Please help! Is it possible I am crashing?
Posted , 7 users are following.
hi, i have been sick and was completely off work for 2 months, i have seen 3 doctors and a specialist and finally have gotten a diagnosis of post viral fatigue or chronic fatigue syndrome. over the past 2 months i feel like i have VERY slowly started to improve. this month i have started back at work for 3 hours a day 5 days a week however since i have started i feel like i am getting worse again. is it possible i am now crashing everyday? will i continue to get worse if i keep working or will my body get used to it? the town i live in is not very big and although the doctors are trying to be helpful i dont think they know too much about this syndrome so i have to get all of my information online. i just dont really know what i should be doing if i should rest and stop work again or continue to work and hopefully get used to it? would that even happen?
0 likes, 13 replies
Bubbles61 Samantha987
Posted
hi ya,, its so difficult for each individual when trying to find answers, help and relief.
but most agree the more you fight it the worse it gets and the longer any recovery takes, the first thing is to admit to your self that you have a genuine illness, which is not easy as you will feel like a fraud at times, but don't,!! this is real, & it will get tougher but getting to know what makes you worse is important, to me if i have bread or potatoes,i crash very quickly, after a shower im exhusted, its crazy, i have been a sufferer for 18 years now, & for years & years i fought against, but thats not the way to do it, please just rest when you need to, your body is telling you too,& in time it will scream at you to stop, with this illness you have to learn day to day what is good/bad for you,!! it tough because doctors, family and friends
will not understand enough, rest and cap nap as much and as often as you need and can, you will have good and bad days but always keep posative and be true to yourself,,& good luck..
Samantha987 Bubbles61
Posted
thanks for you reply, it does seem like i need to rest a little bit more. some days are very hard
DiannaO Samantha987
Posted
Here's what I've personally noticed. The interesting thing about CFS is the post exertional malaise. Meaning if you work one day and get through it pretty well and even feel like "ok, that was good. I can do this!" the problem is that you might not feel well the next day or two which is often when it hits. Then you have to push a little to get to work and you're starting the day with a deficit of energy along with pushing which creates more stress which your body doesn't need. Then you get home and rest and find you can't sleep which means you push again to go to work with almost no energy and really have to push. etc, etc, and before you know it you're crashing big time. I always did better with very part time afternoon hour jobs and if I had a work day, rest day, work day, rest day. Not sure if that's possible for you but listen to your body. It's doing what it's doing for a reason and please trust that message. If you don't trust it and feel like "I will just have to get use to it" you could end up worse than where you started (which is what happened to me and I haven't yet recovered). The more you listen and take care of yourself, the more chance you have of recovering. That doesn't mean just resting all day, everyday. It means you need to do a little but what is within the realms of what you can handle without crashing and then challenge yourself in baby steps. This takes a lot of time, patience, knowledge and understanding.
Samantha987 DiannaO
Posted
thanks for your reply. i took a full day off yesterday instead of going in for my few hours and did my few hours again today and seem to be feeling much better already. it might be that i need rest days in between
jeffrey86443 DiannaO
Posted
One does not "recover" or get better. You are coping with the reality of your illness. If you find a pace, a routine you can handle, and a lot of giving to yourself what your body and mind are telling you, and temper your activities without self-condemnation, you can survive day by day.
DiannaO jeffrey86443
Posted
People who have seen 85% or greater improvement and maintain their ability to stay at that percentage over time are considered recovered. They do exist!
jane_0000 Samantha987
Posted
hi there.
isn't it frustrating not knowing what to do?
I took three months leave from my job as there was really no choice.
I am now only working half time and if i was full time i would crash every night. or even during work.
it's not easy. every day is a struggle.
it's very important to pace yourself and also find your happy place. plus the hardest thing for me was having to ask people to help me.
I also luckily have the best bed ever that doesn't hurt my body. it truly is a blessing for my body.
sometimes all we can do is get to work and home to bed.. not ideal but the rashes are way too scary.
I've tried many things for this illness with no real luck. so I'm working on pain levels and sleep problems for now.
take care of yourself and only share with people that really care for you.
jane
jane_0000 Samantha987
Posted
hi there.
isn't it frustrating not knowing what to do?
I took three months leave from my job as there was really no choice.
I am now only working half time and if i was full time i would crash every night. or even during work.
it's not easy. every day is a struggle.
it's very important to pace yourself and also find your happy place. plus the hardest thing for me was having to ask people to help me.
I also luckily have the best bed ever that doesn't hurt my body. it truly is a blessing for my body.
sometimes all we can do is get to work and home to bed.. not ideal but the rashes are way too scary.
I've tried many things for this illness with no real luck. so I'm working on pain levels and sleep problems for now.
take care of yourself and only share with people that really care for you.
jane
Samantha987 jane_0000
Posted
thank you for your reply. i may need to cut back on work a bit. i did think only having 2 months off was not quite enough however i felt a little pressured to get back to work. i will try to take it a bit easier
jane_0000 Samantha987
Posted
goid idea and worth a try. I had my day off yesterday and had two appointments .. maybe a bit much as I'm feeling it today.
when I'm home I spend a certain amount of that day resting every hour or two. I do a wee bit then stop. b4 it's too late..
take care.. this is not easy.
jane
jeffrey86443 Samantha987
Posted
You are not going to improve since there is not treatment available that actually works. Exercise causes stress which triggers a CFS/ME response that takes you down. Too much mental strain, i.e. work, causes stress which triggers a CFS/ME response that takes you down.
You can learn to cope with the symptoms but a regular life with a schedule is over. Sorry, but you can have a life that works through daily struggles with friends and family that can't believe we can't "just" do...whatever. Get used to being left behind or you choose not to participate because you never really know what might take you down and a problem for everybody else involved.
Get a good counsellor, and pray your friends stay friends from afar.
Samantha987 jeffrey86443
Posted
hi,
i have been undergoing numerous treatments that i have sought out without a doctors help and have gone from being bed ridden to being able to do small errands out of the house. i have only really starting crashing and not progressing since starting work again. i know a lot of people believe there is no getting better because there is no medical treatment available but i know people personally with CFS that are at the stages where they are able to work full time and have a life outside of work as well. every one has different mindsets and id rather work towards getting to a more manageable stage then believing that i cant.
DiannaO Samantha987
Posted
You Go Girl. A very wise doctor once told me "Where there is breath, there is hope." A combination of acceptance, knowledge, patience, and just a spark of hope can do wonderful things.