CJD Panic

[louise123_uk]

Was just reading an article in the daily mail that has scared me alot! http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2055904/Could-face-return-CJD-Experts-fear-lie-dormant-thousands.html

I assumed that the CJD scare was over and that I was probs not at risk from this as it was so rare, but it seems that doctors think that there will be a new wave of infections happening as the disease can lay dormant for decades and decades and that the next wave of infections that emerge will show alot more cases :-s Am terrified Im a ticking timebomb as I used to eat burger from Mcdonalds all the time during the 90s when I was a child and am sure this would be the type of meat that would have had BSE

[countrygirl]

I too read the story and my first thought was oh dear this is not the story to read if you have ha. In theory anyone who ate meat before 1996 is equally at risk and there is absolutely nothing we can do about it, also everyone who has had any sort of surgery or blood tranfusion is at same risk as well.

I really think this is one time when there really is no use worrying about it as such a huge amount of the population is at same risk. I have also read that millions could have been exposed to it but you need a certain genetic flaw to actually develop the full blown vcjd which is why up to now there had not been so many developing the vcjd.

You are just as likely to be run over by a bus!

The daily mail health section is almost like alcohol to the alcoholic and none of us should read it:wacko:

[crystal17]

I agree countrygirl, I nearly didnt reply as I thought I might panic Louise more than actually help after reading the article but...as you say what can we do about this now? We are all at risk here in the UK and just have to try not to worry as only 1 in 4000 people are carrying the infection...which isnt that many people really in the grand scheme of things.

Yes the Daily FAIL health section has had me in a state of panic many times :ohmy:

[louise123_uk]

Thanks for the replies I know theres nothing I can do about the risks, I guess I just got a nasty shock realising there were still risks, I had thought that it would develop within about 10 years and that I therefore must be safe but hadnt realised it could be 20, 30 40 years till development and that docotrs are actually expecting a sudden expolsion in more cases :-s

To make matters worse for the first time ever I suddenly went incredibly dizzy last night so much so that I had to lie down and abandon last minute checks on an assignment I have to get into day for a course Im doing around work! Im trying to tell myself that I may just have felt dizzy as Ive been staying up very late recently working on the assignment and then having to get up for work 4 hrs later but dizziness and shaking also fits with CJD so Im panicking its the first signs lol, ooopps!

[rosi]

The Daily Mail is the same paper that predicted 660,000 would die from the swine flu. They take obscure medical reports and only report the juicy bits to scare the bejesus out of people because that's what that vile rag does. It likes to scare people. Their health section is laughable. Do not worry the risk of CJD is absolutely minimal.

[louise123_uk]

Have just typed in dizziness and CJD and apparently it is one of the first signs..... especially if it comes on out of the blue as mine has, am still feeling dizzy now even after a nights sleep :-(

p.s. I agree the daily mail is a very very bad paper for scare mongering!

[Jamesk]

Have just typed in dizziness and CJD and apparently it is one of the first signs..... especially if it comes on out of the blue as mine has, am still feeling dizzy now even after a nights sleep :-(

:) Louise you really made me smile - you could be me your thought processes are so close to my own.

I used to especially like cheap burgers, sausages etc so this is one of my "favourite" worries.

If you look around the site though you will see dizziness is a very very common symptom of folk here and I bet they haven;t all got CJD.

CJD is purpose built for people with HA sadly, so all we can try and do as others have said is take the view it is ine of those that there is no point worrying about.

You'll be fine.

[countrygirl]

Almost any symptom can fit with vcjd just like almost any symptom can fit a cancer or a untreatable neuro disease. My Dr once said that any symptom you google will fit with whatever you are worrying about as symptoms alone are not signs of an illness and this is what Drs are trained for, they distinguish between our symptoms and the signs that would lead them to suspect something serious, sadly we have not had 5 yrs training for this!

Dizziness is a good example, this symptom can be caused by anything from anxiety causing your neck muscles to tighten up to tiredness to low blood pressure right through to brain tumour and vcjd. BUT a Dr would look for signs, for example with vcjd or brain tumour you could have fits or behave very strangely whereas if you are dizzy with ear ache then chances are its your ear:D. This is what we as ha sufferers cannot do.

I would think the lack of sleep and the severe anxiety caused by reading this article is the only cause of your dizziness, as with anything if you keep getting it over next week then yes see a Dr but don't anticipate it as the anxiety of that will cause it to happen.

[louise123_uk]

Yeah, I know dizziness can be caused by alot of things so trying to persuade myself its not anything serious, still feeling incredibly dizzy and light headed, but dont have any other symptoms.... Do I need to see a doc for dizziness? I imagine my doc wont be interested unless its been going a while....