...DEFEAT Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: ...............................................................You don't have to live with it
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ME/CFS Answers – Look Within

1/20/2015

4 Comments

 
Picture© 2015 TSM
Several decades ago everyone was wearing buttons.  It was the rage at the time and we Americans totally obliged.  I was slow to the party.  There really wasn’t something so important that I wanted to assert it everywhere I went.  Then I saw a button that called to me.  It simply said – Begin Within.  Yes, this was a perspective that I knew well and would want to impart to all.  Skip forward to last week when I was rummaging thru a drawer and found it.  I was thinking about how this simple wisdom was the key to my struggle with ME/CFS.

It wasn’t until I stopped looking for answers from others and looked within.  That’s where I finally found the answers.  Of course, they weren’t spelled out in big letters.  They were hidden in my version of ME/CFS.  I had to do the work to find them but they were there.  Once I got on track with my daily record, the answers started to slowly surface.  Not in days or weeks, but months and years.  It took patience and pacing but it all started when I understood that I needed to – Begin Within. 

Have you discovered some important clues to your recovery by beginning within?  What strategies have worked for you?  Please COMMENT or Send in your thoughts and I’ll post them.  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
Andrea link
1/21/2015 03:52:00 pm

I have found (like most CFS patients) that emotional stress is a major no no and will always trigger symptoms. We can avoid some stress but not all, and then there is the issue of being stressed about being sick which leads to stress! Another thing I find that always sets off symptoms, is catching a virus. This one is particularly challenging because I feel I have become rather paranoid in my efforts to avoid other people's bugs. If someone coughs my way I can feel the fear well up as I know the payback. The last cold I had was particularly severe and I couldn't rest throughout and my CFS was bad for 6 weeks after. I get to the point of avoiding groups of people when I know there is high potential for people to be carrying and passing on viruses, but this can lead to isolation. Some people know to stay away from me when they are sick, others don't respect it. Anyone else have experience in this? Thanks.

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Donna
1/22/2015 08:21:39 am

Hi Andrea,
Because of my energy level at this point, I'm not out and about very much so I'm not exposed to a lot of people. At my last doctor visit the doctor asked "Have you had the flu since your last appointment?" I answered, "How would I know? I feel like I have the flu everyday." :-) I have an allergy to molds. Most of the fragrances that people wear set off sneezing and coughing and plays havoc with my immune system long afterward, depending on how long that I'm exposed. That causes anxiety in me anytime that I'm planning to be enclosed among a large group of people; ie restaurants, theaters, public transportation, etc. I know that the anxiety is taking vital energy from me; so I try to be optimistic to counter the worry, but it's there. Unfortunately, often, I'll simply avoid those types of situations rather than chance it. The obstacles that we face as CFS sufferers are so much more complex than many people realize. I don't have any answers for you, Andrea, just empathy. All my best!

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Andrea link
1/22/2015 02:01:19 pm

Hi Donna, thanks so much for your feedback. I am exactly like you in that I often avoid high risk bug situations rather than chance it. A bug on top of CFS is so incredibly stressful so its a matter of weighing up whether I just accept I am more isolated than others, or I end up isolated due to a bug. I often choose the former. Yes, completely understand that the obstacles we face are much more complex than people realise. I know I often sound like I'm paranoid, but unfortunately I am an expert in this illness and know very well how it works and how sensitive it is. Feeling fluey every day I can relate to as well. I've had people insult me in the past by saying "well maybe you do just have the flu??" If only.... I am slowly crawling out of a relapse at the moment that was caused by stress 3 and a half years ago. I am doing all the 'right' things, but can truly say that time really does make a lot of difference in my progress. Just waiting it out. I have also recently discovered that sugar definitely will cause symptoms so I am trying to limit the intake of that. I have been warned of it's ill effects before but didn't really heed the advice. Now I can see a definite pattern. All my very best to you too.

Reply
Tim Boland
1/22/2015 08:57:07 am

So beautifully and poignantly written Martha. I talked once to a woman who had a life's worth of knowledge about nutrition, and though she was far too judgmental for my tastes, she said one thing which I have remembered. That recovery is not just physical, that we grow in other ways too. Just as you have outlined in your book, it is about examining our own lifestyle, and seeing if we truly wish to live the way we did in the past, or if we choose to move forward in all ways being faithful to our own being.

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    Hello,  I'm
    Martha Kilcoyne

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    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.

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