another hello

[mysmugcat]

Another newbie saying 'hello' . I am rather despairing etc. I feel a shell of myself. I had anorexia in my teenage years and was also diagnosed with depression. Yet I still physically did swimming etc. My tablets have been changed to suit me better in some ways.

Things then went wrong in my 30s etc.. Had problems with a root canal and wisdom tooth finally taken out in my 40s. The doctor in NHS England finally diagnosed me with CFS after years of the fatigue. I was tested for everything else. I also get migraines and headaches and a sore throat.

They found some extra white cells or something as if I had been fighting infection etc but were vague about it. As with everything. There isn't really anything else they can do they say.

It takes me hours to get to sleep every night. I work full time, struggle, cannot concentrate and do not do as well as everyone else, it makes me feel awful and useless. Everything is a struggle.

Thank you.

[jinksycat]

Hi- it is a real struggle coming to terms with this illness.It's like having to start a new or different life from who you were and what you used to be able to do. No-one seems to understand this either which also has an impact on our emotional and mental wellbeing. It's like you get the diagnoses but no support along side. I have found some things helpful in both physical and mental health ways. Mindfulness meditation is really good for pain calming the nervous system, immune function and mind from distress, it takes a we while to get in to but you can get downloads or and cds which guide you. (soundstrue.com&youtube is useful)-getting in touch with yourself and learning when you need to say no has sometimes been a positive outcome of this. Some gentle yoga can be good for muscles and joints. I use herbal sleep tablets which sometimes help.Also maybe some support(practical too) from a group or via gp (depending on your area), there's also good info on websites such as action for m.e as you can feel very alone with it too. Learning to live with m.e day to day and not think too much about the future as in what you can or can't do seems to be an easier way to learn to think too, but it must be difficult juggling work too. Be kind to yourself when you are feeling this way as much as you can and ask for help with at least the really difficult physical things. Hope things get bit better for you, best wishes x

[ME65]

Hi there. It doesn't sound as if you've had much support with managing your illness. If you have a chronic health condition your employer is duty bound to adjust your work to enable you to continue working. It sounds to me as if working full-time is too much for you right now.

Also you need to learn how to pace yourself. This means having periods of time through the day when you rest This is when learning a form of meditation as Jinksycat suggested is very helpful. And it means not working or doing anything to the point of exhaustion. When you can get your head around this illness and learn how to manage it you will start to make improvements. At the moment you are in danger of driving yourself to the point of collapse which would be so much worse.

Look on ME websites and find out how to pace and how to get your employer to support you. I suggest Action for ME actionforme.org.uk/ to start with. THere is also the ME Association and the Humming Trust.

Good luck

[ME65]

P.S. Meant to say The hummingbird trust. All that typing led to ME brain muddle!!