Sad News – Former member, from earlier days of the group, Louise Chaikin, sadly passed away on Christmas Eve, following an 18 month battle with cancer. We know Louise had kept in touch with several members from those days – a good example of mutual support being extended well beyond group meetings at which people first meet. We are re-posting the item Louise wrote for us, around 3 years ago, about her personal experience of M.E.
‘As the saying goes; life begins at 40! However my 40th year ended being bed bound for 7 months, diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue/M.E. along with no hope of recovery or information on how to get better. As a single mother, with a mortgage, 3 jobs and in a new relationship, I had a lot to lose. I was stuck, so I rang to order a book from a recovering M.E. sufferer and was surprised when they personally could not take the call because they were wallpapering! I felt my hope restored! I am now 57 and have been asked to share my recovery journey. I began by writing a diary of each year’s catastrophic life events from a teenager, my physical health problems, operations, building a home, divorce and money worries to start with. My recovery began by listening to my body. I learned to pace everything and build up creative ways to rebuild my life. I had no knowledge of pacing at this point. Like everybody there were highs and lows, it felt very much like climbing a mountain only to fall back down again. I would like to share with you the skills that I have carried in my own back pack as I journeyed towards recovery. Hope was first in the bag as, I wanted to keep a new relationship, daughter and home together and return to my job, so that gave me the determination to succeed. Acceptance; I cannot be physically or mentally the person I was before. I learnt not to compare myself to others. Pacing; this is one of the most important learning points. My relapse episodes went from lasting a week to now a few hours! Acupuncture; this relieves the muscle pain. Initially weekly treatments but now every 3 months as things have improved. Sleep; I follow the sleep hygiene guidelines as it’s easy to get into bad habits. I practise Mindfulness; Stress Management and letting things go physically and emotionally to de clutter the mind! I give thanks to all the support from my husband and daughter and text buddies. I am grateful my quality of life has improved so much that I now ride an electric bike to help my limited walking. I have joined more evening activities and pursue my love of crafting which keeps me grounded and in good mental health! Never give up hope! M.E is not an option, Recovery is!’
Recommended reading;
Ruby Wax, “Mindfulness for the Frazzled”
Patrizia Collard, “The Little Book of Mindfulness”
Dr Darrel Ho-Yen, “Climbing Out” and “Better Recovery from Viral Illness” www.getselfhelp.co.uk ; for finding alternative thinking habits, sleep hygiene.