Hi I'm coming up to 1 year post VM. It has been a very difficult year and I am still nowhere near recovered. I have bouts of severe headaches which can come on very quickly, often exacerbated by trying to concentrate or focus on something. it usually starts with neck stiffness then becomes a severe pressure like pain in my head. I'm also suffering with bad fatigue which stops me from being able to look after my toddler full time. I also frequently struggle with noise sensitivity. I haven't been able to return to work as yet. I do see some improvement over the last year but it's quite minor and very slow. I don't think it helps that I did push myself through these after effects initially to try and look after my daughter. I'm waiting to see a neurologist and I have also been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome post VM.
I feel like I'm beginning to lose hope that things will ever really improve. does anyone else have any similar experiences?
Thank you
Hi there,
I'm sorry to hear about your slow recovery, that must be hard with a toddler to looking after. I'm only 10 weeks post VM so I can't relate to the time period as it's been much longer for you, but I too have headaches if I try to focus on something and extreme fatigue which results in me not being able to do much at all. One good day for every 3 bad days and the bad days seem to stretch out for weeks at a time.
Not sure if this is helpful, but with the fatigue side of things, I've been reading Dr Sarah Myhills new book on this area - she is a leading expert in the UK and there may be things you can take from her work regarding supplements, diet, tests. here is her website for you to look at drmyhill.co.uk which has some useful info.
I've also started seeing a Functional Nutritionist local to me who is running some lab tests which GPs usually won't do - particularly to look at Adrenal Stress glands and Thyroid - and interestingly we've discovered my thyroid is very under-active which my GP admits may hinder my recovery time - so he has started me on hormone meds to balance things up. It is expensive but for me I know my body is not right and if there are ways I can help it along then I'm keen to try, finances permitting.
I hope things begin to improve for you soon.