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The basic out-of-work benefit in the UK is less than £4k per year for a single person, though that doesn't include housing costs. People with significant disabilities receive more (sometimes quite a bit more), but enhanced payments aren't easy to obtain for PWME who're, for instance, still able...

I'm not sure I could press hard enough to do that these days! :laugh: I have a fat pen with an angled barrel, so I barely need to grip it all, and it slides over good quality paper with almost no resistance. I still struggle to write, of course – I'd need at least five lengthy breaks to fill...

At Christmas, a friend with ME was talking about how much she struggles to write these days. A couple of weeks ago I bought her a fountain pen as a birthday gift, and she called this morning to say she was really surprised by how much easier it is to use. You don't have to grip a fountain pen...

It's be really dangerous, so I'm not at all surprised it can be an ME trigger. There was an outbreak of it some years ago where I used to live, caused by the aerosols spraying out of badly-maintained air conditioning units and falling onto passers-by. One old fella died of it; it took a long...

Limescale: dry surfaces after use, including the shower head – I unscrew it, wipe it with a cloth, and leave it to dry. I keep a dry cloth next to sinks for wiping splashes whenever I've got the energy, and tiled bathroom walls or shower panels can be dried in seconds with a cheap microfibre mop...

'Many patients with suggestive symptoms of CES have no radiological correlate.' This is hardly astounding, though, given that doctors and physios know very well how devastating the consequences can be. They send anyone suddenly developing symptoms that could indicate CES off to A&E, knowing...

I usually start from the assumption that a study on a branded food supplement is part of the marketing strategy. It can therefore be ignored until it's been replicated in a reasonably well-defined group, with measurable outcomes...funnily enough, these tend to be few on the ground!

I'd either have to wear an entire goldfish bowl over my head, or boxing gloves on my hands, before I could remember not to touch my face for more than 12 consecutive seconds! #MEbrain :laugh:

I suspect we don't, at least nothing very solid. I think he may be referring to the fact that a proportion of ME patients report that they've had good remissions followed later by relapse, to the point that it's become a commonly recognised (as opposed to actually researched) feature of one...

It's already doing so, if the TV programmes are anything to go by. I watched last night's episode, and it was heartbreaking – some lovely people, trying so hard, but just struggling along on next to nothing.

If people are so dependent, they'll surely just resort to stealing? I'd never heard of schemes like this before. It sounds like a major assault on human rights.

I'm not sure – it could certainly compromise people doing certain jobs, but as someone who's always had OI, I suspect those prone to it will naturally avoid going into those occupations. I realise it isn't the case for everyone, but OI has only ever affected me when sitting upright at times...

It would be interesting to look at people with other conditions causing stiff PRBCs, to see if they have the same response to it.... (Thinking ahead too quickly, as always – obviously the first priority would be bigger studies in ME!)

Yes, that could be interesting – it seems to run in our family. I've had it since childhood, and getting ME at 17 didn't make it any worse, but of course it's possible I might otherwise have grown out of it. My mum struggled with it all her life, but her sister (who would actually pass out if...

Yes, that's because it comes as Diclofenac sodium, or Diclofenac potassium. The potassium version apparently works quite a bit quicker than the sodium version. (I was prescribed it for a short while after an injury, and the pharmacist commented aloud that he was surprised I hadn't been given...

Diclofenac is just the generic name, Voltaren or Voltarol is a trade name. If it's diclofenac sodium (as opposed to diclofenac potassium), it'll be the same thing. The pharmacist would be able to confirm, though. I hope you get some relief from your headache soon, it sounds horrible. I never...

It's complex because no-one has followed patients over time. We have no idea how many people recover permanently, and how many have a sustained remission but then relapse again later. Even if the will were there, I don't think it'd be realistic to do this at the moment – we need stronger...

That reminded me of a tip I might or might not have mentioned here before: FaceTiming my dinner! :laugh: If I put something on a low light that's going to take a while to heat up, or I want to make sure a huge batch of chilli is simmering rather than boiling furiously, I switch on FaceTime on...

@NelliePledge and @Invisible Woman, it struck me that it'd be quite hard to choose a specialised stool without trying it out for comfort and range of heights first. A quick search for local-ish suppliers of rehab and physio equipment yielded this company, which does sell saddle stools...

So changes to the way you do it could potentially help quite a bit – e.g., keeping your frequently used pans, crockery and seasoning as close to your work area as possible, and only going to the food cupboard and fridge once. It took me a while to learn to organise everything I eat regularly...