"If you always do what you always did you will always get what you always got"!!!

I found accepting the need for rest periods really difficult - I always felt really lazy for resting. The only time I felt it was okay to rest was when I felt that ill I had no choice.

I think that if you try there's certainly a chance you will fail, but if you choose not to try then you will certainly fail and I personally always like to have tried.

Something I've realised with CFS is you can do the things you want to do but you have to be creative by finding different ways to do them. Since becoming unwell I have struggled massively with continuing with my PhD. I have managed to continue with university work by allowing myself to be content with only doing 2 hours of work a day - the past month is the first time I have been able to work consistently. So instead of pushing myself to manage 3-4 hours of work (which is what felt natural to me, no pain to gain right?) and crashing the next day I've found that by going for consistency I feel better and have managed more work. I still feel like I'm trying my best but just in a different way. I suppose getting CFS has made me reconsider that trying hard and pushing myself does not have to result in huge crashes, I can still do x, y, and z but I have just had to find different ways of doing them

I also have goals and tend to push myself then end up set back having to rest till I have energy to do things. But a lot of the time I do have much the same routine. Today I thought I'd try something different. I got up 15 mins earlier and after breakfast didn't do my usual and sit down in front of TV with cup of tea before trying to get ready I took the tea with me and drank it when getting ready. Gained 30 mins extra time. Had fruit and went for 10 min walk then did mini relaxation when I got back. Realised I don't really feel any worse than normal for doing this but have managed a different activity before lunch. Am thinking of trying to make small changes to my routine and see if it makes a difference like doing things at different times of day from normal. Might pay for it later but you don't know unless you try!!

That sounds really sensible. Well done for keeping going with your studying .I think it's about finding the right way to achieve things. What worked for you in the past won't necessarily be the right way to do things now. But often how you did things in the past is what made you ill in the first place.I always pushed myself to do everything and that's probably partly why I got ill. But once you are ill you are unable to do all your normal things, body packs in and it is so hard to find the right way to start doing things again. It is easy to find a way of getting through the day and sticking with it as it's the safest option but there might be little things we can try to make it even better!

l think with cfs, fibro, lupus, and other debiliatating conditions, you do have to push yourself daily from waking, far more than the average healthy person who takes daily routine for granted, as l did, l always had a lot of stamina, and liked to get on, everything finished yesterday, things hanging on drove me mad, and being a couch potato by choice boring, unfullfilling. For me it was always more active things, not good at crafts, but gardening,landscaping,  walking, decorating,mutiple pet care a bit of socialising, The one thing l was missing, was travelling, bit of a gypsy, so much to see and do. But health problems and financial that go with it put that on hold, but thought well do it later in life, should have known the health problems got worse. l now find a trip just into town and covering shorter distance and time an endurance, and spent more time on sofa in last 6month than last 60yrs, frustrating, boring, soul destroying on bad days, the extreme of fatigue pain. But if l can do a job l will, when on your own no one else to do it, so did go for sorting my little fish pond out a few days ago, hard work at time, but enjoyed the normality and achieving, lve had pain since, but might have anyway, plus l find the pacing thing difficult to do, if lve a bit of energy well being l want to do things that need doing, so most of time go for it.  But agree there is an elament of being in a rut,  its always going to be temporary of course, till the magic pill or  spontaneious improvement happens, living in hope, and time does go by.   There is a prayer or saying, something like having the courage to change what we can, also having to grace to accept what  we cant change, a difficult thing to get right, we battle on to achieve both whilst making life of some worthwhile and fullfilling experience.  l think we all battle to do things, but small changes at doing  something new is worthwhile, so a prompt to try something different is sometimes needed.  

doing the same thing at different times may have different results too... as shown by the recent finding that giving flu jabs in the morning is more effective than afternoon flu jabs... very odd and i would like to know why but it does show a different times aspect to how our bodies work...

Much as I love gardening any time I try it I end up set back for weeks so just leave most of it to my husband now. Do 10 mins weeding here and there if I can but no more. I know if I was on my own I'd need to pay someone to do it for me. I have a friend with M.E. who has a beautiful garden with a fish pond. It won the local best garden competition 3 years in a row. Even though she is not able to walk far she manages to do much more in the garden than me but think she has more strength in her arms and I've more strength in my legs. Her husband is very keen garderer too. I've always loved walking and this is one of the things that annoyed me the most when I was first ill and stuck in bed all the time. I could hardly make it down the path never mind walk further. Very gradually built it up to able to walk 30 mins most days but have really gone downhill over last few months. Know I was able to do it so determined to do it again. Looking into my whole routine to see what I'm doing wrong and what I can improve. Was going to aim for 15 min walk today but instead tried a 10 min walk this morning and managed a 10 min walk after lunch too so have managed 20 mins walking instead and don't feel any more tired than I would having one shorter walk. Am also trying increasing protein in my diet and feel this is helping too. That's two different things I've tried this week that I feel has helped so going to think what else I can change. As they say "a change is as good as a rest"!!

It is interesting how doing things at different times can have different effects like when you have blood taken and they tell you to fast first. Think I saw somewhere too how exercising at different times can effect your performance and how you burn up fat. I have managed to do a 10 min walk this afternoon too but actually found it a bit more tiring than walking this morning. When I came back after the morning walk I felt like I'd had a boost and had more energy which really surprised me as I normally feel pretty tired until after lunch. After later walk just felt tired like I usually do. Have never tried going for walk in morning before so will try again tomorrow and see how I feel!

Change of most things are good for you, change of scenery food routine, l used to love setting off, we had camper van, caravan, tent, loved just going somewhere different, feel my world has so shrunk now, with places and people. l also have study times, try this routine, diet, whatever, were all looking for solutions to make us feel better, improve, 

l think 2 walks for yuo, even if short ones, do break the day up, l keep saying l,ll have an early night, see how that feels in the morning, then keep watching silent witness, put my thinking cap on, maybe try to do some painting, as in art.  l cant do much in garden now, bit of planting re potting, not digging or heavy stuff, will need to look for handyman for my extensive hedges.  lve stayed awake all day, pain eased off, but now talk about heavy eyes, could sleep so easily, darent sit back on sofa. See what tomorrow brings, but not good weather by the look of it, snow even  ; actually used to love deep snow, how it looked, snowballing, well take care, 

I'd loved to have had a camper van - you'd have so much freedom to go where you want. I haven't been far for years. We managed a few short breaks nowhere longer than 3 hours drive a few times. I even find it exhausting going on holiday! Used to go for runs in the car somewhere about an hour away when the dog was fit to go and used to enjoy the change of scenery but he's told old to go in car now and can't leave him long on own so hardly go anywhere now. Probably why I'm thinking about what I could do differently in daily life. I've stayed awake all day too - 2 days in a row! Quite tired now but not exhausted. Enjoy the rest of your day. I'm having quiet night in front of TV.

Can ditto that, in not going anywhere much, l,d love to, so wanted to travel a lot, and even when we,d camper van l,d health probs then, ic.which is why we go it, to be able to set off when it suited me, if weather okish, but thats years ago.  Last true break l had was 3yr ago, at start of symptoms, went to northern ireland for a meet up with cousins, son drove me half hour to airport, then 40min flight, and they met me at other end, lovely weather, all went onto decking for chats, well sun and fatigue, felt that rough l,d to exscuse myself, never had to do that before, went to bed and slept 2hrs, Come the evening we were going out for meal and show after, one cousins son was in the show, why we met up, touring show, rock and roll sort of show, dreamboats, well, l actually fell asleep sat upright in theatre, dont even know how long for, just waking and realising, hoping dimmed lights had hid me.

No such luck, my older aunt said, `youve had a wee sleep lynne` lol, 

she in her 80s in a wheelchair, but stayed awake, l think thats when l really felt realised it wasnt normal.  Since then just the odd days an hour or so away, to coast or country, at least youve the beach nearby and the healthier sea air.  l stayed awake all day yesterday, till 8ish then dropped off, woke up 9, thought it am at first, went to bed early and woke 6 times, so far stayed awake today. also tired though not the dropping off unavoidable sort. When your really tired does going out into the sea air, wake you up with a shock, or make you want to sleep more, sea air so different to valley air where l am, more polluted, sea blows it away a lot l think.   Is it quiet or lot of tourists. Hope you and retriever having good day, l had mutual empathy with my old dog, l,m sure they sense when were unwell.  

Hi Lynne - any time I went on holiday I had to put the seat back in car and rest or go for lie down in room where we staying and used to feel exhausted for ages after holiday but it was worth it to get a change of scenery. Not well at all today - seem to have got bladder infection last night, didn't sleep at all last night, at toilet all the time and had high temperature. Had to go to doctor this morning and get antibiotics but have made my face go puffy so told me to stop taking them and has given me prescription for another one. Just looked it up and it's even stronger than first one so not sure about trying it. Don't know what to do now as doctors is shut for holidays. Am hoping it will go away itself. Have spend most of day shivering on settee with blankets on me. Feel like crying. My dog knows I'm not well and has been lying right beside me licking my hand bless him. Really hope you are having better day than me.

Oddly l went to bed early llish and must have got up 4 or 5 times to go ot toilet, though didnt have any pain or temp with it, so just frequency not infection. Many years ago l got a bladder infection and doc gave me penicillin spent all night itching, then got bumps and swellings, passed out, still had infection went back and he gave me amoxycillin, duh, same group as penicillin, now on records and i  use trimethoprin or kefalexin, which clears them.  See how you go on overnight, most areas have out of hours clinics at hospital, you dont want it getting any worse, theyre a horrible infection. A change of scenery does lift the spirits and its a bit of an adventure, l dare hardly look on fb, they all post their pics from everywhere, jealous of course. But l live in hope, think and hope l always will.  Glad your dog, dont know his name, is being a comfort, dogs are brilliant friends, comforters, jokers,  Hope the infection improves overnight  if not dont hang on till monday, enough to deal with without infections on top, Take care.x

Am also allergic to penicillin (badly affects my breathing). Doctor gave me Trimethoprim - thought I was OK at first and fell asleep on settee. When I got up my face had gone puffy and lips and tongue felt odd. Has worn off a bit now. Doctor I spoke to on phone has given me prescription for Ciproflaxacin - chemist shut so not got it in house yet.The name seems familar to me - think I might have had it before and it didn't agree with me - looks even stronger than first one. Will see how I feel in morning - feel slightly better than last night. Most of the good doctors have retired and don't totally trust judgement of new ones going on previous experience dealing with them after being misdiagnosed a couple of times with things. Feel fed up as though I was improving and this will really set me back. Was hoping to get out house at weekend but can't go anywhere now. Never mind at least I've still for Brodie (my dog) to cheer me up. Hope you have a good weekend!!

Think lve heard of ciproflaxacin, though never had it, l know if youve had a bad reaction to tablets it puts you off and makes you more wary, l,m terrible with anything new, like known and trusted, but sometimes not much choice. All newish drs at our surgery, guess what they call it, `kilmeny` charming, l hope its not many a true word. l dont trust all drs, sorry to say, some good ones, some not, l had 12yrs of misdiagnoses-non diagnoses, sort of affects your trust, at the least. Hope it improves overnight for you, if not see out of hours docs. Good that Brodie will be there for you as a comfort. l cant imagine my house without a dog in, feel desolate. what we get used to.  Hope you have a good night.