Daniel P Miller

Drugs! Erm, no, vitamins …

I like many people with CFS tend to take a cocktail of vitamins.  Hell, when I first got over the virus and got into the post-viral after effects, I looked for any supplement that said “this will aid your immune system” (or words to that effect) on the tin.

In a considered move two weeks ago, I decided to stop taking everything; multivits, zinc, vitamin C, all of it. My diet is pretty good - lots of fresh fruit and veg, so why bother?

Has it made a difference? Not one bit!  Haha …

No, being serious now, the whole life cycle of CFS/ME just puts your mind into a tailspin.  You constantly look for a solution, a way out, a way to improve just that tiny amount, and taking loads of vitamins is one easy way to believe you’re helping.  But ARE they really helping?  Might they be a placebo? 

Maybe the immune system needs to build its strength back up without being diluted by a load of supplements?

Who knows …

It’s the question marks that make this illness so debilitating.

Premier Cabria drum kit

There seems to be very little about this drum kit on the web, so I thought I’d post about it.  Note, this is the vanilla Cabria, not the XPK or anything newer that they do nowadays. 

Firstly, the specs: 5 piece - snare, three rack toms and the kick drum.  Premier stock cymbals (I think), all the usual hardware etc etc.  Mine is in a metallic blue with a nice gloss finish.  Everything else is chrome.

I bought mine in mint condition for £375 secondhand.  The guy I bought it from swapped the stock symbals for some Zildjian ZXT cymbals, so I can’t comment on the performance of the stock ones.  The kit is very easily assembled in no time and out of the box sounds reasonably good.  I spent a very long time tuning the snare to get a good sound and the toms I am still playing with even now to get a good tone.  To be honest though, I don’t really rate the Everplay stock skins (not that I’ve played much else) as the toms sound lifeless to me.  Step 1: replace the skins.

Another gripe is the floor tom bracket.  It tags on to the ride cymbal stand then holds the floor tom at an angle.  I call it a floor tom but actually it’s a little short of being deep enough to be a floor tom but anyway, it weighs too much for the bracket and you have to make do with it hanging lower than you may have liked.

The other tom holder goes in the kick drum and suspends the other two toms.  This holder is a lot more stable with less weight hanging from it, though having said that, the bolt broke on me.  Maybe I turned it too tight but either way, the key won’t lock on to the thread anymore.  Lesson here is go easy with the key tightening.

The hi-hat stand is ok, but I don’t rate the clutch, as the top hi-hat is easily dislodged no matter how tight you have it.  The pedals are a little rickety but do the job.

Being that the kick drum supplies the lows, you can be a bit less discerning when just starting out, so for my money, this is pretty good.  Sling some cushions in there and it makes a nice thud.  Great.

All in all a great kit bar a few niggles with the ride tom stand and the quality of the skins.  If you can pick one up secondhand and spend a little time tuning and/or replace the heads, you can’t go wrong.

My journey so far, the sacrifices, the prospects

I had a moment earlier where I was thinking about my prospects for the rest of the year and beyond. 

I also started thinking about the sacrifices I’ve made and what’s different in my life now compared to when I was 100% healthy. 

Also, what would I be doing now if I wasn’t so damn fatigued all of the time.  I came to an interesting conclusion …

Prospects

It really did dawn on my earlier that I could be in this for the long run. I’ve had a post viral ‘problem’ for a year and half now.  I steer clear from saying to anyone that I have ME/CFS etc, etc.  Largely because I’m probably in denial and still believe I will wake up tomorrow as right as rain.  If 100% was me at my worse, I guess I’ve made a 20% recovery up to now, which though is great, living life at 80% of your capabilities is not fun.  Ok, perhaps I’m underestimating my recovery figures due to being in the situation, but that’s where I believe I’m at.

As many will know, this is a long term illness - 10, 15, 20 years - a lifetime even people have this for.  So where does that leave me?  I guess the question is, if I felt like I did now in ten years, would that be ok?  The answer to that is yes, because it has to be yes.  What choice do I have in the matter?  Giving up would be suicide, and I don’t know about you guys, but there’s so much beauty in the world and great experiences to be had that I wouldn’t give up for anything.

I’m ok if I have CFS for 10, 15, 20 years, or even for the rest of my life.  I choose to accept that I have this illness.

Sacrifices

If I’m really honest about this, I’ve made no sacrifices at all, I just do less of what I used to do. I can’t think of one thing that I’ve given up since having this illness - I’ve been in a band that regularly gigs and rehearses, I still exercise, I still see friends, I still work (dropped a day a week), I still get immersed in music and my instruments on a daily basis, I still travel (our band went to the Alps for a tour back in February), I still see family, I still go shopping, I still eat a whole packet of biscuits when I really shouldn’t…  The list goes on :)

All of the above are made that much harder for feeling tired and fluey (you know the symptoms by now), but I STILL do them.

I accept that I do less of what I did before, yet I’m still able to do the things I love.

Things that have helped me

In no particular order except for number 1 :)

1) REST!
- Supportive friends and family
- A compassionate and flexible employer
- My Doctor and local support teams
- A determination to get better
- Self-help work on thoughts, worries, guilt, anxiety etc *
- Supplements (no proof whether these work but who knows) **

* I believe that self-help work is one of the best things you can do, and one of the most rewarding journeys too.  I had several episodes of anxiety, guilt etc, that I recognised weren’t helping me out. 

I can thoroughly recommend this book to anyone.

The title sounds drastic - don’t be put off by that.  It’s full of really good techniques to make you feel better about yourself from day to day.

** I tend to have quite high doses of Vitamin C and Zinc.  I also take multivit and from time to time fish oils and magnesium.

If you have any similar stories, comments, questions, share them!

ME Awareness Day

Today is ME awareness day.  Also known as Post Viral Fatigue, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and no doubt many other tags, ME affects over 250,000 people a year in the UK.  Even though so many people suffer from it, ask the man on the street and he probably wouldn’t know what it is.

Flea (Chili Peppers), Stevie Nicks and Cher are amongst many ‘celebs’ that have had the illness.  It is said that people who are go through severe trauma or stress are predisposed to the illness, but from my own experience, I can testify that viruses also can give way to CFS, as I caught a virus over a year and a half ago now that led to the symptoms that I’m feeling quite accutely now.

Some things that have helped me through so far have been: a supportive employer, music, understanding friends, understanding family and understanding people in general.

Surround yourself with positive and understanding people, tell yourself that you’re getting stronger everyday.  Most of all, stay positive.

Anonymous asked: Hi Daniel. Read your article about the Pro 17 earplugs. Are these for real or are you on a commission :-D. I have tried off the shelf £30 earplugs and it just sounds like you have your fingers in your ears, very dull and muffled. Do these really give you the clarity just at a lower volume ? I sing in a rock covers band. Regards Paul

Hey mate,

Haha - I wish!  They do give you the clarity at a lower volume and are much better than all the off the shelf plugs.  They are excellent for covers bands where the volume is high.  If you were to say you were in an acoustic band, then they would be no use to you, but since you’re into rock, I’d say they’re just what you’re looking for!

Live recording of ‘Firefly’ - The Jesse Dansons

Check out a live recording of one of tracks ‘Firefly’:

Player not working?  Click here: http://soundcloud.com/thejessedansons/fire-fly-live-jesse-dansons

Firefly - Live - Jesse Dansons by thejessedansons