Stuart Briggs

Living with sarcoidosis, the good, the bad, and lots of in between.

Author: Stuart

  • Playing lead guitar with cyclist band 53/12

    In 2006 the band I played bass guitar in (Somerset Avenue) had to give up due to our singer Paul getting cancer, unfortunately he died in 2010. Some of my old pals in the cycling band ’53/12′ were looking for a new lead guitarist, and so I joined them, we managed a good few gigs in a couple of years before I left them, my head went one way and so I had to follow it! Couple of videos here, …


    The introduction was well funny, Saltaire festival in Roberts Park, 0nce I turned my amp up it sounded great! good fun, and then some huge beers with Paul, Martin and ‘Elvis’ my sons Jacob and Matthew were there too, but not for the beer!!!


    This was at the East Bradford Cycling Club dinner and awards night. The first time I went to the awards was back in 1979! I can never stand still when performing, love it and need another band, punk rock blues, probably a trio, as trios are easier to control, oh, Cream were out of control.

  • Bradford City thrashed Carlisle 4:0

    What a pretty good and welcome start to the football league 1 season for Bradford City, a huge win over Carlisle, Yeates with a fantastic drive, Wells with an incredible tight angled shot, Hanson using his wrong foot and Jones beating the goalie towards us!

    Jacob and me 1

    Jacob and me 2
    A good few pints before the game went down very well.

  • August 13th

    I were not going to say but that chapter now needs to close. 13th August 2005 I met someone in the Harrogate Blues Bar, knew her for a few months, and then its a typical middle aged story; messed up minds, crap divorces, meeting crazy people, but, although she went back to an ex something really was about her. She comes and goes in my thoughts and this year I decided to send a valentines card (someone from Harrogate actually recommended that I should), and so its now not a secret as I have decided to share the card.

    Elaine one
    It is difficult when you think of someone in a manner, they probably do not think of you?

    Elaine two
    My hand writing has always been terrible. Back in 2006 it was decided that when her youngest was 18 contact would resume, well, its been and passed. No, my life was not on hold, lots happened since then and slowly but surely I am progressing, it would have been great to have had a relationship with a nice honest trusting woman to have helped me through.

    The following song I wrote for her, its mainly based on text messages that she sent, and so these pages are now turning.

    3. TXTs
    Elaine Robinson, it was a pleasure knowing you. Sometimes we are grateful of meeting someone, I just could not remain friends with someone I really liked, I guess others also understand.

  • Today is a zero Pred day

    So, its the first time in a while, a very long while and onto zero Pred, tomorrow back up to five, then day after its zero, 5mg, 0, 5mg, 0… we do this for a month. Consultant spoke with me yesterday, he really believes my sarcoid is not active (I think it is slightly) and he wants me off the Prednisolone as soon as possible, its confirmed I am now at high risk of bone fracture, and that the osteoporosis is carrying on. My load bearing joints can be very painful, mainly ankles, hips and neck, and so its going to be more scans and consultants, but we can see the light!

    See the light

  • Redundancy notice

    Well, its like, this is the first time in my life I have had a redundancy notice. One thing is for sure, my life has mainly been full of a very many hard knocks, these past few years or 10 have been the worse, im not a bad man at all, im kind and considerate, trusting and honest, have great humour with fun, yet, maybe all those combined are my problem, one will never know.

    Redundant
    It has been mentioned that other positions might become available, I was trying to think I could progress, oh well, lets keep anything crossed eh.

  • Sarcoid ankles are back

    I’m thinking a bumpy few months to years are again approaching, oh well, I had a few weeks of remembering what it was like to feel relatively normal! This time the ankles are gaining dots rather than blemishes?
    Ankle dots

  • Birdfight at the bus stop

    The other morning these two pigeons were having a right fight, quite viscous really, a little unclear but they would open their wings right out and then launch their feet at each other, or maybe I was wrong and they were having a mating session?!

  • Supposed to insert after each movement

    Well, the banding of my ‘piles’ failed, and so they decided to give me these, the doctors said that they should be used after each movement, and so, I moved to the bathroom, then moved to the bedroom and then to the kitchen, hmmm, feeling a bit on the full side with these Uniroid-HC suppositories…

    Insert

  • So fucked off

    Its the first time iv opened a post in that manner. Last week, when last years acupuncture dots appeared on my ankles, I knew the sarcoid was raising its shit head again, in remission for two months and a steady reduction of the ‘Pred’ simply brought it on, proper fucked off.

    Also heard I had not achieved the measurement technician position. Upon applying it was mentioned that they need 12, I should have walked it, obviously I didn’t, two rejections in a week, although the first I was way too informal, the second I tried…

    Im on £6:60/hour, £13.7k/year, I work so hard, don’t fuck about, great for team moral and humour, huh… Very happy to have been given that chance to get back into work through Leeds Remploy, but the reliance on tax credits is also a major factor, the credits are due to drop early 2014, hence I would hope to progress within the structure, most are on a substantial amount greater than me. I know im worthy of a living wage and not a surviving one, still a few months, yet the sarcoid is here too.

    It is so difficult explaining to folks it has returned, I knew last week but dare not say, once I say so then I get folks saying I might be wrong, it might be in my imagination, wait and see, chin up, fight the fucker…

    As Bernie Mac said ‘I’m now tired’ in his hospital bed with pneumonia through a chest infection. I had a chest infection and needed anti-pneumonia tablets, still and though im tired, I will push on, I know most mean well, but please do not patronise me, sarcoidosis is a serious shit that causes death.

  • Killing floor blues

    This is just as dirty as blues can get, never mind the southern states, this is an unknown from West Yorkshire, absolutely awesome (buzz word I know!)…

    Killing Floor Blues (Mastered) V2

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