Community Spotlight - Curmudgeon

[EmilieT]

Happy Friday everyone!

It's time for the first Community Spotlight of the year, and today we'll be learning more about ... 

Curmudgeon 

Since he joined the forum last November, he has become a regular contributor around here. He answered a few of our questions to help you guys get to know him better but you can ask him some more in the below if you're curious about anything 

What’s your name and where are you from?

Leigh from Leeds, but I now live in The Midlands

Why did you join the O2 forum initially?

To find out about the network, it’s strengths, weaknesses & info on the Moto G5 I bought on a Black Friday deal

What do you like best about the Community?

@Glory1 because they too are a Good Wife / Good Fight fan!

Apple, Android or Windows?

Apple for phone, Android for tv shows (Metal Mickey anyone?) and Windows for a 90s gaming pc.. (Red Alert & Carmageddon) 

Favourite movie and/or TV Show?

Movies - Mary Poppins / The Sound of Music / Victor/Victoria 

TV - Wentworth Prison / Prisoner Cell Block H / The Good Fight 

Do you have any pets?

I’d love a pet, but with the amount of time I spend out of the house it would be unfair to leave him/her alone.

What is your favourite word?

GRIM

What is your zombie apocalypse plan?

Trip you up and leave you!  

What is your perfect pizza like?

Pepperoni, Chorizo and extra cheese please! 

Future developments in mobile tech you’re looking forward to?

I’m not looking forward to anything really. I just sit here amazed at the things people invent, but then find myself wondering why such simple ideas weren’t thought up &/or implemented sooner!

What do you like to do in your spare time, besides hanging out around here?

After getting rid of my car 11 years ago I began walking everywhere, but with dodgy feet I turned to biking instead.

I bought a hybrid for £65 from a friend. Covering 8000 miles in my first year meant I needed to save for a Road Bike, which I did. Up until last year I was accident free(near enough) but after 3 consecutive months of offs & a stay in hospital, I swapped it for an ex hire mountain bike. It took me a few months to outgrow that and now I’m currently waiting for my Cube Acid 2018 to be invisi-framed & built ready for my 1st reliability trial in June & a few off road races over the summer!

My other passion.. music.. it’s on 24/7. Madonna, Muse, Bette Midler, ELO, Fleetwood Mac, Steps, The 80s & 90s ..but none of that stuff the kids of today call music.. ugh .. 

Awesome stuff, thanks again @Curmudgeon for your answers!

Feel free to say hi or ask any follow-up questions in the comments, and have a lovely weekend everyone 

[Anonymous]

Omg... @Glory1 you think I've kept my sense of decorum.. LOLing.. Roger Cook did less reporting in his entire career than people do about my posts here! 

I can't say I've ever seen you post wildly/inappropriately/disrespectfully, but I guess that's a matter of perception. I know I see things as appropriate, but I'm soon getting a swift reminder from someone that it isnt (irl too)

I used to proofread everything, but by the time I was done.. it wasn't what I wanted to say and made even less sense. So now I just type and post, if people don't like.. pfft.. deal with it, or report me.. (we all know certain people are fond of crying to the staff, so why worry.. if it's that bad it'll get adjusted anyway)

You're right about these conditions.. I've never met someone exactly the same as me & each have their own coping strategies. Medication is fantastic, but I'm not sure it's a good way to treat mental health conditions, sleeping pills are fine but the stuff they try to shove down you to bend your mind back to 'normal,' I feel, is wrong. Too many variations of each condition to stick you on a certain medication. Which is why I don't take them any more, unless I'm forced to 😖

You say you're not social, it's funny that.. because all I see is social. You're articulate, sometimes funny, always interesting, caring, sharing and your posts are a delight to read!

And before you say, 'yes but this is only a forum' no it's not just a forum, it's a message board, a help forum, a life line & a place of worship (think @viridis+ Sony 😁)

The internet is great, you can be yourself (Or someone else) knowing you'll never have to face those people.. EVER, unless you choose to. For me that's a security blanket, I can be me and not have to worry about looking any of you in eye. You know how it is, you've spilled your innermost thoughts and feeling to someone and then when you meet them you're desperately looking at them for the signs of rejection and disappointment.. you've seen it before millions of times, I know I have..

Thing is, now I've got to (internet) know a few of you.. I can't wait to pedal to Warwickshire, Lancashire, West Yorkshire & London (& others who've not posted location details) to see if these people are as wonderful as they seem! (A danger of the net.. expectations!!)

Anyway I've harped on for long enough on many a tangent.  irl you'd have all dropped off or run off by now.. I love my soapbox!

[Cleoriff]

Only one comment about your 'soapbox' @Anonymous...

You replied to @Glory1 and I think you meant to mention @Anonymous instead....

[Anonymous]

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@Cleoriff wrote:

Only one comment about your 'soapbox' @Anonymous...

You replied to @Glory1 and I think you meant to mention @Anonymous instead....

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Thank you @Cleoriff ... I didn't like to say 

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@Cleoriff wrote:

Only one comment about your 'soapbox' @Anonymous...

You replied to @Glory1 and I think you meant to mention @Anonymous instead....

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Thank you @Cleoriff ... I didn't like to say 

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Why not.. speak up woman!

Sincere apologies all round.. seems there is a need for proofreading 

[Cleoriff]

Proof reading? No worries @Anonymous...I did that job for you

[Cleoriff]

@AnonymousJust want to pick up on one part of your post...

You're right about these conditions.. I've never met someone exactly the same as me & each have their own coping strategies. Medication is fantastic, but I'm not sure it's a good way to treat mental health conditions, sleeping pills are fine but the stuff they try to shove down you to bend your mind back to 'normal,' I feel, is wrong. Too many variations of each condition to stick you on a certain medication. Which is why I don't take them any more, unless I'm forced to.

I have to disagree with that  (particularly the part in red). I did 3 years in a psychiatric assessment unit and the range of medication available for BPD is vast. The right way to go is by trial and error. By that I mean trying a selection of meds and finding the right combination for YOU.

For some people the correct 'cocktail' is found easily, for others it takes time.

(As you say, each person is different)

The purpose of medication is NOT to return anyone to normal. (What the hell is normal?)

It's to assist the individual to cope more easily with the highs and lows of BPD.

Let's face it, if people have an infection, one antibiotic wont help, whereas another one would.

A diabetic can be treated with insulin, OR medication, OR diet.

It's the same with any medical condition....

Obviously you will do the best thing for you.

Coping strategies are great...sometimes made better with the help of medication.

[Anonymous]

I agree to a degree, but doctors expect yes or no answers to questionnaires, definitive answers to questions there's no way I can answer and results in weeks, not years. Now that's partly down to a lack of funding in the NHS, the lack of time to see patients and numerous other factors which I won't go into here.
For years I've been trying different potions and I've only ever found one (Risperidone) which almost made me human again. Unfortunately one of the side effects was life changing and I had to stop taking it.
Another reason, one health professional gives one diagnosis & the next says different..(i dont think I've ever seen the same consultant / registrar/ F2 more than once) that's all well & good but when they've been feeding you pills to fix one thing, but then the diagnosis changes.. so do the pills... im left wondering what I've been sticking into my body and why.
Mental health will always be a difficult thing to diagnose / medicate but until there's a better understanding we're just guinea pigs. (Well I was, I'm not any more)