CFS no longer

Well, I am very pleased to report that my Chinese doctor was absolutely correct in saying that he would have me better by Christmas. We both acknowledged right from the start of my little Chronic Fatigue Syndrome relapse a couple of months ago that I wasn’t too bad. I had some of the symptoms but not all of them.

So he treated me with acupuncture and Chinese herbs (as he did last time) and thankfully I was better in time for Christmas. I’m still taking his herbs, but once the current batch is finished I won’t need to go back to see him again or get any more.

Some years ago I took part in some research for a PhD student who was studying the social aspects of the effect of CFS. I ended up being one of his case studies because of my unique position on how important it was to care for the carer, who in my case was my husband.

The PhD student is getting close to finalising his work which was why he contacted me, to proof read his case study about me. When I told him that I was having a relapse he said that he wasn’t surprised. He was extremely negative in his outlook for people who have had CFS. I don’t share his negativity. Perhaps that is because I don’t have the long history with it that he does, but honestly, I just don’t feel that it is a spectre hanging over my life. I will not live my life in fear of CFS, and I do not live my life in fear of CFS.

I think also that part of the reason why I am not afraid of CFS is because I now understand what causes it for me. The first time around I came to believe it was my body saying to me that it could not handle dairy food, though I had no proof of that. This time around it was brought on by me trying sheep’s dairy in the hope that I could have it instead of cow’s dairy. The answer was a resounding no! So now I just plan to avoid ALL types of dairy for the rest of my life. If it means having no dairy, but having a life, that’s a price I am prepared to pay!

Thank you to all who cheered me on and expressed concern when I got sick again, and thanks to those who provided practical support for our family. It’s nice that I can go back to making meals for people who need them, rather than them making meals for me!