Will UKS carry on in 2018?

[MaryAnne]

At this point it is very much up in the air.

I have had a shocking year. It is a long and complicated story, but the short overview is:

1. I was on statins after my minor heart attack a few years ago.
2. It was, apparently, a stupidly high dose, for very slightly raised cholesterol levels.
3. No Dr. I saw till I moved to Gillingham ever did the recommended blood tests that SHOULD accompany statin use. As a result my liver was affected and my CK levels were 30x what they should be before I had enough symptoms to question why I was feeling so crap (and stop just saying Damn I am getting OLD!)

The statins triggered a (they tell me) rare auto-immune condition that stopping statins does not reverse. It is possible (and now feels probable) that it is for life. Necrotizing autoimmune myopathy (NAM) just sounds FUN, doesn't it? NOT.

Fir far too long I have been as weak as a kitten, with my proximal muscles affected. I barely able to lift an empty dinner plate to pass across the table without it drifting down down down. I am unable to cross my legs without grabbing one and flinging it over the other. Luckily the muscle weakness had only just felt like it was affecting my breathing and swallowing before I was driven to the dr.

Crafters will picture the scenario - down on the floor of my craft room one day and unable to crank my Big Shot, and then almost unable to get up off the floor. The next day I was at the Dr.s saying WTF? Then it was just endless appointments and tests and visits to the rheumatologist and finally a diagnosis.

So that will explain, I hope, my shocking absence. Looking back I suspect I was feeling weak for a while, but just carried on, until I couldn't. And all of a sudden I was pretty much unable to do ANYTHING. It is only in the last week or two that I have started feeling a bit of my strength coming back (a combo of the physio and steroid shots) but still unable to take the more potent meds that MIGHT move things along faster cause my liver has not recovered (and THAT med affects, you guessed it, your liver. <sigh>)

So - my health and family life has to come first. I am happy to keep UKS going for those of you who still love it, with Scrapdolly and Mini Owner taking the lead but until they sort me out, IF they can, I won't be doing much. But open or shut, it depends on the sponsors really.

IF (and it is a big IF) I get enough sponsorship for UKS not to cost me anything (so I can cover the hosting, the bank charges, the insurance, the accountancy fees etc) then I will keep the doors open. If not, I will pay to keep the doors open for a few months so people can grab anything they feel they want to keep then turn out the lights.

I'm not entirely sure what I expect from this post I guess if you still love UKS and want it to stay, reply here and LMK. If you have shopping to do, and can do so at a sponsor shop, let them know you appreciate their support for UKS and that is why you shopped there! This is NOT a request that you click the DONATE button, nor a plea for clicks on ads. I am just trying to take the pulse of UKS before I send out sponsorship emails.

And even when I do that, it is possible that not enough sponsors feel they are getting the benefit from sponsoring UKS that they once did. So if you are reading this as a sponsor, do feel free to reply as well if you want to see UKS still open. I have pared the costs down to the absolute BONE, so I don't need as much as I once did. But I do need a bit

And if you think it is time to pull the plug, hey, don't be shy, I want to know that too!

[Claire59]

Wow, that illnesses sounds horrifying, just posting here to send you a hug and best wishes with your condition.
I quite understand if UKS had to stop but would be sorry to see it go.
If it will help I am happy to press the button and donate but will wait until decisions are made whether to stop, or not.

[Crafty Sandra]

(((((Hugs))))) you have and are going through so much. Fully appreciate why you would shut UKS BUT if you did I would miss it so much. Really enjoy setting and taking part in the challenges. Have made some lovely friends on here.

[Dan99]

So sad to hear of what you've been going through MA. Whatever happens with UKS, I hope that 2018 is a much better year for you.

[PinkPig1]

This was one of the first sites I came across on retiring and beginning to craft and so very useful and helpful so I would like it to continue. I refuse to join FB as I am not happy with the information FB can garner about you so a forum is ideal for me.

I had less severe symptons from taking statins for high cholesterol which masked my ankle arthritis so my surgery was delayed meaning I had to have a fusion rather than a new joint as the bones had detiorated too much so I have some idea of what you have been going through. It took a year to clear the statins from my body. A new doctor suggested as my cholesterol had risen from last year that I started taking them again but I have refused. Reading your experience reminded me of how weak I became. I do hope your quality of life can improve and you feel yourself again before too long.

[RED HEAD]

Oh dear Mary Anne, I do feel for you. Such a tough ordeal to go through.
Hope you are getting better day by day.
I would love UKS to continue. I would miss it terribly. I have made
some lovely friends on here, and would miss the chat that we have.
I have got so much inspiration from all the challenges, even if I don't
do them all. I do hope that it can keep going, but do understand that
your health comes first. Hope 2018 is a better year for you.
Ellie

[soojay]

So sorry to hear of such pain you are going though, I hope things do get better for you. ((((hug)))). I LOVE UKScrappers and am happy to help out in anyway I can . I DO shop with the sponsors and they are the first place i check for items. You will no doubt be glad to see the back of this year , so I hope that next year is so much better xxx

[Mary Buttons]

Oh Mary Ann I am so sorry to hear of all your troubles. I hope you can start to feel better very soon and reverse some of the damage done
I really get so much from UKS and dread the day it has to close but your health must come first

[janetlinda56]

I shall certainly miss UKS if it has to go, I don’t visit as much as I used to, things changed after I lost my husband, I don’t have as many photos to scrap now days, But family and your health come first.

[Susie.A]

Firstly, I am so sorry to hear what you've been going through MaryAnne. Having had M.E. for 28 years I know what it feels like to have to crawl to the bathroom, to weak to do literally anything, muscles not responding and even the slightest use of them setting you back weeks on end. The list goes on but for me, many years on, I found things which gradually helped with my health. You sound as though your body needs the time to recover to some degree before the other drugs can be used to help further. I am supposed to be on statins for a heart problem but knowing they can wreak such devastation on my already fragile muscles, puts me off trying them. One thing I did learn is to pace yourself. When you feel able to do a little, don't try to do more or you will set back any recovery and pacing means lying flat on your bed, no music, no reading, just resting. Then get up and do a little more, that way it will help the muscles not to lose any more strength and bit by bit will help strengthen them.

For me, UKS has been a lifesaver. Not being able to go out for a long time meant I found friends on here who were interested in things I loved. I would hate to see it go but having been extremely ill, I can't imagine how I would have done what you've done and in fact couldn't have as my brain wasn't working either so I couldn't have dealt with any of this.

You have been amazing to keep this going feeling the way you do. If financial support helps then I, like many, can donate especially if you have others to run the site and all that it involves. This is the first place I check when I get up and the last place I go to every night and I pop in and out all day long to see what everyone is up to. The people on here are a very special bunch and we have all made friends we wouldn't have without your hard work, so thank you for that and everything you have done for us.

Ultimately, the decision has to be yours and your health has to come first but if we can help then do let us know.x

[yiayia]

Hello MaryAnne.
How sorry I am to hear of all that you have been going through this past year. I hope that there will be a gradual improvement for you very soon but I realise this is very much a long term thing.
I shall watch now to see if you are in a position to carry on with the help of (hopefully many) other folk. If that is the case then I would be very willing to contribute to the cost even though I would be unable to help in any other way because my lifestyle at the moment is very hectic.
Whatever the outcome I must thank you and those around you for all the wonderful work you put into this site. I enjoy it so very much and would hate to see it go.
With very best regards - hugs and kisses to you all.

[janetlinda56]

MaryAnne, when you say Gillingham do you mean in Kent or Dorset, I am in Kent.

[elainevking]

Mary Ann! What a shocking tale and no end in sight. I’m so sorry to hear what you have been going through.
As to the future of UKS I would miss it terribly but you must put yourself first. If Karen and Sue are able to lift the burden for now and a donation is required, you only have to ask!
I have made so many friends here that I would be so upset if it closed and I am happy to do anything to help.
Hoping you’re feeling better soon

[TinkerHamilton]

What a shocking time you’ve been having. I hope things start to improve for you soon.

As to the future of UKS, I will be sorry to see it go. I have made so many good friends on here and I much prefer to chat with them in a forum than on FB. However, you must put your health first and foremost. As to funding, with numbers dwindling and sponsors not getting the return for their money, I would happily pay a monthly subscription to remain a part of it.

[Jolene]

Oh Mary Ann, what an awful year you have had, I hope you turn a corner soon, but do remember baby steps! Unfortunately it can be the problem with the long term prescription drugs many are metabolised by the liver or the kidneys causing damage long term, but shame on the drs for not doing the checks needed to keep you safe. I do hope next year is a better one for you and you and your family must come first.

I would be sad to see UKS close it’s doors and would be happy to donate or subscribe as FB isn’t quite the same! I love the community and the challenges and that advice can be sought and given. I also tend use the sponsors shops but not always through the link on UKS but if they are affiliate links like some blogs and UKS gets revenue I shall.