Stopping to smell the roses- Taking stock of living with a chronic illness

I have had this horrible condition (ME/CFS) for 2-3 years but looking back symptoms started way before.

At the beginning I started taking more and more days off work, before it getting so bad , I had to get signed off for around four months.

During this time I was predominately bed/house bound, unable to work, socialise and at the worst of it unable to get to the bathroom without the help of my parter. Continue reading

The Rainbow in the Storm- Checking in with CFS/ME

Rainbow quoteLying on the sofa in PJ’s for the third day in a row might seem like a luxury to non sufferers and it used to be for me as well before I got ill. However my PJ’s and a cheeky hot chocy were accompanied by searing  pain, tingling in my arms and legs or at times the inability to even concentrate on the most mind numbing TV.

So my current stint on the sofa hasn’t been all that luxurious, the forecast has been filled with severe weather warning of: impenetrable brain fog, with pain showers throughout ranging from an annoying dull continuous drizzle to a full out thunder storm that brought a tear to my eye.

But though all the fog, the drizzle and the storm there has been a rainbow; evidence of the rays of my progress with this condition trying to burst through. Whilst these rays are not strong enough to banish the fog and the storms, the rainbow to me symbolises hope and makes me feel content and one might even go so far as saying happy with my situation. Continue reading