Category: My Personal Journey
The Randomness Of My Post Viral Symptoms
This week I'd say my main issue has been pain. I'd wake up in pain, in the night, and in the morning. I'll have aches ... Continue
When Preparing A Meal Makes You Weak
It's been a very weak and shaky few days. Trying to live within my very low energy limits is not easy. I seem to be ... Continue
My Assessment And Diagnosis At The Chronic Fatigue Clinic
I attended my first appointment with the Chronic Fatigue Clinic today. I finally have an official diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (also known as Myalgic ... Continue
My First 6 Months Of ME/CFS: The Best And Worst Months Of My Life
Today marks the end of six months since I got the viral infection that changed my life. That gloriously sunny day in Italy on the ... Continue
Chronic Illness: Making Simple Errands Overwhelming
When unforeseen problems force me to go out despite severe ME/cfs, simple errands can become overwhelming very quickly. I had to go out today, needed ... Continue
Travelling With ME/CFS: Family Reunion in South Africa
This summer our family had a reunion in my country of birth. It had been over a decade since I had last been on holiday ... Continue
Celebrating The Ordinary: A Gratitude Log
My happy face, my happy place. What a gorgeous day today! So hot and sunny with a lovely cool breeze... I just love British summers! ... Continue
Focus On The Blessings Of The Present Moment
Today has been amazing! Its such a gorgeous day, extremely hot and sunny. I've only spent short bursts outside as my skin burns in the ... Continue
Mobility Aids, The Benefits Of Using A Walker For Shopping
As a thirty-something year old woman, who looks perfectly healthy, walking around a supermarket with a walking aid most commonly used by the elderly can ... Continue
Grateful For Those Productive Days
Today has been quite productive! We just had our shower doors replaced this week, which meant waiting at least 24 hours for the silicone to ... Continue
Enjoying This Gorgeous London Sunshine
Spent the whole morning enjoying this gorgeous London sunshine out on the patio today. I had breakfast, drew a bit, then painted for a while, ... Continue
Reflections On Faith Through Chronic Fatigue And Pain
Today marks 18 months of this Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. At least 18 months in this severe housebound state, we imagine I might have had it ... Continue
Muscle Wastage And Personal Grooming In ME/CFS
A couple of days ago we had some gorgeous autumn sunshine after a few dark and dreary days. I'd just got up and was getting ... Continue
The Long Road To Diagnosis: My First 6 Months of ME/CFS
It all started in 2014. I would occasionally get random, migrating pains in my hips, thighs and arms. It was quite painful and alarming. Because ... Continue
Christmas 2016 – A Quiet Dinner With Friends
Had a lovely quiet holiday weekend, but did enjoy my first outing in a couple of months on Christmas day. Was super blessed to have ... Continue
Transitioning To A Paleo-Ketogenic Diet
As some of you might know, I have recently started reading Dr. Sarah Myhill's book, Diagnosis and Treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Myalgic Encephalitis. ... Continue
My First 40 Days On The Paleo-Ketogenic Diet
I'm happy to report that there have been some welcome improvements after a month on this LCHF (Low Carb, High Fat) diet! As discussed in ... Continue
Reflections After Two Years in Bed With ME/CFS
As the new month starts, I am filled with joy and anticipation. It's been two years since I fell ill, that's two whole years in ... Continue
How The Ketogenic Diet Reduced My ME/CFS Symptoms
If you've been following my journey for a while, you'll be aware that I use Keto for ME/cfs management. I often get asked what this ... Continue
It’s Been One Of Those Days, Again
Today is one of those days... I've overdone things this week. Went out to GP on Monday and although I was in wheelchair, it knocked ... Continue
Took Me 30 Years To Learn This Truth About The Gospel
So many Christians live in fear and doubt these days. I know this well, I was one of them. I loved God and wanted to ... Continue
Still Itching: Time To Find The Unknown Allergen
I'm still struggling with this allergic reaction that started in February. I initially thought it was the Keto rash and tried coming off the ketogenic ... Continue
What Are These Teeny, Tiny White Bugs All Over My House And How To Get Rid Of These Little Mites?
I was shocked to discover that my bed, which was in the house when we moved in, had some teeny, tiny white bugs! Not bedbugs ... Continue
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 ... Continue
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 ... Continue
The Paleo-Ketogenic Cookbook, by Dr Sarah Myhill
Dr Myhill's latest book arrived in the mail this week! It's a Paleo-ketogenic cookbook called "The PK Cookbook - Go Paleo-Keto and get the best ... Continue
Allergic Reaction: Itching And Hives
I went to the doctor again this week. This is the fourth doctor I've seen about my itching. She was lovely and also thinks it's ... Continue
The Freedom Of Letting Go
Sometimes you don't notice the weight you're carrying until you let it go. This is often such a hard truth to accept, but letting go ... Continue
How Carbs Make My ME/CFS Worse
Carbs really make my ME/CFS symptoms worse! I have spent so much time on the sofa and in my bed again this week. One would ... Continue
How I’m Tackling The ME/CFS Flares
I had been doing so well for so long that I had almost forgotten how bad these flares can get. It can be discouraging when ... Continue
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 ... Continue
My Histamine Issues Have Caused An ME/CFS Flare
It's been a while since I wrote a personal update. I have recently been extremely drained and weak, so haven't been very social or active ... Continue
Does Chronic Illness Make You Feel Useless?
Does chronic illness make you feel useless? I know that many Christians with chronic illness feel like they are no longer useful to God or ... Continue
Isolation: Why Do People Drift Away?
Sometimes it's hard to accept that when you're living with a chronic illness, people fall away, but it is something that commonly happens after a ... Continue
My Life Story In 20 Sentences, For The #20FunFacts Challenge
I write a lot about my experience with chronic illness, my diet and my faith, but there are many things about me that you probably ... Continue
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 ... Continue
You’ve Got This: You’re A Warrior And A Survivor
When living with a chronic illness, whether it's a physiological or psychological condition, it is common to start doubting yourself. Your confidence dwindles as you ... Continue
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 ... Continue
Keeping An Eternal Perspective
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 ... Continue
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 ... Continue
When moving to a foreign country feels like coming home
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 ... Continue
Gift Guide: What To Buy For Your Chronically Ill Friends, Part 1
It can be quite tricky deciding what to buy your friends with chronic illness because of all the limitations and intolerances we often have. What ... Continue
God will give you the desires of your heart
This verse is often misinterpreted and then people are discouraged and think God doesn’t keep His word. It’s not saying God is a genie and ... Continue
Gift guide: what to buy for your chronically ill friends, part 2
I know many people find such joy in shopping for gifts. They start shopping months in advance and they buy the most thoughtful, personalised gifts ... Continue
Summertime Christmas in Africa
When people think of Christmas, they think of snow, father Christmas or Santa Claus, Pine trees and funky Christmas sweaters. We also think about the ... Continue
Gift guide: what to buy for your chronically ill friends, part 3
I'm so excited to share this third part of my spoonie gift guide, I hope you are enjoying this series as much as I am! ... Continue
Blogmas 2017 Christmas Tag!
One of the things I love about blogging are all the community events. Things like monthly challenges, link-ups and interviews. Holiday link-ups are always fun! ... Continue
Outcome: Unfit For Work
I love Facebook memories. Each day you wake up to find a lovely look back at how much things have changed over the past year. ... Continue
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 ... Continue
December 2017 Chronic Voice Blog Link-up
As this year draws to an end, I have decided to start something new here on the blog. One of my favourite parts of blogging ... Continue
My First Outing in 5 Months
I am so happy to have visited the beautiful Lake District this holiday! As anybody with a chronic illness can tell you, holidays are a ... Continue
Thoughts On Needing A Wheelchair At Age 35
A year ago today I got my wheelchair! I was almost completely bedridden at the time. Walking just a few steps every hour or two ... Continue
Reflecting, Aiming, Expanding, Focusing, Refreshing
I'm so happy to finally be taking part in A Chronic Voice's monthly link-up! I have been silently following along from the shadows for months, ... Continue
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 ... Continue
My First Blog Award: Liebster Nomination
I was incredibly surprised when Emma from Not Just Tired nominated me for the Liebster Award. That was 3 months ago, in November last year. ... Continue
Getting To Know The Me Behind The Illness
I've been nominated to take part in the blogging tag game "Me Behind The Illness". I think it is a great way to remind ourselves ... Continue
Update: When Intention, Creativity and Chronic Illness Collide
This month has been quite productive! I can't believe it's almost gone already. I'm once again taking part in this thought-provoking monthly link-up with Sheryl ... Continue
Baptism: Celebrating My Rebirth-day
April is a very special month for me. Many of my great life changes seem to have happened in April. This particular celebration is very ... Continue
Update: A Season Of Anticipation And New Beginnings
I can't believe we're almost half-way through April already! This is possibly one of my favourite times of the year being the season of new ... Continue
Nicole Starbuck on Faith Through Illness
Welcome to the first interview in a new series called Faith Through Illness. I hope you will find these stories to be encouraging and a ... Continue
Reassessing My Condition, Setting Realistic Goals
It's time for another personal update. Time to reassess and set realistic goals. This month has been so much harder than I anticipated. Somehow I ... Continue
Sunshine Blogger Award, June 2018
Chronically Hopeful has been nominated for another blog award! The Sunshine Blogger Award is awarded to bloggers by bloggers in recognition of their contribution to ... Continue
How To Edit MEpedia – The ME/CFS Encyclopedia
The main focus of this post is to show you in a step-by-step way how you can edit MEpedia. I was very happy to recently ... Continue
My 2018 WEGO Health Award Nomination – Best In Show: Blog
I am so excited to share this news with you! I have been nominated for the 2018 WEGO Health Award in the Best In Show: ... Continue
How To Get More Links On Instagram Without Using Linktree
If you are a blogger with an Instagram account, you will be very aware of the frustrating limit they have placed on us by allowing ... Continue
My Summer Survival Kit & Top Tips To Beat The Heat. Spoonie Gift Guide, Part 4
Summer can be a really difficult time for people with chronic illness. Regulating body temperature is a common problem. Add in a rare summer heat ... Continue
The SIPB Summer Blog Tag: My Summertime Favourites
One of my favourite things about the blogging community are the seasonal tagging events. These blog tags are like a game of "20 Questions" and ... Continue
Breakfast With Birds: Enjoying Nature From Indoors
Welcome to our garden! We have just moved into a lovely new house and this one has a garden! I am beyond excited about being ... Continue
Coal Tits – Our First Brave Visitors At The Bird Feeder
After moving to our new house last week, we hung our first bird feeder out on Monday and waited (im)patiently for the birds to come ... Continue
Book Review: Annabeth’s War, by Jessica Greyson
In my first book review I'm sharing my thoughts on this lovely novella by Jessica Greyson. Annabeth's War was her debut work and it happens ... Continue
Book Review: Nobody’s Girl, By Tania Crosse
I'm so excited to share this heartwarming story with you today! Nobody's Girl by Tania Crosse is a fantastic book full of family drama, tragedy, ... Continue
Book Review: He’s Making Diamonds
Geared towards teens suffering with chronic illness, this book aims to answer some of those tough questions believers often find themselves asking when things seem ... Continue
Moving To A New House – Plus 12 Ways To Make Moving Easier If You’re Chronically Ill
This summer was a season of great change for our family. After little more than a year in our flat, my dad had found us ... Continue
How To Create Your Own Instagram Landing Page, Step-By-Step
If you're a blogger who uses Instagram to promote your content, then you will most likely be just as frustrated as I was about the ... Continue
Health And Fitness: A Week Before I Fell Ill With Severe Chronic Illness
Ironically my life was super busy and active during the weeks and months before the onset of what lead to my Chronic Fatigue Syndrome diagnosis. ... Continue
Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind: How Can The Church Better Serve The Chronically Ill?
Today I am sharing a guest post by Shona Smith. I must admit, I have mixed feelings about this topic, but it is an important ... Continue
Creating A Retreat Away From My Own Bedroom
Look at that beautiful Lily! Everyday there seems to be something new in the garden. It's constantly changing. I try to take a walk through ... Continue
My 2019 WEGO Health Award Nomination – Best In Show: Facebook
I'm so honoured and grateful to be nominated once again for the WEGO Health Awards. Last year I was nominated for the Best In Show: ... Continue
Chronically Hopeful Award, September 2019
I am honoured to have been nominated for the Chronically Hopeful Award! And no, I did not create this award, the name is just a ... Continue
Exploring The Garden And Our First Family BBQ In Years
Last year, at the end of Summer, we moved into this house that has a lovely little garden. It was the first time in years ... Continue
Getting Organised For The Year Ahead – Personal Update, Jan 2020
I am so excited for the year that lies ahead; something about new beginnings just really makes me happy. For me, 2019 was quite a ... Continue
Crops In Pots, Indoor Gardening While Housebound
This month my sister and I are taking on a new project: crops in pots! I have always been interested in gardening and have always ... Continue
My 2020 WEGO Health Award Nomination – Advocating For Another
I'm so grateful and humbled to be nominated for another WEGO Health Award. This is the third year in a row which is just incredible ... Continue
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