Does self building improve health?

[TerryE]

When we finished our house last December, I was mentally exhausted, and physically fit but tired.  I am also a largely recovered Chronic Fatigue sufferer.  (This is similar to being an alcoholic: there is no such thing as a recovered CFS patient; once you've had it, then it will recur if you recreate the right conditions.)  So I suspect that the main consequence of all this long term stress was that my immune system got suppressed.  This year I have been pretty continually ill.  Cold; Hand Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD); another cold; going to nasty bronchitis; start of pneumonia; antibiotics; a bitch of a systemic candida infection that has collapsed my energy levels.  I am still largely bedbound, and still struggling to get over it.

 

So I've paid quite a price for all of he mental strain.   I regret that I didn't proactively manage the stress better: never allow the build to be all consuming; be hard about scheduling in a couple of days a week away from the build and take proper holidays to charge the batteries; be realistic about timescale.

 

This all being said, do I regret building the house?  Never at any time.  It was the best thing that we did.  We will have all of the benefits for the rest of our lives, and I will hopefully get over this illness in a month or so.

Edited May 16, 2018 by TerryE

[ToughButterCup]

1 minute ago, TerryE said:

[...] I will [...] get over this illness in a month or so.

 

Yes Terry, you will. How about a little trip to Greece? That should put some more goodness into your system

[epsilonGreedy]

13 minutes ago, recoveringacademic said:

Why not continue your holiday by choogling up the M6 and mixing some parge coat for me? When that's done there's... and there's... and after that ....

 

 

How steep are the tuition fees at your hands-on academy and is your parge coating course eligible for a Government student loan?

[ToughButterCup]

☺️

[daiking]

1 hour ago, recoveringacademic said:

 

Yes Terry, you will. How about a little trip to Greece? That should put some more goodness into your system

 

I’m not sure how witnessing the destruction of a country by an EU superstate is in any way de-stressing?

[ToughButterCup]

The sun and the cicadas have a way of switching you off......

[joe90]

1 hour ago, TerryE said:

When we finished our house last December, I was mentally exhausted, and physically fit but tired.  I am also a largely recovered Chronic Fatigue sufferer.  (This is similar to being an alcoholic: there is no such thing as a recovered CFS patient; once you've had it, then it will recur if you recreate the right conditions.)  So I suspect that the main consequence of all this long term stress was that my immune system got suppressed.  This year I have been pretty continually ill.  Cold; Hand Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD); another cold; going to nasty bronchitis; start of pneumonia; antibiotics; a bitch of a systemic candida infection that has collapsed my energy levels.  I am still largely bedbound, and still struggling to get over it.

 

So I've paid quite a price for all of he mental strain.   I regret that I didn't proactively manage the stress better: never allow the build to be all consuming; be hard about scheduling in a couple of days a week away from the build and take proper holidays to charge the batteries; be realistic about timescale.

 

This all being said, do I regret building the house?  Never at any time.  It was the best thing that we did.  We will have all of the benefits for the rest of our lives, and I will hopefully get over this illness in a month or so.

 

Terry, so sorry to hear of your state of health, I am sure others like me wish you a speedy recovery and being more able to enjoy your new build. Another good example of shared knowledge that this forum provides, look after your health and recognise when things are going wrong. Life ain’t easy.

[Bitpipe]

12 minutes ago, daiking said:

 

I’m not sure how witnessing the destruction of a country by an EU superstate is in any way de-stressing?

 

Well it beats watching it happen by the country itself  (grabs tin hat and runs for shelter....)

 

Life is stressful, there will always be something to keep you awake at night

 

My personal mantra is to see if there is anything I can actively do about the situation. if no, stop worrying - it's not helping. If yes, start doing it.

 

It's a bit trite but I've sat in corporate training with leading sports psychologists who get paid £££££ to work with world class teams and individuals and that's pretty much what their advice boils down to, along with 'remember the times you achieved something special'. simple tricks that work I suppose.

[DeeJunFan]

My self build health status. 

 

Fatter

Balder

Greyer

More anxious

Stressed

Wrists Fooked

Ankles Fooked

Knees Fooked

Faith in humanity severely damaged (apart from the people on here)

 

Apart from that i'm in great shape. 

[jack]

2 hours ago, TerryE said:

Cold; Hand Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD); another cold; going to nasty bronchitis; start of pneumonia; antibiotics; a bitch of a systemic candida infection that has collapsed my energy levels.  I am still largely bedbound, and still struggling to get over it.

 

Have you ever looked into eating fermented foods such as kefir, sauerkraut, etc? Supposed to be good for people who've been through antibiotics and have yeast infections.

[TerryE]

2 hours ago, recoveringacademic said:

Yes Terry, you will. How about a little trip to Greece? That should put some more goodness into your system

 

Could agree more, but the catch-22 about the place we bought is that Alonissos isn't that easy to get to, so the upside is that it hasn't been totally wrecked by tourism, but the downside is that out of season the trip is usually a couple of days because of stop overs.  Even in season when to can get a direct flight to an island a couple of ferry stops from, it is still a very long day's travel.  All a bit of a strain if you can hardly walk  ?

[ToughButterCup]

There's an interesting  doctorate in here somewhere:    The pathology of Self Build Stress; towards active coping mechanisms.

[Onoff]

1 hour ago, jack said:

 

Have you ever looked into eating fermented foods such as kefir, sauerkraut, etc? Supposed to be good for people who've been through antibiotics and have yeast infections.

 

Kimchi too.

[jack]

1 hour ago, Onoff said:

Kimchi too.

 

Yup. All covered by the "etc" 

[ToughButterCup]

Got Debbie making me our own sauerkraut now: proper job, gets yer teeth tingling

[Onoff]

1 hour ago, jack said:

 

Yup. All covered by the "etc" 

 

I really think kimchi stands on its own...as in could grow legs and walk!

[MikeGrahamT21]

On 16/05/2018 at 10:38, TerryE said:

When we finished our house last December, I was mentally exhausted, and physically fit but tired.  I am also a largely recovered Chronic Fatigue sufferer.  (This is similar to being an alcoholic: there is no such thing as a recovered CFS patient; once you've had it, then it will recur if you recreate the right conditions.)  So I suspect that the main consequence of all this long term stress was that my immune system got suppressed.  This year I have been pretty continually ill.  Cold; Hand Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD); another cold; going to nasty bronchitis; start of pneumonia; antibiotics; a bitch of a systemic candida infection that has collapsed my energy levels.  I am still largely bedbound, and still struggling to get over it.

 

So I've paid quite a price for all of he mental strain.   I regret that I didn't proactively manage the stress better: never allow the build to be all consuming; be hard about scheduling in a couple of days a week away from the build and take proper holidays to charge the batteries; be realistic about timescale.

 

This all being said, do I regret building the house?  Never at any time.  It was the best thing that we did.  We will have all of the benefits for the rest of our lives, and I will hopefully get over this illness in a month or so.

 

I know just too well how bad infections of both bacterial and fungal can be, my wife being immune deficient has suffered most of her life with both, and with candida from the age of 2 (shes now 31). I assume you will be on drugs for it? Fluconazole perhaps? If you are under the hospital for your health problems, speak to them about IV anti-fungals, as they can blast candida in a couple of days, but make sure they do swabs beforehand for sensitivities. Caspofungin and Anidulafungin are the 2 most common IV treatments, should get you back on your feet in no time, both are a 2 week course, and we do them as an outpatient, via our Out Patients Antibiotic Service, though this may well be unique to our area.

 

Whilst we are talking Fungus, can I make each and everyone of you aware of the dangers of Aspergillus. Personally i'd never heard of it before, but it lurks in the building fabric, and in great quantities in old insulation, so ensure you wear a mask at all times, Primarily it only affects people who are unwell, immune deficient, or undergoing treatment such as chemo which weakens the immune system, but normal healthy people can also get it, and it can kill. My wife contracted this last year (november), and has been unable to get shut of it ever since, despite being on aggresive treatment for it. So there you go, you've been warned!

 

In terms of a more natural approach to candida, we did this diet when trying to conceive many years ago, and it did seem to work, it is however very strict: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Erica-Whites-Beat-Candida-Cookbook/dp/0722538561/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1526552053&sr=8-1&keywords=erica+white+candida+cookbook

 

Hope some of this helps!

[Cpd]

@MikeGrahamT21 nice info mate thanks for sharing. 

[Onoff]

The flip side to all this is that there is a school of thought says we are in fact too clean. From the sanitised food we eat to what we scrub our skin with.

 

Certain types of "mud" can seemingly treat and beat drug resistant bacteria.

[joe90]

9 minutes ago, Onoff said:

The flip side to all this is that there is a school of thought says we are in fact too clean. From the sanitised food we eat to what we scrub our skin with.

 

Certain types of "mud" can seemingly treat and beat drug resistant bacteria.

I agree, I think a lot of alergies and medical issues are due to a sanitised world. Someone I know Is forever wiping surfaces with antibacterial wipes and keeping her daughter away from anything dirty. The daughter is always at the doctors with something or another and the mother is always asking for drugs for her. Children need to build their immune system by catching bugs and learning to deal with them. I once read an American paper that found children born naturally were less likely to develop medical problems over those born by ceaserian . Rant over ?

[Onoff]

3 hours ago, MikeGrahamT21 said:

In terms of a more natural approach to candida, we did this diet when trying to conceive many years ago, and it did seem to work, it is however very strict: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Erica-Whites-Beat-Candida-Cookbook/dp/0722538561/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1526552053&sr=8-1&keywords=erica+white+candida+cookbook

 

Hope some of this helps!

 

Pretty sure I only put on weight after a run of antibiotics for dental issues and a mass dose of the things when we too had issues conceiving.

 

Up until then I was as skinny as a rake and had grown up playing in the woods & around animals etc. No allergies either.

[MikeGrahamT21]

Absolutely, we are certainly over using anti bacterial agents.

 

Bacteria in the soil are in a constant battle with each other, survival of the fittest and all, and they develop new chemicals in order to knock the other bacteria back, those chemicals are then turned in to our antibiotics. Some bacteria however, our bodies just cannot fight, pseudomonas being one of them, it has evolved a complex biofilm in order to evade and resist attack. I used to think that the bacteria came out of this 'shell' to feed, however upon further research it turns out it actually uses the biofilm for nutrition transfer, amazing stuff but very scary when it resides in your wifes lungs! The bacteria even releases enzymes to break down antibiotics before they can work, for pseudomonas this is carba-penum resistance to drugs such as meropenum .Because of this complex biofilm, our bodies immune system doesn't recognise it as an enemy, and allows the bacteria to evolve colonies.

 

One of the worst things for all of this, is of course the over use of antibiotics in animals, which of course feeds through to us, so we constantly have a small amount of the antibiotics in us, giving the bacteria just enough to learn, and evolve.

Edited May 17, 2018 by MikeGrahamT21

[MikeGrahamT21]

1 minute ago, Onoff said:

 

Pretty sure I only put on weight after a run of antibiotics for dental issues and a mass dose of the things when we too had issues conceiving.

 

Up until then I was as skinny as a rake and had grown up playing in the woods & around animals etc. No allergies either.

All to do with the natural gut flora being disturbed so i've been hearing recently, so it does make sense.

[TerryE]

I've had my liver function tests done a couple of times, and all clear.  I am taking oral flucanozole which has at least cleared the worst of the oral, larynx, tracea and upper oesophagus of candida, as well as the canidemia.  I've also switched to a ketatonic diet for the next month or two: human metabolism has two pathways: glycolysis and ketosis; yeasts only the former -- so this will starve the bastards out.

 

Oh yes, and I am definitely HIV -ve.  My GP insisted that I take the test for "elimination purposes" with the not so implicit threat that I would be flagged as a non-cooperating patient if I didn't. I won't go into the backstory but this made no rational sense.

[Jeremy Harris]

32 minutes ago, Onoff said:

The flip side to all this is that there is a school of thought says we are in fact too clean. From the sanitised food we eat to what we scrub our skin with.

 

Certain types of "mud" can seemingly treat and beat drug resistant bacteria.

 

 

I agree too, and was chatting with a retired nurse a few weeks ago (who specialised as a dietician) and she is of exactly the same view.  There's a fair bit of evidence that our immune system needs to be challenged, especially as it's developing, in order to function well. 

 

There's a link here to gut flora too, as those with a more diverse range of bacteria in their gut tend to be healthier than those who have a gut that is closer to being a monoculture.  There was an article on the BBC website a while ago (here: http://www.bbc.com/news/health-43728319 ) that covers this, and also touches on fermented foods.