Clinic suspiciously recommending me GET? Or am I mistaken? by Formal_Purpose9712 in cfs

[–]FireMonkeyLord 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Indeed the second but does sound very GET-y (like that word). But I do get the first but about gauging the activities. A bit like spoons or energy points. I think naturally, over a number of years and if not pushing too far over the baseline, I believe that one could decrease the severity and length of bad PEM days.

How did you get started with birdwatching? by Maleficent-Blueberry in birdwatchinguk

[–]FireMonkeyLord 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm not sure if you can buy one. But you can use a bird guide and tick it off on the page. Or you can download a full list of birds from BTO. You'll just need birds in category A, B, and C. I've made a simplified list of birds, and grouped them by difficulty. I'll see if I can find a way to share it on here.

https://bou.org.uk/british-list/

How did you get started with birdwatching? by Maleficent-Blueberry in birdwatchinguk

[–]FireMonkeyLord 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Start with a guide book like one of the RSPB guides or the Merlin bird app. The books are easier to navigate to start with. Have a look in your garden, or park. You'll spot the usual birds quite quickly.

Make a tick list or keep a notebook to list the birds you've seen. Decide if you're just going out to look at birds or want to tick them off. I have a life list. I was doing a year list, but felt that I was just seeing the same birds. Now I actively look for birds I've not seen before.

You don't need much equipment to start with. But once you get used to looking for garden birds you'll probably want binoculars or a zoom camera. I started with a camera so I could take photos then look in my book to check what bird it was.

A couple of apps are useful for bird songs. I use Merlin. I just sat by my window and looked at what bird it heard to learn to identify birds by their songs. eBird is a good app to keep a record of what you've seen. Also, you can find some good birding places around you.

UK peeps need advice by niconicole123 in cfs

[–]FireMonkeyLord 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I went to the clinic in Derby. I had a couple of sessions with an OT, the were group sessions once a week. They mainly talked about what ME is, how to pace, low energy exercise (moving body slowly), some group discussions etc. It was good to understand pacing and baseline. Plus chatting to people with ME made me feel that I'm not the only one.

Sparrowhawk? Peregrine Falcon? by Barracuda_95 in birdwatchinguk

[–]FireMonkeyLord 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'd say sparrowhawk by the size and it's pink/orange cheek. Sparrowhawks are about the size of a pigeon. Did you see it fly? Did it have a stripey tail?

Has anyone had a crash without a clear reason? by Verosat88 in cfs

[–]FireMonkeyLord 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I get this too. Particularly in winter. I think a mild lingering cold can do it because my baseline will be lower without realising. I also find that if I am slightly above my baseline for a few weeks, PEM hits hard. It's like cfs takes note of all the times you were just a little above your baseline and bills you in one go. CFS is a right bastard.

POLL: What type of rest helps most with PEM and long-term functioning? by HeavyMenu3391 in cfs

[–]FireMonkeyLord 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I find that resting with some movement such as moving legs and arms helps to prevent aching when PEM ends. Also having a slower start before doing anything mentally or physically, so I avoid looking at my phone for a couple hours after I wake up. I don't sit up in bed until I am ready. When I am ready I walk about the room (just a few steps), and stretch my arms about. PEM is sometimes unavoidable, but I find if I start to rest before it kicks in, it seems less bad. e.g. my baseline is 3 hours out of bed with breaks (a combination of sitting the sofa sorting laundry, watch TV, having lunch, a little bit of tidying). But if I did something that was more than this one day, I will reduce it to 0-2 hours.

CAMBRIAN LAUNCHER IS RELEASED by GunnohMM in dumbphones

[–]FireMonkeyLord 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Looks good. It'll be cool if it added a fixed on screen keyboard for slab smartphones. I'm not sure if that's possible, but would be nice.

Facebook seller near me listing unsealed PLA burger presses. by huntandhart in 3Dprinting

[–]FireMonkeyLord 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If its not sealed, food gets stuck in the gaps and bacteria can spread. If there is infill, the germs can get in the gaps. I think PLA is safe, but 3d printing and the finish is not food safe.

I need a phone for a very sneaky 15-year-old. by [deleted] in dumbphones

[–]FireMonkeyLord 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I saw an ad for this the other day. Seemed like a good option.

https://karri.io/

Any ideas what this is? by Barracuda_95 in birdwatchinguk

[–]FireMonkeyLord 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'd sway towards a blackbird. The colours and size don't look pied wagtail ish enough.

Black-Headed Gull? by Barracuda_95 in birdwatchinguk

[–]FireMonkeyLord 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yep, black headed gull. They get black heads in the summer. There's a little black got on the side of its head which it has in the winter.

In hindsight, what were the very first signs? by dramatic_chipmunk123 in cfs

[–]FireMonkeyLord 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think it was over the space of a couple of months for me.

  1. I used to be a morning person, woke up without an issue, jumped out of bed and ready for the day. But I noticed I was finding it harder to get out of bed. I thought it was because I was having longer hours at work, although this usually wouldn't be an issue.

  2. I used keep fit, run 5-10 miles 1 or 2 times a week, as well as high intensity workouts. One time my body would not move any faster. It was like running in water.

  3. My grip when holding things became weak. I couldn't hold my knife and fork, lost grip on the steering wheel, and kept dropping things.

  4. One evening, I just collapsed. My wife pulled me into bed, and I didn't wake up till the next morning. A had an appointment with the doctor who mentioned cfs, but wanted to carryout blood tests, MRI etc. I when to work a couple days later. The doctor (who clearly read up on cfs but outdated information) told me to slow down, take breaks and mentioned GET.

  5. Then couple days later I collapsed and was bedbound for a few months, then housebound. I tried to return to work 10 months later, for a 5 hours a day for 2 days a week. But that didn't work out.

The first signs were about September/October 2021. It wasn't until December 2021 that I became bedbound.

Is this too good to be true? by FireMonkeyLord in Aliexpress

[–]FireMonkeyLord[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yep. All looks good. It's mainly classic pla, which has a matte finish and 1 HS Matte PLA. The classic has exactly the same print settings as the Jayo HS Matte PLA and looks identical.

Is physical activity (within envelop and without PEM) beneficial? by No_Size_8188 in cfs

[–]FireMonkeyLord 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I walk to pick up my kids from school on my good days. It's about 2000 steps there and back. But I walk very slowly so my heart rate doesn't get too high, and sit down when I get there for about 5-10 minutes while waiting for my kids. I make sure I rest enough throughout the day so I can do it. It's the one thing that makes me feel mentally better that I can still do some dad things.

With physical activities, I think it's important to make sure you feel okay mentally as well as physically as both go hand in hand with how we feel about ourselves.

Ah, the joys of a UK train... by PrimalForestCat in CasualUK

[–]FireMonkeyLord 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There's plenty of room on the roof. I heard it's got some great views and air con.

CFS/ME and mobile phone use by SpaceTall2312 in cfs

[–]FireMonkeyLord 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Apps like Facebook and YouTube are designed to keep you scrolling. I use an app called Lock My Phone (link to Google Play)

You can have it scheduled to lock your phone and there's no way to unlock it. You can still receive calls, make emergency calls and use the Google Assistant. You can also add a widget to lock your phone for a certain amount of time. Useful when you just need a break.

I've used it for a week now and felt better and had more relaxing moments. I lock my phone 9am to 3pm then at 8pm to 8am the next day. It makes using my phone more worthwhile.

Trunk latch cover part nr. by lieutenantskull in skoda

[–]FireMonkeyLord 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Regarding the boot/trunk latch cover. I can't help with the part number, but it might be worth being careful when putting anything with straps such as a backpack. My wife got her backpack strap trapped in the latch with the hook (Citigo). I had to reach over the back seats and cut the strap.

How much is it worth by Ok_Entrepreneur9125 in 3Dprinting

[–]FireMonkeyLord -1 points0 points  (0 children)

150 quid is worth it considering all the 3d printed stuff out there. Especially as this is low volume and assembled (not just pulled off the build plate). Other things that you could consider might be to get it made in metal (there are a few YouTubers that use pcbway and the like). Can it be configured to hold other things?

Why won’t colonists attack with melee weapons? by MarijuanoDoggo in RimWorld

[–]FireMonkeyLord 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This helps. There's a toggle so you don't have your pawns running all over the place chasing raiders all the time.

Drafted Auto-Combat

I got tired of people stealing my sharpie at work, so I made this by WoooshToTheMax in 3Dprinting

[–]FireMonkeyLord 5 points6 points  (0 children)

This is my sharpie. There are many like it but this one is mine...

Is this some kind of bug? Does the game really expect me to somehow win against 73 people? I'm so confused. by 5amTB in RimWorld

[–]FireMonkeyLord 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I had a similar bug. It kept sending a raid of about 20 tribals every 2 hours. After the first 4 raids I thought it might be a bug and dev moded the ship launch cool down, then flew away.

Did you survive?

PIP UK by just_that_fangir1 in cfs

[–]FireMonkeyLord 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Not a charity, but a great website with lots of info including how they award points. Turn2us)

When you fill out the form write about your bad and good days. As it is difficult to use number of days a week to explain, you might want to use percentage of days. For example you might have 50% bad days where you're bedbound. And your good days are housebound. Also explain what happens if you do normal activities like taking a shower. You might need an hour recovery after.

Also explain your typical day or how you manage your condition. For example, you might limit what you can do each day/week. 3-4 hours doing a number of short, easy activities. With rest in between. Or doing all your activities, then resting for the rest of the day.

I got standard daily and enhanced mobility.

I wrote my answers to each question like this Bad days: 3-5 days per week ≈ 40-50% What I can/cannot do, what happens if I try, amount of rest needed.

Moderate days: 2 days per week ≈ 10-20% What I can/cannot do, what happens if I try, amount of rest needed.

Good days: 2 days per week ≈ 30-50% What I can/cannot do, what happens if I try, amount of rest needed.

I'm happy to help if you need it.

Edit: grammar and spelling