2024 Blog Data and Health Review

This is now my third post with an update of the blog and my heath data. Things have taken a little longer than last year, but I am there now. 

In terms of the blog update, I've updated the four pages as follows:

• Index - easy!
• Survey summary (my on-line research page) - this is still to do....

Blog statistics

This data has been updated, but I havent really paid much attention to it this year. The more popular posts follow the general pattern. It feels like I've had less energy for blogging in 2024 than previously, and my posts are generally up in the last days of the month. There were more symptoms updates and general posts, and less meetings and research posts. This reflects my general activities. 

• In 2024 I didnt run a survey. I reviewed the findings of the 10 surveys that I had previously done. There are issues with my e-mail service not permitting me to send e-mails with the number of contacts that I have, and I havent worked a solution out for this for any future surveys. This has likely generated less traffic to the blog. 
• I am posting less about posts on X an FaceBook. 
• The comments made about my mental health last year about 2023 also hold true for 2024, with possible influence on my writing style.

Health data (Symptoms timeline page)

The health data for 2024 shows a few interesting patterns:

• My weight is slightly down on 2023
• My alcohol level is similar to 2023
• My sleep duration is similar to 2023 
• The number of active minutes is similar to 2023
• My total number of steps is similar to 2023

I think this means that I'm now in my new normal. 2024 is generally similar to 2023, which was different from 2022 and earlier years. I have similar aspirations for 2025 - seeking to get my weight down and improve my cardiovascular health. In summary I need to keep up the exercise and pay more attention to what I'm eating and drinking.

There has been a big change on the mobility aids in 2024, I started using walking poles. My Physio changed my stretches from passive to active stretches. I will be keeping an eye out to see if this affects my shoe wear. My Neurologist was clear that I am starting to lose strength in some muscles, and I think this might be starting to show up in balance as well.

Back to Pilates, as I said last year, I'm having to improvise a few adaptions during classes for some movements. I am now more comfortable having a chair/wall/table near where I'm doing my Pilates to allow me to keep my balance more. The light touch on something else with my hand means I can focus on the movement that we're working on, and not also having to focus on my muscle weakness and balance.

Last year I said about considering myself as a disabled person. In my mind the poles and the blue badge make things much more apparent to onlookers, but I realise that I've had a distinctive gait for a few years.