mossappreci8or

what does the name mean? my = muscle. algic = pain. encephalo = brain. myel = spinal cord. itis = inflammation.

ME is classed by the WHO as a neurological disease. the Decode ME study found immune and neurological genetic markers in its analysis of 15,000 subjects.

ME is more complex than just fatigue. many experts and patients dislike the old name ‘chronic fatigue syndrome’ because fatigue is only one part of the condition, and it’s the least unique trait.

the most unique trait is post exertional malaise, where, 24-72 hours after any exertion outside the patient’s limits, there’s a peak of worsening and new symptoms affecting multiple bodily systems. PEM often involves immune activation, such as sore throat and a low fever, and a loss of muscle recovery after exertion, measurable through CPET testing. (normal muscle recovery takes 200 mins, but muscle recovery in ME takes days, with some patients taking longer than a year to recover from a single exertion.)

ME can range from mild to profoundly severe. these severity levels are only within the context of ME, not general illness; ‘mild’ ME is still a severe illness as it includes a 50% loss of functioning. ‘mild’ ME can feature debilitating pain and complex symptoms and can turn basic activities of daily living into a marathon.

severe ME is (naturally) even more physically limiting than mild ME. people with severe ME are largely bedbound and only rarely able to leave their room in a wheelchair, and usually can’t perform their own care tasks, needing help dressing, washing, and eating.

in very severe ME, the person may be unable to leave bed at all and may not be able to speak, swallow, roll over, sit up, read, or be exposed to light or noise, for years or decades.

ME has a measurably lower quality of life than any other illness studied, including cancer and stroke.

I was unknowingly working on a 35 foot long blanket for years

I started a blanket 10 years ago and put it down shortly after starting. It was on 30” circulars and I just kept casting on until I couldn’t fit anymore stitches. I was new to the hobby so I figured it would just be “blanket sized.”

I picked it back up about 6 months ago determined to finally finish this thing. I transferred it to 60” circulars to give myself more working space, and during that transfer I counted 450ish stitches, but that would just be a big king sized blanket right? So I kept going. But after about 9 balls of yarn and only 2 feet in length finished, I gave up and decided I would just crochet the blanket instead.

Halfway through my crocheted version, I ran out of yarn and made the sad decision to frog the knitted project for salvage yarn. After removing the circular needles, I thought it’d be interesting to see how wide the blanket actually was.

After straightening it all out I stared at my work, utterly dumbfounded, that I had been working on a 35 foot wide blanket this whole time. I am SO GLAD I did not finish this project as I would’ve cried at the monster I had brought into the world.

tl;dr - You should really pay attention to the size reference chart on your yarn and count the stitches when free-handing as a newbie.

And finally, the blanket:

Audio: A recording of Leonard Nimoy reading it on Internet Archive.

Text: A PDF version.

i’m talking this shit. streaky high contrast staining, inappropriately substantial, waxy finish and do NOT forget the wood turned spindles

Blackberries in Green Grapponia - CajsaStina Åkerström , 2021.

Swedish , b. 1967 -