u/tomwaitsgoatee

Seems like an interesting route but would appreciate any thoughts from those that have done it. Is wild camping possible, or are campsites a better choice? The advice says 92 miles in 9 days, but I imagine it can be done quicker than that.

My mate has pulled out at the last minute and I'd hate to see it go to waste. Drop me a DM if you want to go and I can transfer you the ticket.

Edit: gone!

I have a super small and quick job that I need doing for my bicycle. Happy to pay for it!

TL;DR at the bottom

35M. 

6 ft 4 inches / 193cm

13 stone 10 / 192lbs / 87kg

In May 2024 I was 7 months into a work from home desk job, prior to that I'd been in a more active role where I was frequently on my feet and up and down stairs all day. I attempted to keep active despite now being tied to a desk for 40 hours a week, and did long (7+ mile) hikes almost every weekend, as well as some light gym workouts throughout the week. Mainly I was looking to build stamina and lose fat, so I wasn't trying to build muscle or get ripped. 

I'd never been a runner (other than the treadmill) before, but started going for runs during lunch breaks and could manage a 5K in 30 minutes. On my 4th run I noticed a sudden pain behind my right knee, and assumed I'd tweaked something. After a couple of weeks with no improvement, I started to seek medical advice. Over the next year I saw a sports therapist, 2 osteopaths, and a physiotherapist, all of which diagnosed different things and none of which helped. During this time the dull ache behind my knee fluctuated, but was persistent, and soon the left knee joined in as well. 

Eventually I got in with an NHS physio who very quickly identified the issue as weak glutes, and ascribed the knee pain to patellofemoral pain syndrome, which definitely seemed to make sense as I couldn't squat on one leg steadily at all. 

After months of slow and consistent work the pain did lessen by doing the strengthening exercises they recommended. However, I was still in a desk job, and so was limited in the amount of movement I could manage throughout the day. Still, the pain resolved by about 70%. 

It's worth noting that due to other health issues (chronic acid reflux), I had to temporarily stop going to the gym and doing my exercises around the start of April.

At the end of April this year, I started a new job. This one is much more active and I'm on my feet all day. I hit 10k steps almost every day. My physio was very confident that this would help me get over the edge and remove the last 30% of discomfort. For 3 weeks that seemed to be the case, and my knees improved massively, perhaps up to 90% cured. I eve made plans to finally go back up a mountain, something which I've deeply missed. 

Then, seemingly overnight, both knees just fell apart. It started as intense discomfort behind both knee caps, which came on after 2 days spent painting walls, some of which was naturally spent sitting on the floor. The week prior to that involved a lot of heavy lifting, though about 4 days had passed since then before the pain returned.

It's now been 3 weeks and the knee pain is the worst it's been for at least a year, perhaps ever. The pain fluctuates throughout the day and is very unpredictable, sometimes one knee is worse then the other, sometimes only one hurts, sometimes they both do. It feels like a dull ache behind the kneecap, accompanied by tightness in the knee, calf, and glutes, plus a tingling/pins and needles in both knees and feet. Rolling my glutes/IT band with a cork ball seemed to help briefly, but now my ankles also hurt (though rarely at the same time as the knees, if that makes sense. The pains seems to switch between them). 

Sitting for long periods definitely makes it worse, whereas walking/standing helps in the moment, though once I sit down it doesn't take long to return. Going up stairs is ok, but squats are definitely uncomfortable. 

There is no stiffness first thing in the morning. If anything, when I first wake up is the time they feel the best, but as soon as I get up the discomfort returns. 

I have had acupuncture done 4 or 5 times and seen no relief. I have had blood tests done to rule out a systemic issue, which returned all clear except for lowish B12 levels (now taking supplements) and a mild inflammation. There is no visibe swelling and mechanically the knees are sound.

I'm booked in to see my physio again tomorrow, but thought it might be useful to come here and see if anyone has any ideas about what the hell could be going on? I really thought that becoming more active would fix the issue, and it almost did, but now I've massively back slid and can't even be sure what is causing the pain and tingling. 

Could it be that not going to the gym for a while weakened my glutes again, and then increasing my activity has flared the patellofemoral pain syndrome? I'm really concerned by the tingling, as that's a new symptom and seems like a nerve issue (although the acupuncturist said that's what healing feels like. It's been 3 weeks though so I'm not sure I buy it). My GP has mentioned the possibilty of rheumatoid arthritis, which scares the hell out of me. There's no history of it in my family though, and I'm still young(ish). 

I'd truly appreciate any help, advice, or suggestions you could give. The past 2 years have been so difficult and limiting with this constant pain, and to be so close to feeling ok and then losing it all has had a massive impact on my mental health. I'm depressed, anxious, and really struggling to keep it together. I just want a day where I don't hurt. 

If you've made it all this way, thank you much.

TL;DR

35M, 6'4", 87kg. Developed pain behind the right knee after starting running in May 2024 following a switch from an active job to a desk job. Left knee later became affected too.

Saw multiple practitioners with no success until an NHS physio diagnosed weak glutes and patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS).

Strengthening exercises improved symptoms by ~70%, but had to stop exercising in April due to acid reflux issues.

Started a much more active job at the end of April (10k+ steps/day), and knees improved to about 90% better.

After a period of painting walls and some heavy lifting, both knees suddenly flared up and are now worse than they've been in over a year, along with a new tingling/pins and needles symptom.

Current symptoms:

Dull ache behind both kneecaps

Tightness in knees, calves, and glutes

New tingling/pins and needles in knees and feet

Symptoms move around and vary throughout the day

Pattern:

Worse with prolonged sitting and squats

Better while walking/standing

No morning stiffness, swelling, or instability

Tests/treatment:

Acupuncture didn't help

Blood tests normal except mildly low B12 and mild inflammation

Main concerns:

Is this a PFPS flare caused by stopping glute exercises and increasing activity?

Could the new tingling indicate nerve involvement?

GP mentioned rheumatoid arthritis, which has scared the hell out of me.

I've been working through In Paradise, and have enjoyed books 1 and 2. However, I've only got a short way into book 3 and am struggling with the context of the story. I'm not really a fan of dystopian narratives, especially ones set in the very near future and based around catastrophic viral outbreaks and climate change. It all just feels too real, and the anxiety it induces detracts from my enjoyment of the book.

My question is, is it worth continuing with the final part of the novel? I enjoy Yanagihara's writing and absolutely detest the idea of not finishing a book that I've started, but if it's just going to be bum me out for several hundred pages I'm not sure it's worth it. The first 2 books still had messages of hope in them (albeit potentially naïve), if this can be found in book 3 I'll keep going. If it's just a story of suffering through societal collapse, I'll leave it.

Thanks in advance, and no spoilers please!

I'm just wondering if there's anyone here who's been in a similar situation to me that might be willing to have a conversation and share their experiences?

For context, I became a pescetarian 29 years ago, and went full vegetarian 12 years ago. I've had very few issues in that time, until recently, where I've developed a number of seemingly unexplainable health concerns. Doctors have run tests and I've been cleared of anything nasty, so it's looking like the issue is potentially some kind of deficiency or imbalance. My blood tests revealed a low (but not technically deficient) B12 level, so I'm taking supplements for that. Aside from that, all clear.

Symptoms include: chronic pain in my knees (2 years and counting, no physio can figure it out), chronic acid reflux (prescription PPIs help but don't make it go completely), unilateral pulsatile tinnitus, brain fog/poor memory/concentration issues, mouth ulcers, muscle spasms/aches, fatigue, increased anxiety and depression.

My question is whether anyone here has gone from long term vegetarianism to eating fish, and has found that their health in any of these areas (or others) has improved as a result? I'm not expecting a miracle cure, but if I can get relief from any of these things it would be a huge positive, and I'd really appreciate hearing from people who have had similar journeys.

Thanks in advance!

As the title says really, I'm interested in finding a violin teacher who does face to face, private lessons in the Chester area for a complete beginner.