Great news! I now have written diagnosis and I’ve been accepted into the CFS Clinic in Preston. Yay!
Initially I was asked to describe my average day and given chance to ask any questions. Well, I had a world of questions bursting to come out and wondered how prepared the Nurse was for this flood of words. She must have forseen this. I was swiftly reminded of the time. I quickly had to fish out my best all rounder and force closed the flood gates, ha! Plenty of time to learn more. I must be patient.
Actually, I was given some very logical information. It’s settled my mind. In fact the whole session has given me a boost. Since I have a good level of fitness it means I have a good baseline strength. I can recover quicker after exercise compared to a person who had little fitness before M.E. I’ll have to reduce my hiking after Helvellyn but at least I can still get out.
Also, when the Nurse spoke to me it felt like my illness was validated. Having a diagnosis with any illness means a way forward. I know M.E. doesn’t have a treatment but if I can lessen symptoms then I will feel better and that’s enough for now.
So, the plan is to stop symptoms fluctuating and find a baseline of wellness. Step 1 is to write a diary of a normal week. What I do hour to hour and highlight in colours my high, medium and low energy activities. This will show how much I do now. So far similar to how the OT explained ‘Pacing’ only this time it’ll be specific to the fluctuating nature of ME fatigue.
All good so far. Follow future ‘CFS Clinic’ posts for more.
Jacqui x
40 and Fighting 