Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Support Group
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) describes a sense of exhaustion and post-exertion malaise, even when you have gotten enough rest and sleep. The disease is characterized by six months of incapacitating fatigue experienced as profound exhaustion and extremely poor stamina, and problems with concentration and short-term memory. The cause is unknown, but it is a...
I have been reading a lot of recovery stories and I even though they are all different, the common theme from those who have recovered is that they accepted the illness, gave in, but didn't give up, rested and listened to their body's.
If I do something that I know will cause me mental and physical stress, is that not giving in to the illness? As in, letting it control me???
I know a lot of people think that by NOT doing things, is giving in.......however I am starting to see this differently.
If I do something that I know I will pay for, I feel like that is me saying "oh well, I am never going to get better so I may as well get stuff done"
For instance, I am trying to decide to restart my degree, on one hand I really want to get it done, on the other hand, I know I will pay for it and perhaps this could delay my recovery??
If I do it is that not me sacrificing my health and letting this illness have a hold on me for longer??
I guess it is so hard for us as we don't have a crystal ball, If I knew that I was going to be like this for the rest of my life, then I would just do it.
Ahhhh it is so hard and unpredictable!!
If I do something that I know will cause me mental and physical stress, is that not giving in to the illness? As in, letting it control me???
I know a lot of people think that by NOT doing things, is giving in.......however I am starting to see this differently.
If I do something that I know I will pay for, I feel like that is me saying "oh well, I am never going to get better so I may as well get stuff done"
For instance, I am trying to decide to restart my degree, on one hand I really want to get it done, on the other hand, I know I will pay for it and perhaps this could delay my recovery??
If I do it is that not me sacrificing my health and letting this illness have a hold on me for longer??
I guess it is so hard for us as we don't have a crystal ball, If I knew that I was going to be like this for the rest of my life, then I would just do it.
Ahhhh it is so hard and unpredictable!!
Can you take one or two courses at a time, Ruby?
I'm not good after 4 hours of work so I know that I will most likely find studying the same and possibly worse with the stress of getting assignments done. I only have 3 papers to go. They are the hardest ones.
For me, acceptance is essential. If I had waited to find out if I was going to recover, I would not have lived for the past 32 years. Not doing things that I want to do IS letting CFS control me. I do the things that are important to me, but I do them differently than I would if I was healthy. It took me 8 years to get a 4-year degree, but I did it! For me, it was worth it and if I had to do it all over again, I would.
Just so you now, not all these are CFS recoveries, but they are chronic fatigue related. For instance, one "recovery" was due to taking thyroid hormones, so that's hypothyroidism, not CFS.
I have looked at the first 6 or 7. It does seem that some of them had underlining conditions which caused CFS/ME.
I wonder if that is the same with all of us, different stress's cause's CFS/ME?
Just hard work trying to find out what the stress is??
I have done the food thing, had lots of intolerances in my first year, cutting the food out helped my IBS but not fatigue levels. Now I can eat anything but not gluten, with no IBS.
I may try a no sugar diet or something similar. One of the examples the person cut out sugar and cut down on carbs, due to her unstable blood sugar being the problem.