Social Isolation and This

My read on the article is it seemed to imply that the chemical interactions of our inflammatory responses, specifically glucocorticoid response elements, may also have significant behavioral component, resulting in social isolation. Therefore, social isolation might not only be a result of the painful and fatigue inflammatory effects of PMR, but also a direct effect of the biochemistry which results in PMR.

To answer your question about "self imposed,": I have misanthropic tendencies, which manifest now in self imposed isolation. That has not been the case in my entire life, much more pronounced since my second PMR bout at 64. Although I have always been highly critical of The Human Endeavor. Our audacity astounds me.

That passage may suggest a chemical root to my self isolation, and answer to my behavior. I post this topic to see if there is some consistency of this among my fellow PMR travelers.

Additionally, I take 1 mg of pred, and feel pretty well, notwithstanding the doc's recommendation for knee replacement, which I am procrastinating.

Yikes on the weather front, Freezing Rain in Scotland! Yikes. Sorry.

Thanks, Silver.

Dan

I know at the beginning of PMR I didn't feel like making an effort and just wanted to be indoors partly due to the pain and fatigue. I suspect there is a direct effect of the biochemistry. I am normally an optimist but even I have felt a bit down and flat but I put it down to the steroids. Perhaps I have been wrong and it's been the PMR.

I had ME about 30 years ago and it had a similar effect though I forced myself to go to work but struggled and was done when I got home. Our power is still on though there have been warnings out. I don't think we will have anything like the your country but thank you for your kind words.

" am normally an optimist but even I have felt a bit down and flat but I put it down to the steroids. Perhaps I have been wrong and it's been the PMR."

Or even more likely the B-word. It is the source of great distress to me. Thank goodness I'm here - but what if Italy decides to chuck us out as persons of a 3rd country?

You could be right. It is so depressing and all that money could have been ploughed in to the NHS. It'll be a different budget, of course. Don't get me started, Eileen. It's very concerning as we have some wonderful workers from the EU and they have left and others face uncertainty too. Is your position in Italy likely to be precarious? I realise there is uncertainty for you. I wondered how health care would work but am I correct in thinking you will have some private health insurance? It's a mess to put it politely.

No, no private at all, that's a French thing for everyone, Where we live is next thing to the NHS except if you have a total household income above 35,000 euros you have co-pays. But they aren't major and are tax deductible. We could claim them back from Newcastle but have never bothered. I don't mind paying some - and it should be introduced to the NHS. You get exemptions for chronic illness and low income - except PMR isn't included! GCA is...

Wasn't bothered really except this current gubmint here is a bit "Italians first" with the populist vote so could decide we need a more complex residence approval - but the first thing we did after the referendum was put in our paperwork for permanent residency which was granted in a breath. OH already has his Italian pension, all 40 euros a month, but that includes medical cover so he's got no problem there. I get my pension (10 euros!) and medical card at 67 but that's not until September 1st at present as the pension age is set to rise sometime about now. HOWEVER - this gubmint wants to stop that increase in age limit so I would be entitled immediately - but will they have sorted it by the end of March? Or will Brussels stop them - I think Italy want to reduce it to where it was but Brussels is saying it will cost too much and increase the Italian deficit - they also want to introduce a minimum income of 780 euros for all unemployed and that WOULD be pricey. But the unemployment problem is partly because of suddenly increasing the pension age for women from 60 to 65 overnight, and then to 67. For 7 years there have been next to no women retiring - doesn't anyone think of these effects? It was silly before though - some civil servants could retire in their 40s and start a new career getting pension AND salary!

OH is entitled to pension and medical cover from Germany too and that would cover me - though I think we would have to pay contributions which tend to be considerable. But we enquired here and we can pay the contributions I would pay as self-employed ourselves, about 300 euros a month I think for healthcare and towards pension so that would go up slightly by September too. There is no wonder the UK has problems - I used to pay less than £10 a month for the same in the UK unless I had a really good month for work!

The problem for EU workers in the UK is that working anywhere in the EU and making contributions to any country counts in the years accrued for pension at home. Here, and in Germany at least, you can get your pension after 42 years of contributions which is often sooner than the age limit. So they could work in the UK and then go home as they got older and still collect their state pensions - most of which are far better than the pittance in the UK. OH gets not quite a full pension from the UK - he was "opted out" because of the NHS thing - and almost half as much again from Germany based on 7 years there! But the contributions are much higher. You only get what you pay for!

There is someone on the HU forum who is a rabid Brexiter - based on utter ignorance. This morning she was alleging that "if the UK stays in the EU they'll have to join the euro ... and they will bring back national service". As long as people believe that sort of lying propaganda what chance is there?

Thank you, Eileen , for your comprehensive reply. I wrote a lengthy one in return and it has vanished.

What rubbish the Brexiter speaks and as you say people believe it. There are many of them about.......and in high places. Even the newspaper today seemed full of Brexit.

I'm looking for a centrally heated cave away from it all. Some good books and enough wine to do me 'til it's over!!!

If you find one let me know and I'll bring the wine! Providing it isn't in deepest Scotland - our few days in Dundee in October were enough to remind OH how chill it is, having thought we could consider living there...

I shall. That sounds like a good deal. It's certainly cold here and the snow is crisp.

Despite the Eurosport UK skiing commentator insisting there was snow forecast for tonight at home it is being said there is little chance of a white Christmas. We'll see...

I have mixed emotions about a white Christmas because of family and others travel plans at this time. I think we probably won't have snow at Christmas.

I don't imagine there was a White Chrismas in Palestine c. 4 BC or whenever it was Jesus was supposed to have been born. 😀

Christmas. Where's my edit button?

They would have needed snow shoes if there was!!!!

There could have been - there are ski runs in Lebanon just to the north and snow does lie on the Golan Heights! Especially in January/February but it is generally accepted he wasn't born on 25th December. OTOH, shepherds don't watch their sheep at that time of year either...

"Israel and Palestine. ... During January and February, precipitation may take the form of snow at the higher elevations of Israels central highlands, especially in the Golan heights, but also around Jerusalem. In some Winters snowfall can be quite heavy, but never lasts very long."

Google "does it snow in Palestine! to get a load of links to media reports and images for snow around Jerusalem.

It appears this date wasn't noted until the 4th century.

Thought it was even later...