...DEFEAT Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: ...............................................................You don't have to live with it
  • Home
  • About
    • This Site
    • Martha
  • Participate
  • Contact
    • Contact Form
    • Submissions
  • Links
  • Book
  • Further Lessons
  • Thanks

ME/CFS Diagnosis – Keep Evaluating

2/25/2014

4 Comments

 
Picture
By definition. Everyone who has ever been given the diagnosis of ME/CFS knows what they don’t have.  It’s a long list of known diseases that have diagnostic tests and treatment plans. Being given the diagnosis of ME/CFS means that your healthcare provider has run out of ideas.  They’re stumped.  And depending on how well they know you or how sick you present at your appointments, they aren’t sure whether or not to refer you to a mental healthcare provider.  Based on the conversations I’ve had with physicians, they generally don’t like to give the diagnosis of ME/CFS.  They would much rather figure out what’s going on with you and have a concrete treatment plan with a positive
prognosis.

Some providers are good at partnering with ME/CFS patients to design a treatment plan, others not so good. But whether or not you have a working relationship with your provider, you are the one who will manage your ME/CFS on a daily basis.  You are the one who will keep a daily health log – no groaning please.  You are the one who will observe your patterns.  You are the one who will need to be a lab rat. You are the one who will oversee your personal case study of one.

To be successful, you need to keep evaluating.  ME/CFS is your diagnosis.  OK – accept it.  You’re in a waste basket diagnosis that includes many possible diseases which currently are unknown.  So which one do you have?  What’s your version of ME/CFS?  As you begin to treat the most severe symptoms, you will start to see clearer patterns.  Some symptoms will fade and lesser ones will become more noticeable.  Clues will appear.  Pay attention and keep evaluating.  Are you monitoring your patterns?  Are you beginning to understand your version of ME/CFS?  Please COMMENT on this blog or Send in your thoughts and I’ll post
them with your permission. 
You can use the Contact Form or send an email to Martha at DefeatCFS dot net.  And Guest Blogs are most welcome!

Look for a weekly posting on Tuesdays.  And consider being part of the conversation.

Be Well Again,

Martha

4 Comments
Tim Boland
3/2/2014 01:25:45 pm

Your blog reminds me of what I went through too, Martha. At first, I went to see a naturopath who had switched gears from being a ‘regular’ medical doctor, so when my regular doctor saw all the results, he was quite surprised at how many tests were given. At the end of it all, a rheumatologist told me that CFS/fibro was a ‘diagnosis of exclusion’.

Still, in reading your book and reading the blogs, there are remarkable similarities in what you describe and what I have felt. One thing which thankfully helps me is good rest, in fact if I’m feeling quite a bit of pain or tiredness (they usually come as a pair), then just resting even for 20 minutes will make a difference. I tend to work quite a bit during the week at a ‘desk job’, my own business, so on weekend’s my body knows to rest even more, and I’ll find myself snoozing in my easy chair even mid day.

I feel it is all worth it, learning about pacing and what feels good and what doesn’t, I do hope for the ultimate goal of being well. As time continues, I am engaging more in those things I enjoy, a quiet walk, nature, online social friends. It is hard to be grateful at times yet still there are many things to be grateful for.

Reply
Martha
3/3/2014 02:42:44 pm

Your pacing is succeeding. Congratulations Tim.

Reply
Donna
3/3/2014 10:04:16 am

Thank you for the post, Martha. It was the push that I needed to begin my health log. Two days in...but it's a start. :-)

Reply
Martha
3/3/2014 02:46:17 pm

Two days, two weeks, two months. Your patterns will begin to show. Keep it going Donna and Thanks.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    Hello,  I'm
    Martha Kilcoyne

    Welcome
     to our Community!

    After struggling with CFS for four years I am fortunate now to be fully well and making choices about how I want to live my healthy life.  One choice is to be an active part of the CFS community and to offer one voice from the fully recoverd to the dialogue.  I'm glad you're here!   For more about me, here's my Bio.

      Join Our Community
      Enter your email address to
      follow this blog.

    Join

    For Books, Supplements, Sleep aids and more

    Picture

    Archives

    December 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011

    Categories

    All
    Appreciation
    Attitude
    Being Positive
    Brain Fog
    Choices
    Community
    Connect
    Coping
    Data
    Diagnosis
    Doctor
    Emotions
    Energy
    First
    Food
    Funding
    Genetics
    Goals
    Gratitude
    Groups
    Guest Blog
    Gut Feelings
    Health
    Helping
    Holidays
    Hope
    Humor
    Immune Support
    Inner Voice
    Ion Channelopathy
    Irony
    Isolation
    Journal
    Log
    Mantra
    Memory
    Mind
    Negativity
    Nutrition
    Opinions
    Organizations
    Outlook
    Pace
    Participate
    Patience
    Patterns
    Personality
    Perspective
    Protocol
    Provider
    Pushing Too Hard
    Pushing Too Hard
    Record
    Recovery
    Relapses
    Research
    Resolutions
    Rest
    Sleep Depravation
    Step By Step
    Step By Step
    Strategies
    Supplements
    Support
    Take Control
    Take Control
    Thankfulness
    Vacation
    Variables
    Version

    RSS Feed

    Picture
    Copyright © 2011-2012
    Triple Spiral MEDIA LLC