A messy bed. Title reads: Imagine... a day in the life of M.E. Have you ever wondered what chronically ill people do all day?

Imagine… A Day in The Life of ME

It might surprise you how often people with chronic illness are asked what they do with all the free time they have at home. I think many healthy people have no idea how difficult it is to deal with unrelenting symptoms on a daily basis. I hope to shed some light on this by sharing with you what a day in the life of Severe ME is like. This post was originally written as a first person account of my…

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Christmas lights and baubles in some branches. Title reads: How I survived Christmas despite Severe M.E. My tips for coping during the festive season

How I Survived Christmas Despite Chronic Illness – How To Cope During The Festive Season

One thing that can really cause a lot of stress for people with Chronic illness is coping with Christmas and all that it entails. For me personally, Christmas has changed so much over the years. It’s ​changed from huge family get-togethers when I still lived with my parents, to multinational bring-and-share gatherings of friends once I moved to London, and then small meals with just my sister and I in my bedroom after I fell ill, ​and every combination in…

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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

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…

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Update: current ME/CFS flare is slowing me down

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…

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ME CFS Flares, How to cope BLOG

ME/CFS flares: what do they feel like and how to cope

People with ME all suffer at varying degrees, we cannot compare our flares to somebody else’s. What one considers an ME/CFS flare another considers just another regular day with ME. What one person with ME considers a normal day, might be somebody else’s idea of torture. Once thing they all have in common is that everybody’s battle is devastating. We learn to acknowledge and respect everybody’s pain and everybody’s victories, because despite not fully understanding each other’s experiences, we can…

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Healthcare professionals pulling a patient's bed along the corridor

Why I Avoid Emergency Services And My Top Tips For Coping At Home

I often see people with ME/CFS writing about how they have spent hours in the emergency room only to be completely disappointed, misunderstood or even disbelieved. They go to the emergency room because they are feeling so weak and exhausted that they don’t know where else to go or what to do, they’re scared because they feel so utterly ill. I understand the fear that leads you to that conclusion, it’s scary to lose control of your body, but it’s…

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A man sleeping next to his dog. Title reads 12 tips to help you adjust to your new normal. Are you struggling to adjust after your ME / CFS diagnosis?

12 Tips To Help You Adjust After An ME, CFS Or PVFS Diagnosis

I am regularly contacted by people who have recently been diagnosed with Post Viral Fatigue or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. They are often scared, worried and confused, but also hopeful and determined to return to their normal life. Their question is usually the same: what can I do? Having a diagnosis of PVF or CFS is difficult to deal with because there is so little information out there and often doctors don’t know what to tell you. They haven’t been trained…

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A pill bottle and glass of water in the foreground, in the background a woman sleeping on a bed. Title reads: using MSM supplements to relieve chronic pain. Methylsulfonyl Methane, also called the miracle supplement

MSM for Chronic Pain Relief

​I’ve had quite a few people ask what I’m using for ​to reduce chronic pain. One of my favourite things since falling ill is MSM supplements. It is my one staple since I first heard about it and it’s potential to help the body heal from all sorts of things. It is even ​referred to as the “miracle supplement” and also the “beauty mineral” because it is so beneficial in so many areas. One of the reasons for this is…

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Char sitting in a wheelchair in a botanical nursery. Title reads: shopping with the family, Personal Update.

My Wheelchair And I: Shopping With The Family

​I actually left the house this week! Leaving the house is not something that happens very often when you have a chronic illness as debilitating as M​yalgic Encephalomyelitis. Months can go by without seeing the other side of my front door. I have reached a point where I’m able to walk around the house daily without causing too much payback, but going out is still so utterly draining that it usually takes me days to recover. My First Outing In…

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Char lying on the sofa, looking exhausted. Title reads: how I've been since moving to the new house. Personal update.

How I’ve Been Since Moving To The New House

We are settled in the new house now and I’m happy to say that I’m doing much better than I was a few months ago in London! Of course I’m still housebound, but I’m able to be up and walk around the house in the day. No more staying in bed all day, except during flares if I overdo things. Something I did over the last two days, but other than that I haven’t ​had a big flare since moving…

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