Blog Posts

ME/CFS Symptoms – Consider Food Allergies/Sensitivities

2/26/2019

Although most ME/CFS patients share a core group of symptoms, many have additional symptoms that add to the complexity of treatment and healing. Depending on how long ago you were diagnosed with ME/CFS and how thoroughly you were tested, you may or may not have explored food allergies or intolerances. There are in fact some patients who have been diagnosed with ME/CFS who are actually suffering from food and/or environmental allergies.

Recently I was reading about Gluten intolerance and I was surprised at the overlap of symptoms with the standard definition of ME/CFS – Fatigue, feeling rundown like you have the flu, joint pain or numbness in extremities, ‘foggy mind’ where concentration is difficult, headaches, prolonged changes in mental health and gastrointestinal discomfort. It seems that when our bodies are immunocompromised, the symptoms are similar no matter what the cause. According to a recent article ‘Adult-Onset Food Allergies Increasing, Confusing’ on WebMD, about one in 10 adults have a food allergy with half of these starting well into adulthood.

Could you be struggling with a new food allergy? Could a food or environmental allergy/sensitivity be complicating your recovery? Consider this as part of your continuing ‘case study of one’ as you work 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

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ME/CFS Feng Shui – How Does Your Energy Flow?

2/12/2019

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I was recently rearranging the furniture in my family room in order to accommodate a new door. I also just wanted a new look without buying new furniture. As I began to move things around, I was surprised at how different the same things could look and function just by rearranging them. The energy in the room changed too. It felt airier and brighter – it flowed better. Of course this got me thinking about ME/CFS and how poorly my energy flowed.

For most of the first half of my struggle with ME/CFS, I didn’t regulate my energy at all. I burnt up whatever I had then crashed. There was no pacing. There was no intension to plan my day around what I could reasonably handle. And most important, there was no progress toward getting better. The opposite was true. I was getting worse.

Once I decided to take more control of my ME/CFS, my energy flow changed dramatically. Instead of the abrupt go, go then stop, stop, stop, I began to use my energy reserves at a slow but steady pace. Much like the familiar Tortoise and Hare story, I was slowly getting back to wellness one day at a time. And over a long period of time I got there. Sadly, I’m guessing that I left a few Hares behind still trapped in the cruelty of ME/CFS.

I’m sitting in my newly rearranged family room as I write. What a difference. The energy is flowing easily - not rushed or stopped up. How are you managing your energy flow? Have you embraced your tortoise? 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 Recovery - Every Day Counts

1/29/2019

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I have a long-term goal. And I make progress in some ways but fall short in others. It’s been a struggle. I made a recent decision to rethink my time management around this goal and remembered a favorite quote from Annie Dillard, “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” And I started to see the parallels between my recent approaches to this new goal and how I had initially reacted to my struggle with ME/CFS. My approach had been inconsistent and I misunderstood the need to apply myself every day to my desire to get well.

So much of what I did in those early days of ME/CFS came out of frustration and anger. But even when I moved past that, I still wasn’t focused on the importance of how I spent each and every day. It took a while before I began to see each day as a building block, which was added to the day before. And so on until I had built up a week of days, then a month of days and eventually many months and finally a year of days. That added up to 365 days in a row of consciously working toward recovering my health. When I finally understood the value and rewards of daily focus, I began to see real progress.

So our lives do reflect how we spend our days. And one day at a time, each and every day, you can make progress toward regaining your health. That’s the only way I was successful. How do you focus on your recovery every day? 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 my next posting on Tuesday, February 12th. And consider being part of the conversation.

Be Well Again,
Martha

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ME/CFS Humor – Sometimes It Helps

1/22/2019

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Over the years I’ve been able to develop a thick skin when it comes to hurtful comments from others about my struggle with ME/CFS. Dismissiveness or even subtle innuendoes suggesting that my illness was a mental health problem are a reality and I’ve come to deal with them as part of the package of ME/CFS. But recently, someone whom I thought ‘got it’, belittled my illness with a wave of her hand referring to it as a brief bout with severe depression so just get over it. REALLY!?!

I’ve now got Seth and Amy of SNL zinging their Weekend Update one liners across the video of my mind. Saying that ME/CFS sufferers are only severely depressed is like saying that ulcers can be cured by thinking pretty thoughts. REALLY!?! If ME/CFS patients are mental health cases then MS is a lifestyle choice. REALLY!?! If you think that Prozac is the cure for ME/CFS, then I’ve got a bottle of snake oil that will cure your condescending attitude. REALLY!?!

Sometimes humor is the best medicine. 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 Emotional Baggage – Dump It

1/15/2019

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I’ve been helping someone clear out a family home which is full of memories – a mixture of good and bad. But mostly the house is weighed down with so much emotion that it feels like the structure itself sags under the burden. Of course, I started to think about my struggle with ME/CFS and the crushing assortment of emotions that I wrestled with.

In the beginning, I was consumed with frustration that I had no answers and anger that I was so quickly dismissed as ‘just depressed’. Then as I fell into the ME/CFS trap of push/crash cycles I developed self-blame. And as the months then years dragged on with no improvement, I felt guilty about the drain I had become on my family and the lost time that I had stolen from them and from me. Then I added in a good dose of shame. Eventually I had created a toxic soup of emotions which I was drowning in.

Pile all the worry on top of that and I was definitely going under. Talk about emotional baggage! Could I have been any better at bringing myself down? A surgeon couldn’t have succeeded in removing my self-esteem and self-image more precisely. And what about all the energy I drained from my limited reserves just festering over this mountain of emotional baggage?

After I spent a couple of years letting these emotions keep me under, I finally came to the understanding that I was only making my struggle with ME/CFS even harder. It took a great deal of determination to dump the emotional baggage. But once I started to off load, it felt great. I became intentional about my emotions and I packed lightly. How are you dealing with your emotional baggage? 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 New Year - Take a fresh look

1/8/2019

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It’s a hackneyed part of our culture that everyone makes New Year resolutions which we earnestly pursue for one month. Then we return to our old habitual patterns. And every year we resolve not to let that happen yet again. So here we are. For many, it’s a desire to improve one’s health. If you’re struggling with ME/CFS, the stakes and the rewards are much higher than the average person who just wants to look or feel healthier. For us, it’s about reclaiming our lives and our ability to be fully functioning and present – to be well again.

I encourage you to take a fresh look at your version of ME/CFS. Hopefully you are keeping a daily log of your activities, sleeping/resting times, symptoms and medications. Step back and take an objective look at your patterns. Look for periods of wellness. What preceded those periods? Replicate those patterns. Look for periods of ill health or crashes. What preceded those periods? Don’t repeat those patterns. Look at your symptoms. Which are the most debilitating? When do they flair up? How can you treat them in order to short circuit the flair up? Look at your sleeping patterns. How can you improve the quality of your sleep? How can you make your bedroom into your version of slumber heaven – light, sound, comfort and sleep aids. Your daily log needs to be mined for clues as you find your path back to wellness.

If you’ve made progress this year and you’ve managed to shed some of the symptoms that were masking your version of ME/CFS, awesome! As you take a fresh look, you may get a clearer view of the key or central issues which characterize your version of ME/CFS and some insight into new approaches, strategies and clues to your next steps. It was through this methodical periodic review that I eventually unraveled my version of ME/CFS and was able to be fully well again. What will you focus on in this New Year? 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 Holidays – Gift to Yourself

12/18/2018

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It’s seven days to go until December 25th and we’re in the midst of many religious and cultural holiday observances. Whatever you celebrate at this time of year, we’re getting to the thick of it and we’re feeling the constraints on time and energy to get it all done. When I was struggling with ME/CFS, this was a critical decision time that determined how my holidays would play out.

Would I choose wisely and slow the pace down so I could feel reasonably well at the height of the holidays or would I keep pushing to the finish line? In my early years of struggling with ME/CFS, it was always the latter. No matter what good intensions I held, invariably I over did and was crashing thru the culmination of our holiday celebrations. It wasn’t until I began to get a taste of feeling better that I understood the importance of stopping the rush of the holidays.

This holiday season, the most important gift you give is the one to yourself. The gift of letting go of most of the Fa La La and napping instead. Watch a favorite movie. Ask a friend to pick up a specific gift item or some groceries while they’re out doing their own shopping. Order online. Linger over a hot cup of afternoon tea. Call your loved ones and let them know that you’re thinking of them and that you’re resting so you’ll be up for the holiday events. The more you give yourself the gift of rest and reasonable pacing, you will actually be giving your family and friends the gift of a stronger and more participatory you during the holidays.

Are you giving yourself the gift of energy for the holidays? 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 my next posting after the New Year. And consider being part of the conversation.

Wishing you and your loved ones a Healthy and Blessed Holiday,

In the New Year, Be Well Again,
Martha

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ME/CFS Holidays – The Gift of Helping

12/4/2018

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Someone asked me what I’d like for the Holidays and honestly I couldn’t think of a thing I needed or wanted. Maybe a technology upgrade but not the typical holiday gift items that one would search for while wandering the mall among the frenzied herds. When I was struggling with ME/CFS, and someone asked what I wanted for the holidays, all I could think of was my health. And of course they couldn’t give me that.

At the time, I don’t remember having the clear thought process to be able to articulate the kinds of ‘gifts’ that would have been truly helpful in supporting my recovery. With hindsight, now I can think of many that would have been much appreciated. In my younger days when I was short on cash, one of my favorite ‘go to’ gifts was the personal gift certificate. I would think of something I could do for the recipient and create a certificate that could be presented to me when the service was needed.

Imagine all the helpful things that people could do for you as you struggle with ME/CFS. Driving to appointment, cooking a meal, mowing, shoveling and walking the dog come to mind. What would you value in a personal gift certificate? What do you wish was in your helping gift? Tell us and then tell those who want to help. 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 Choices - The Holiday Bustle

11/27/2018

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Before I was sick with ME/CFS, the holidays were a blur of activities in addition to the normal work and family commitments. A Healthy person struggled to get it all done.

Then I went through four holiday seasons struggling with ME/CFS. For two of them, I was bedridden for most of each day. As is often the norm for ME/CFS sufferers, I was pretty hard on myself. All I could think of were the special holiday things that my kids and family weren’t enjoying because of me. But I couldn’t do anything about it. So those holidays passed with me needlessly feeling down.

Then came a holiday season when I was feeling stronger – not fully well but better. And of course, true to form, I wanted to make up for the ‘lost holidays’. Lessons can be tough to learn. Gratefully, I had people around me and a voice in my own head that said, “Do only what you enjoy and can handle - let the rest go.”

Now that I am fully well, our holidays are still scaled down and we all like it that way. It’s more like a delightful sampling of what the season offers than a forced and frenzied banquet. We don’t do every activity every year. We switch it out. Our gift giving is mostly donations to charities, Yankee Swaps (even with family) and special consumables (wine, soup mixes, teas, etc). We haven’t sent cards in years. I’m thinking I might send an e-card this year. Maybe…

How do you get through this season without straining your energy limits and pushing yourself into relapses? What do you happily forego from the holiday hustle and bustle list? 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

3 Comments

ME/CFS Attitude – Find Thankfulness

11/20/2018

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When I sat down to blog about Thanksgiving, I looked at what I had written last year. I can’t do a better job of expressing how I feel about this holiday and struggling with ME/CFS at the same time. So here it is again:

Thanksgiving traditionally generates clichés about thankfulness. The mantra basically goes like this: Be thankful for what you DO have, not what is missing. Most of us would agree with this outlook. It is better to focus on the positive. But it isn’t easy to do especially when you’ve been struggling with ME/CFS for a year or for 20 years.

When I was sick, I would allow myself to indulge in some self pity around this time of year but I knew that was totally unproductive and a waste of what little energy I had. I would then get irritated with myself for my self-centered attitude and so just added more negativity to my load. But it can be unfair to expect a person who is struggling with a body that can’t handle normal activity to be upbeat, positive and ultimately thankful.

So as the rest of the world around me went about their daily routines, I would look at my life and try to find something to be thankful for. Mostly, I focused on the few people around me who understood what I was going through and supported me in large and small ways. I made a point to tell them how much I appreciated what they did.

And after I let go of the negativity toward myself, I realized that I needed to appreciate the work I did all year long. The work of getting well again. Sticking to the snails pace recovery, following the protocol when I didn’t want to and being present in my life in whatever way I could realistically handle.

Are you finding things to be thankful for? 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.

And for you and all of your loved ones,
I wish you a warm and Bountiful Thanksgiving,
Be Well Again,
Martha

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Forward>>

ME/CFS Symptoms – Consider Food Allergies/Sensitivities

ME/CFS Feng Shui – How Does Your Energy Flow?

ME/CFS Recovery - Every Day Counts

ME/CFS Humor – Sometimes It Helps

ME/CFS Emotional Baggage – Dump It

ME/CFS New Year - Take a fresh look

ME/CFS Holidays – Gift to Yourself

ME/CFS Holidays – The Gift of Helping

ME/CFS Choices - The Holiday Bustle

ME/CFS Attitude – Find Thankfulness

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