Blog Archives

ME/CFS/SEID Perspective - The Inner Voice

2/28/2017

When you are struggling with ME/CFS/SEID, it’s hard to see anything else. ME/CFS/SEID controls your energy, your schedule, your choices, your physical comfort, your day, your night and your outlook. Everything you consider is interpreted through your ME/CFS/SEID colored glasses with a dose of brain fog.

It’s a necessity. It’s a survival mechanism. It’s reality. And fighting this reality is fruitless. Just more squandered energy and risked relapses.

Remembering that we have restrictions eventually becomes second nature. And as much as it totally stinks, it can develop into the way forward. Acceptance of this second nature or inner ME/CFS/SEID voice can bring rewards. Better choices. Better days. Beginning to experience better weeks.

For me personally, it took several knock down relapses before I understood this dreaded voice. Some days I wanted to throttle it. The message was one that I didn’t want to hear. But slowly, eventually, I began to listen. Do you listen to the cautionary messages of your inner voice? Are you learning to pace yourself better? 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

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ME/CFS/SEID Out of Power – Patients Get It

2/21/2017

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We recently lost our power for two days and it took a while to get things back to normal after the power was restored. During the outage, I was thinking about how we often take for granted the watts that invisibly supply the energy we have come to depend on to power our lights, heat, refrigeration and cooking. We don’t really think about the mechanics of how it’s produced, delivered and consumed. It reminded me of how I lived before I was sick with ME/CFS/SEID. I gave little thought to how my body generated energy, delivered it to my cells and how I, at times, recklessly consumed it as if there was no limit. My type A personality was go, go, go even when I had colds or the flu. That changed abruptly when I came down with ME/CFS/SEID.

Now that I am well, my first thoughts are still focused on whether or not I have the energy to take on what has been set before me. Sometimes it’s a choice. Often it’s a responsibility. And I am cautious to evaluate what I can handle and under what conditions I can do it. I’m especially clued into looking for partners to help get something done. I had learned the hard way when I was recovering from ME/CFS/SEID that the final task of simply carrying the heavy bags into the kitchen from the car and putting the food away could be the tipping point that turned an otherwise successful trip to the grocery store into a ME/CFS/SEID setback.

What have you learned about your ‘energy envelope’? How do you keep your urge to go, go, go in check? 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

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ME/CFS/SEID Support - Words of Appreciation

2/14/2017

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It’s Valentine’s Day. One of those loosely historical, made up days to sell stuff. OK that was cynical. But we seem to have developed an entire year of these almost monthly events which push us to do or buy something. Or feel out of it if we don’t.

For me, today is an exception. When I was struggling with ME/CFS/SEID, I wasn’t very good at recognizing all the kind and thoughtful things people did for me - Family, friends and strangers too. Unfortunately, for a good part of my struggle, I was seeing everything through a veil of angst – anxiety about my situation tinged with hope for resolution. This sometimes kept me from seeing the people around me who cared and wanted to support me. I often forgot, caught up in my own wrestling match of emotions and physical malfunctions, that those around me were feeling some of the same helplessness – not sure of what to say, what to do or when to just be present for me.

For some reason, on the first Valentine’s Day after I was beginning to feel strong again, I felt the desire to express my ‘love’ and appreciation to those who were supporting me. It started a tradition that I still follow. Today has become a reminder day for me to stop for a moment and make sure that I let the people in my life know how much they mean to me and how much I appreciate them. Yes, that’s hokey. But I prefer it to cynicism.

Are you making time to let people know how much you appreciate them? Please COMMENT 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

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ME/CFS/SEID Nutrition – Avoid the Negative

2/7/2017

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Often I’m asked what nutrition plan I followed when I was struggling with ME/CFS/SEID. Honestly, it wasn’t so much what I ate. It was what I DIDN’T eat. I simply learned to avoid the negative foods that are a standard part of our American diet. Of course none of this came about on day one. It was over time that I began to recognize the need to give my immune system a fighting chance to get well by fueling it with healthy food and drinks.

I developed the habit of asking myself, “Will my immune system thank me for eating this?” In the beginning, frequently, the answer was no. I began to eat more foods that were rich in nutrients and which could build up the strength of my immune system and less of the foods that were full of empty calories and unpronounceable ingredients.

We have learned that some patients who are diagnosed with ME/CFS/SEID are actually suffering from severe food allergies. And more and more people are restricting their diets by eliminating one or more common ingredients. Eating Organic, Gluten-free, refined sugar-free and other dietary restrictions are more common and the anecdotal evidence is showing that, for some, these dietary adjustments can generate a noticeable improvement in ones health.

For me, eating positive foods and avoiding the negative paid off. How have you adjusted your eating habits? What strategies are working for you? 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

2 Comments

ME/CFS/SEID Perspective - The Inner Voice

ME/CFS/SEID Out of Power – Patients Get It

ME/CFS/SEID Support - Words of Appreciation

ME/CFS/SEID Nutrition – Avoid the Negative

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ME/CFS/SEID Perspective - The Inner Voice

ME/CFS/SEID Out of Power – Patients Get It

ME/CFS/SEID Support - Words of Appreciation

ME/CFS/SEID Nutrition – Avoid the Negative

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