consider doing that family survey if you ever get a moment and a bit of energy. (Don't worry about your diagnosis being PVFS, send it in along with a description of your symptoms.)

I posted earlier in the thread about the research showing that nearly all ME sufferers tested are found to be infected with a retrovirus called XMRV. A retrovirus is a special type of virus like HIV.

Before it was found in ME, XMRV was first found in prostate cancer. A study here www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2739868/
found that the higher the tumour grade (Gleason score) the more likely it was to be XMRV infected.

There is also a study finding XMRV in the autistic children of parents with ME, which I mentioned before, so XMRV is associated with more aggressive prostate cancer tumours, ME/CFS and autism. This research is still very early days, who knows how it will end, but it sounds like it might be relevant to your family history, and the survey would probably love to hear from you.

alypaly - this is a good description of a CFS patient and how adrenaline and autonomic nervous system dysfunction play a part in some symptoms - cc moosemama
www.prohealth.com/library/showarticle.cfm?libid=16085
It's well worth reading as it explains what is going on in the body to cause some of the symptoms, and why standing up is so hard, and the effect it has on ME patients. It's written by David Bell who has been treating ME patients for about 25 years.

CelestialstarlightsPassion - I have the CFS fingerprints too.

Solo £20 is a bargain to me because it means I am able to do this, write, think, go out occasionally, and cook for myself. Without all the stuff I take (and occasionally I deliberately run out of something to see what happens, and if there's no difference in a week or two, then I cut it out) I would be far more sick. So it's a question of spending on essentials, in my case. I get lower rate DLA and this is partly what I spend it on. I just wish the NHS covered some of this stuff

Moosemumma Scary thought indeed. My MRI had multiple small bright spots, but not MS lesions. With MS though, at least there are things they can do to hold back the progress, and you get stuff on the NHS, and people understand that you are ill. The symptoms of ME and MS are very similar.

I used to love making fancy birthday cakes - may the Pokemon cake stand straight for you today.

I have those worn out, cross-hatched fingerprints. I wonder if MS people have them too?

Moose It's my DS2's birthday tomorrow too

I'm too knackered to write anything just now so will hopefully come back on later and update

CFS/Kate, I always prefer to lie down rather than sit if I can and if I can't lie down I pretty much always have my feet up. I tend to read in bed by lying on my side with the duvet wrapped around me for support and the book propped on dh's pillow. Then I get proper grumpy when he wants to come to bed and I have to move it.

I have read a fair bit about the XMRV virus. Not exactly sure what I think about it all at the moment. As you said, a lot of it does fit my family's medical history quite well, but there have been several studies that found no higher instance of XMRV in ME patients than in any other group and support for the ME/XMRV link seems limited at present. I also read somewhere that one of the major doctor/proponents in the US is telling people with ME that even if they test negative they are still likely to have it - which I feel is a bit spurious. I think my jury is still out on it at the moment, but I am watching with interest.

Clouty, my MRI clearly showed what were described as lesions by the neurologist, as well as evidence of a recent encephalitis infection (of which I was completely unaware ). They ruled out lupus (which was suggested by the clinic that reviewed the mri results) but then she discharged me, as I was only seeing her in relation to my migraines and that treatment (Topiramate/Topamax) had worked. Its never sat well with me, I've always wondered what else could have caused the lesions and had an uneasy kind of gut-feeling about it - but she seemed totally disinterested to be honest. To my lay-person's mind, it can't be good to have lesions of any kind on the brain - surely? I was watching a youtube vid yesterday of a woman whose MS lesions didn't show up at all on her MRIs until they took one of her neck and found a massive lesion in her brain stem. She had been suffering from some horrible symptoms and ended up with a lumbar puncture before they finally checked her brain stem. Its scary stuff.

I was feeling okish today until I went out in the car with dh for half an hour, just to get out of the house (hadn't been out since the afternoon school run Friday before last). All we did was drive to the pet shop, where I stayed in the car with the dcs while he bought a bag of dog food - then we drove home. Ridiculously, it really wore me out.

Celestial - Happy Birthday to your ds2 for tomorrow! Mine will be 7 - how old will your be?

Right, back to the cake making. I am getting quite adept at decorating cakes whilst sitting down these days.

A colleague of my cousin had an MRI that showed no lesions on her brain, so she had a lumbar puncture which gave her a dx of MS.

Clouty, I wasn't having a go at you over the cost of your supplements it was more that I couldn't afford to buy them :( I tried for DLA some years ago and was refused :(

Good morning all. I didn't get back on last night. I felt awful when I got home from work yesterday. My head was thumping and I was exhausted. come evening I was throwing up big style felt worse so went to bed early. This morning my head still aches and i have no energy to even speak. I had an appointment for a blood test this morning which i had to phone and cancel. There is no way I'd be able to go

CFSKate the points you make regarding family illnesses are very interesting. My brother was diagnosed with M.E in his early 20's following non recovery from glandular fever. My dad had a diagnosis of CFS in his 50's which he had his whole life. My mum has very ill health which I am convinced is fibromyalgia (her whole illness profile fits) although she was told once that the indescribable pain she had in her legs was psychosomatic . Then of course there is me with all my own associated CFS symptoms. Then there is my DS2 with his tourettes syndrome. He has also been assessed for aspergers and high functioning autism although his CMHteam have decided that although he is bordeline on the spectrum they have ruled it out. But what have you have said is very interesting indeed.

I'm off to read your link now if I can take it in that is I've always struggled with standing and never knew why I couldn't do it without feeling weak and woozy. Hoping to find some rational for it.

Moose DS2 is 10 today and is over excited with it all. If only I had the energy to enjoy it with him. Hope your DS2 has a lovely birthday. I'm betting your cake is deeeelishh!

clouty.....hi. sorry i amissed your comment on urine pH. Please tell me more.
thanks for the info cfskate.
will read it when i recovered from my new job. Its sooooooooo demanding mentally. I am knackered.

clouty i have the problem that my heart rate is 45bpm so my body is probably trying to keep my bp up by increasing adrenalin which may be the reason for increased BP. Who knows?

Put myself back on the plaquenil as i started to feel really crap at the weekend. No energy, just wanted to lie down all the time. Plastered myself in factor 50[grr]

Celestial with you saying your brother developed it after glandular fever, i am even more convinced that ME/CFS stems from a viral illness of some sort. (probably the more nasty ones)

Moose sorry to hear how ill you are - you sound like me, and I would wish this ME on nobody, no, not even psychiatrists like Wessely and Sharpe who spend all their time, and taxpayers money, on trying to prove it's all in our minds. Grrr. Those people are also in control of much of what is printed in the papers, as advisors on ME/CFS via the Science Media Centre, which is why you have heard that XMRV has fizzled out, which is about as far from the truth as it is possible to get.

They just don't want to be proved wrong after all these years. There's a book called Osler's Web, by Hillary Johnson, which while it was written a few years ago, will bring you up to speed on the malfeasance and obfuscation (me and my long words - forgive please) of a serious neuro-immune disease. Politick over.

You have Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, POTS for short, almost certainly. It is common in ME. This illness makes even the strongest person into a light-weight. Darn it. Someone linked earlier to Sarah Myhill's site (did you hear that the GMC were gunning for her, just for recommending a vit B12 injection was given under the skin instead of into the muscle, and an anonymous email from Australia? You couldn't make it up! Oops. Said I'd stopped with the politics already. Sorry) Anyway ... Sarah's site gives some good info, though I find her a bit precious on the diet stuff. The mitochondria page gives why we get so knackered so quickly.

Solo thanks for that. Sorry you couldn't get DLA. It took me two goes and an appeal, and it was a horrid process, but it was worth it in the end. I joined Benefits and Work and got the info from them of the wrinkles you need to know, for second attempt appeal, and that was what did it. It is a minefield, and many people who are eligible give up because it is such a stressful process. I'll have to go through it all again in October

Hi alypally The Sarah Myhill site I link to above has more info. She's a really kind and good doctor - a friend of mine goes to her. Me I take what I want from her site, and save my pennies

45bpm is really low. Does it vary according to what you are doing? Standing up, walking, sitting, lying down? There are all sorts of blood supply, heart and circulation issues with ME. One thing I am absolutely sure of - I have inside knowledge - is that this illness is of viral and/or retroviral origin.

Having ME means I've had to slow right down, and spend time listening instead of doing.

Here's to all the ME mum. While we can't do all the busy exciting outings, we can pay attention and listen to our kids, grown up or still small, and that is worth it's weight in gold.

Clouty I love your posts. You are a fountain of knowledge on all of this as are many of the others on here. I feel totally inadequate in comparison to you ladies who have read and understood so much. I have tried to read up on the subject the best I can but I find it's too hard to take it all in. There is so much to read that I end up exhausted and shutting the computer off and what I do manage to understand I can't absorb or retain. My memory is pitiful at best . So how you all manage to explain this illness and all of it intricacies is wonderful and I thank you all for it.

I'm feeling a little better today. The headache isn't nearly as bad as yesterday and the day before and I actually managed to get dressed today. Thankfully DS1(18) is going to take DS3 to nursery for me today. So I feel less stressed and rushed. I may even work up to having a shower

Evening all

Celestial, hope your ds had a good birthday. My ds had a good day, the cake wasn't up to my standards, but passed muster with the boys - which is I suppose the important thing.

I have tended to do what little reading I've managed to take in when I'm not in crisis and I do have to revisit stuff several times before it actually lodges itself in the swiss cheese I used to call my brain. I feel like I know little pockets of information, but not how it all links up and I struggle to keep up with the latest research etc.

Well, I had to take ds2 to the eye clinic at the hospital today - he has an immune problem relating to staph aureus which causes repeated chalazions. Had to have the whole gang ready for 8.30 am, drop ds1 and dd at my Mum's house, then dh dropped ds2 and I in town at 9.00, where we had to hang around with nowhere open, until 9.30, when we managed to grab a coffee and a milkshake before walking to the hospital - not a long walk - but far enough for me. Fortunately the hospital bit was quick and easy and its was all good news regarding ds's eyes this time. Then we walked back into town, stopped for another drink and snack (I have to punctuate all shopping trips etc with regular stops in cafes or I just can't manage). Then we managed one clothes shop and the health shop (where I have just realised I forgot to ask about vitamin D supplements - doh), before catching the bus back to Mum's.

I started to feel really ill on the bus (only a 10 minute ride) really dizzy and spaced out with shaking/twitching legs - a bit like they were at ds1's play the other week. I felt so bad, I almost got off at the doctors' surgery, but decided I just wanted to get to Mums and lie down instead. Then when we got off the bus, my legs just refused to do as they were told. Its only a two minute walk to Mum's but I seriously didn't think I was going to make it. It felt like those cartoons, where someone is drunk and their legs go all rubbery - like they just wouldn't do what I was telling them to. I also felt like I couldn't get enough air into my lungs, despite taking deep breaths (have had this a few times recently). I was desperately trying not to worry ds2 and to carry on talking cheerfully with him. Somehow managed to get to Mum's and literally fell onto the sofa and immediately went all woozy. I resembled someone who'd just finished running a marathon. It took a long drink of water and about 4 minutes just lying there on the sofa before I was well enough to talk to Mum.

Spent the rest of the day sitting in Mum's conservatory and lying on her sofa and dh brought us home an hour ago. I feel like I have climbed Everest I'm so exhausted.

I intend to do absolutely nothing tomorrow. I'm calling a PJ day for myself and the dcs and fully intend taking time to recover over the next 48 hours, before my sister and nephew visit on Friday and we have a day out at a country park with friends over the Easter weekend.

We have two back to back big weekends away coming up and I'm acutely aware that I need to make sure I'm up to them. One is a whole weekend at Legoland for the boy's birthdays and the other is a festival that dh, dd and I are going to while the boys stay at Mum's. Its typical that they ended up falling within the same month - we never do anything normally. It has taken such a lot of organisation to arrange them both, what with childcare, dog/house sitters and various other complications, I will be so cheesed off if I can't enjoy them because I'm too ill.

Oh Moose. If I could reach out and give you a hug I would. (Very unMN I know but I think exemptions apply in your case ) Hopefully you'll be feeling better soon to enjoy the brilliant weekends you have coming up. Do nothing and store up your energy! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. It's dreadful feeling like we can't actually put one leg in front of the other to walk whilst trying to put a brave face on so we don't panic the kids. I hate this bloody illness. It's so cruel.

I've been stuggling the last few days too. I need to look at my diet again though. I have been eating wheat again and my skin has broken out, i've been headachy, nauseous and weak. Only started to eat wheat again because of my RAST test (which was lost en route to lab) so I'm having it repeated this afternoon. But i'm going to restart my wheat/gluten free regime again as I definately did feel better when I cut it out from my food. I just need to be strict with myself. Oh and I'm going to start juicing again. It's a pain cleaning the juicer out every time...but it really does make a difference to my health levels

Sorry to hear you had that awful feeling Moose Had you had any actual food? It sounds like you were dashing about on two coffees which would really explain an adrenaline surge followed by a crash, so it could be a contributing factor.

I'm sorry I haven't been about guys, it's been utterly bonkers here and I just ahave to keep my nose to the grindstone. GP is happy with progress on ad's and I have to say I am much better.

I have had 2 relapses and one was a nasty bugger last week. They are shorter and less tedious though, so I think ad's are the way forward whatever happens. No one is taking them away from me they are a low dose too which I find encouraging.

I hear you on the juicer Celestial, we have one that has so many pips stuck in it I dubt it could juice anything. Good luck with the diet overhaul.

off to try read more than the last 2 posts

I just lost a mega post arggggh!

Anyhow, hello and welcome to Clouty and how's the job going Aly and I hope all feel better for some warm sun on them.

Thanks Celestial and Tree.

Celestial, improving your diet sounds like a good plan. Dh and I once did a fantastic raw food, food combining and juicing plan for about six months. Neither of us has ever felt so healthy, but is just not feasible now we have dcs and a busy life. I also hate cleaning the juicer with a passion.

They were decaffs Tree and I'd had a decent breakfast (branflakes and fruit) plus one of the large John Lewis scones with butter at the second cafe.

Its good to hear you feel like the ADs are helping Tree. I've been thinking about you and wondering how you were getting on. Great that you are able to pull out of the relapses quicker now.

Well I closely resemble a piece of limp lettuce this morning and am pursuing PJ day as planned.

I stupidly stayed up late last night thrashing out the details of our summer holiday with dh. We were planning to go for a much longer break this year, but dh hasn't enough holiday left, what with all the ASD assessment and school meetings, my sick days and his interviews.

Whatever we do, we have to incorporate a good long chunk of time at the family's holiday house or ds1 simply won't cope with the change. Its stupidly stressful, ds2 hates just staying at the house and spending all day every day on the beach, dh and I are frankly bored and can't face the thought of going yet again to the same place we've beent every year for the past umpteen years, but ds1 can't cope with not doing the same thing year in year out and is extremely attached to our holiday home. Nightmare trying to balance everyone's feelings and needs. I tried to talk to him about doing half the holiday at the house and half camping this morning and it resulted in heartrending sobs and much trauma. Think we've got it sorted now, but had to agree to a full working week, plus a full weekend at the house, as he wouldn't settle for less. Just need to see if the campsite is booked up now. I am so excited, but a bit daunted by all the planning and packing etc. We will see if our best mate can come along too, as its always good to have an extra adult around to manage the hoards, especially when/if my health can't be relied upon. (Dh pointed out that I have spent at least a week of all our summer hols in bed for the past two years.) The campsite is this one - looks idyllic.

Oh that is so pretty Moose. You are lovely to factor in ds's needs to well, he is lucky to have you isn't he. Bless him such things are so important to the little mites. Can completely understand you wanting a change though, for sure.
Are you doing a week at the house and week at the camp site then?

Good to hear you had a good breakfast, I didn't think for a minute you wouldn't but then on a busy morning...

Enjoy the PJ day. I am going to start an essay

Thank you for thinking about me, I've been thinking of you too and wondering how everything is going. Can't wait until I can come back on mn more and 'see' people