2017 - Page 2 of 7 - Chronically Hopeful

Memory Lane

Moving to a foreign country, homecoming BLOG

When moving to a foreign country feels like coming home

December 1, 2017
9

It was an icy November evening in 2010, exactly 7 years ago today, when my best friend and I hopped on a plane to London from Milan. I had spent the past ten years living in Northern Italy, literally all of my adult life, and this was the beginning of a new chapter. We landed shortly before midnight. We both had been unhappy in our jobs for various reasons for quite some time, so when we lost our jobs, which…

Life With M.E., Personal Updates

Feet in a bath tub, water moving. Title reads Shakes and Tremors with ME/CFS. Myalgic Encephalomyeitis causes visible body tremors.

Shaking And Trembling With ME/CFS

November 26, 2017
49

One of the most frustrating and debilitating symptoms of ME/CFS is the shaking and trembling after minimal exertion. Something that healthy people might get after a strenuous exercise. I was lying in the bath relaxing last night when I felt the shakes coming on. This is what I get for walking just a few steps to the bathroom and getting undressed. I started feeling a bit of the internal tremors at that point, I imagined it might come to the…

Faith Notes

Keeping An Eternal Perspective

November 20, 2017
5

I absolutely believe that we are safer with God in any storm than we would be anywhere else without Him. It’s hard when you focus on the pain and suffering in this world or even your own personal trials to remember that this is just a fraction of eternity. This will eventually pass, it is only a temporary part of your life. Keeping an eternal perspective allows you to see just how small and temporary every trial is in the…

Life With M.E.

Join the MAIMES campaign, Chronically Hopeful #MEcfs #pwME #ChronicIllness

MAIMES: Medical Abuse in ME Sufferers

November 17, 2017

As anybody with ME/CFS and their carers will know, many doctors and health care practitioners still treat ME as a psychological disorder, when in fact it has been proven to be physiological. Patients have been dismissed for decades, disbelieved, misunderstood and symptoms ignored. The current treatment recommended for ME/CFS patients is CBT (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, a type of psychologically based talk therapy) and GET (Graded Exercise Therapy, a controlled exercise program). This came about due to findings that came out…

Awareness Pictures, Life With M.E.

ME/CFS Awareness, 15 Nov 2017

November 16, 2017

As you might know by now, I spend every Wednesday evening on Twitter, along with many other ME/CFS warriors, taking part in ME Awareness Hour. It runs from 8-9pm (London time) every Wednesday evening. We tweet about what life is like with this life draining illness. We tweet and retweet for an hour, hoping to to make our hashtags trend on the front page of Twitter so we can get the most attention possible. I hope you will join us, even…

Keto Recipes

Recipe for Fat Head, Keto Pizza & Toppings

November 12, 2017
8

Can you really have a movie night without a pizza? For months after I had transitioned to keto, I didn’t have any pizza. The crusts are loaded with grains which just don’t work for the ketogenic diet, so I was very happy when I stumbled upon this recipe. When I tasted it for the first time I almost cried. This recipe is flop-proof and tastes so good!

Encouragement

Life is like a twisting roller-coaster ride

November 10, 2017
4

It’s easy to get caught up in all the negatives that happen in life. Things don’t go your way, you fall ill, you lose people or your job, you feel sick, there are just so many things that can bring us down, but this is just part of life. The minute we stop expecting life to be a fairytale and accept reality, that’s the moment we open ourselves up to the truth and the freedom that comes with it. It’s…

Awareness Pictures, Life With M.E.

ME/CFS Awareness, 8 Nov 2017

November 8, 2017
1

I have a date tonight – with Twitter! Every Wednesday evening I spend an hour on Twitter, along with a bunch of other ME/CFS warriors, taking part in ME Awareness Hour. It runs from 8-9pm (London time) every Wednesday evening. You can join in the fun too, we’d love to have more advocates taking part! We post memes, links to research or media coverage, personal experience, all sorts of things that will help shed some light on what life is like…

Personal Updates

Update: current ME/CFS flare is slowing me down

November 6, 2017

It’s hard to deal with these unexpected flares or relapses that seem to come out of the blue. You end up asking yourself a million questions. What did I do wrong? Did I eat the wrong thing? What did I do yesterday or the day before to cause this much pain? Why am I so weak today, did I overdo it this week? Was the TV too loud? Did I miss the signs and push too hard? Did I get…

Starting a Ketogenic Diet

How to set up a macro tracking app for your ketogenic diet, part 2

November 5, 2017

The thought of tracking macros scares many people into delaying their keto journey, but it’s really not as complicated at it might seem. There are some great tools available that make the whole process so easy. Also, some people are not aware that you do not need to calculate your macros, you can just wing it and wait for ketosis and fat adaption to kick in. It might just require more patience and it certainly depends on the results you’re…