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Tips on fighting and overcoming CFS

Posted , 6 users are following.

tom56086
tom56086

So I had Chronic Fatugue Syndrome about a year ago for 5 months. So after countless blood test I was aventually diagnosed with Chronic Fatugue Syndrome mainly due to the fact that the doctor didn't know what could be causing my fatugue. So I was diagnosed me as a blanket diagnosis on my syntoms I was never aware of what exactly caused it. 

So the tips I will mention will not be just aimed toward specific causes they will be aimed towards ways which I improved my own health.

1) Diet- so about 2 months in I saw a dietrition who caried out some tests on what food I may be intollerent to and that my body had been reacting badly to . The most important aspect of the test was that it showed a mediocare intollerence to Gluton and lactos. Small intollerences to Gluton can cause some of the syntoms of CFS. My body bad reaction to gluton was likely to be caused by Gastrointeritious a couple of months earlia, so its not always something your born with.

i) Look into seeing if you have any intollerence to certain foods. (dont just jump to conclusions, do try and get a test or work it out by trial and error)

ii) Eat more healthly. Cutting out all processed food, try to eat food which fresh and natural. This should allow you to cut out alot of excess sugar and have more lasting energy, less highs and lows. 

Genrally what I ate over 3 months did have a cumalitive bererfical effect.

2) Mindset- so mindset is very important for recovering firstly as a positive mindset will aid in recovery and secondly due to a negative mindset which may leasd to deppression will make you feel worse and less energized.

Although this may not be the root cause of fatugue it is still very important. I personally felt very low due to the fact that I nearlly had to drop out of school and was bedbound for a matter of month.

i) Positive Mindset- Should be maintained through several ways

Firstly by trying to influence the subconscious mind through hypnosis. I found various types such as positivity and energy hypnosis. THe general idea is to place ideas in the subconscious mind which should influence the body and the conscious mind. 

There are plenty of resourses on youtube.

Secondly there are various books on positive thinking that I found benerfical that taught various techniques on re-framing and changing perspecive. Some of Paul Mckenna's were benerfical and liked well to hypnosis aswell.

Thirdly although try to fill your time although you may find it hard to concentrate or even get out of bed. Do attempt to keep your time filled and your mind thinking about other thinks.

3)Cultivating Concentration and energy- So to increase my concentration and fight against Brain fog I tryed several techniques. Not all these techniques will work for you but I certainly recommend try them.

i) Meditation I found varioius types of meditation very benefical in terms of cultivating my concentration. Even if your struggling to satay awake at first keep at it.

ii) Yoga is a form of meditation in itself, it seemed to have a positive effect on mindset. It increases circulation and increase energy levels.

iii) Cold emergion So I had been recomended a technique as I was recovering which included cold emersion. In terms of cold emersion this meant cold showers and aventually cold baths. But you should definitly ease into it slowly. I did find that I did feel energized after doing this.

iv) Acupunture mat. Is a mat which you lie on which will have a stimulating effect and the same effect as regulare acupuncture. I will often use the matt even now when I feel a lack of energy.

 These first 3 certainly helped me firstly feel better and more energized, they did not nessisarilly tackle the root cause of my Fatugue bit they increasingly allowed me to have a healthier lifestyle which helped me to recover.

I will post more things which I tryed in another post, If you have any questions or want me to expand on any of these ideas. Please ask.

 

1 like, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • elaine62759
    elaine62759 tom56086

    Posted

    I have also found a lot of these things to be the most helpful out of the many things I've tried over the years. Nothing has ever cured me but the things that help me the most and actually give me some energy are good natural diet, relaxation CDs/meditation, yoga and pacing. Have not tried the cold water therapy but might give this a go if I can stand it! I bought an acupunture mat in a sale last year as I thought it might help my sore back but the needles are VERY sharp and wasn't really sure how to use it without hurting myself. I'd actually forgotten I had it (thanks for reminding me about it). How do use it without hurting yourself? I tried putting it on back on chair and leaning against it wearing a t-shirt - from what I remember it made my back feel warm but would really like to lie on it but not sure how to go about it without hurting myself. Do you have any tips?
    • tom56086
      tom56086 elaine62759

      Posted

      Thanks for your replie.

      In terms of cold water therophy ease into it slowly, go week by week and start by having the shower slightly colder than you would normally have it at first. You will find that you will build a tolerance to it. What would have been cold will be normal and feel energizing. But go slowly as you need to.

      In terms of the actupunture mat. Firstly make sure you whole back is on the mat as the larger sufact area on the mat the better.

      Seconly when you first start to use it, wear a t shirt on even a jumper or jumper's as you find that your tolerence will be built up with regular use. Adventully you may get to a stage wear its fine on just you back.

      Using it on a chair is also another way to use it while putting less body weight on the mat. Use it for short sessions at first.

      i personally was very suprized on how quicky I build a tolerence to the mat.

      Try to use it regularly but ease into it though.

    • elaine62759
      elaine62759 tom56086

      Posted

      Thanks very much for these tips.Not sure how I'll get on with the cold water but might be OK if ease into it gently. Think where I went wrong with the mat was wearing a thin t shirt. I was OK with it leaning on back of chair but not that comfy sitting like that. Really wanted to lie on it but scared of hurting myself. Will try lying on it with thicker clothes until I get used to it then hopefully progress to something thiner. I'd forgotten I had the mat - put it away in a cupboard with rest of impulse buys not sure about but will definitely dig it out and give it another go. Thanks again!! 
  • elaine62759
    elaine62759 tom56086

    Posted

    Meant to also say that positive thinking also definitely helps. I keep a diary and takes notes of how my day went. I always try and write down some positive things about the day even if I've not had a good day. Could be something I've managed to do,something nice I've seen or eaten, something that has made me laugh - there are always positive things in life if you look for them. If there is something negative about my day I'll try and think how I can improve it the next day eg if my legs were really sore I'd know I'd overused the muscles so would decide not to try going for a walk next day but would put feet up and rest them like I'm doing today!
  • dillemma
    dillemma tom56086

    Posted

    Thanks for your interesting thoughts.

    I too drastically improved with an elimination diet of things  I was intolerent to, about 14 years ago.

    I am also intolerent to airbourne particles, or even the smell of them so it's not so easy to elimate everything such as pollen and mold, dogs, cats, cut grass, biodiesel and perfume...  And, well, anything people are sensitive to really!!!

    If I can control everything, I am actually completely free of my ME/CFS, full of energy and brain fog free.  Although, it is a daily roller coaster, even now I have got my home completely sorted, and I am always coming into contact with stuff I react to.  A couple of things that have helped me a lot on that front, although it sounds like you don't have a problem with airbourne stuff, but just incase anybody is reading who does...  Are;

    1) Sunglasses; I find that I can protect myself very affectively from most anything by protecting my eyes.  I guess whatever it is gets in throught the mucus membraine. And

    2) Hair washing; As is advised for hay fever sufferers, hair washing stops you carrying the allergens ( or things you are sensitive to) once you are not being exposed.  Hair seems to act like a filter and tangles uo all sorts of particles.

    I do also consider myself to have a very positive atittude, which I think is very important when faced with something as difficult as ME/CFS.  I also do do yoga and in the summer go in for sea swimming which, in the UK, would count as cold water emersion.  Both of which I think are positive.

    I think that the advice you have given sounds really good to anybody, including people with ME/CFS, although, I would qualify that with a thought about the cold water thing;

    When I am unwell I cannot tolerate cold, and especially before I discovered my elimination list, when I was really classically and seriously sick with ME, I had a very serious inability to deal with cold! I would and will go really downhill really fast with cold exposure.  I just have to be well to do it and then it does make me feel great!

    I am really glad for you that you have recovered, fully, by the sound of it, and are able to get on with your life now. That's so great! Good luck.

     

  • mike76241
    mike76241 tom56086

    Posted

    Tom,

    The positive mindset, must come with moderated exercise,

    starting with yoga, then try cycling, keep well away from the gym,

    diet, try "purple" fruits blackberries/blueberries, organic food, etc

    cold showers can stimulate the blood supply,

    you cannot recover within a few months, so everything in

    moderation, a job change to working on computors is

    the most direct recovery route, anything else must be part time,

    • tom56086
      tom56086 mike76241

      Posted

      Yea the positive Mindset is certainly benerfited by exersize, but definitly try to promote a positive mindset through the other means which I mentioned as they provide a different angle in terms of thinking in a different way. Which can be very benerfical in breaking and stopping a cycle of negitivity which is often linked to Chronic Fatugue.

      Defintly those types of fruit, but avoid in excess.

      In terms of recovering in a couple of months, that refers to your specific case. If you actually tackle a cause of Chronic Fatugue which could be a deficency of Iron, or certain vitams or lets say depression or a an alergy something. Then tackling a cause can lead to a recovery within months.

      So recovery in a couple of months is possible for some cases and some with Glandular fever genrally recover in a couple of months.

      But many will not recover in this time however alot of these changes will benerfit energy levels and stop tour condition from getting worse such as becoming depressed.

    • dillemma
      dillemma tom56086

      Posted

      Just thought that I would add something that I have found when it comes to diet and fruit in particluar...  As you have mentioned it.

      I have found that I am always better when I avoid sugar at all and even fruit, because of the sugar content.  I only eat berries and rhubarb, in moderation, as I can feel my self getting into a sugar rollercoaster, even from fruit.

      This does, of course, bring me to question "is there is a link with ME/CFS and candida".  I think that there could be, at least for me, even if I'm reacting to very low levels of it, as I feel, as I really do have a sugar free diet.

      Just thought it was worth mentioning incase it's something that could benefit some people.

      Good call about tackling the cause.  I have had this condition for 16 years now and have made improvements by tackling various things over the years, from living in a better air quality area and other environmental factors and diet to getting down and dirty with abuse from my childhood.  So, from my perspective, I think there can be a complex of causes which are very indivdual to each case.

      The key, I think, is to be open minded about it and have the curiosity to try and find some answers.  I know that if I hadn't had either of those, I would have been bedridden all these years and, even though I have some limiting factors, my quality of life is really pretty good and I don't suffer with symptoms very much.

      Best of luck to All!!

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