Little Things That Help Sufferers Cope with ME/CFS
Llewellyn King/Open Salon
In recent years, I have taken an interest in a little understood
disease of the immune system known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, its global name.
I became interested in ME/CFS through my friend Deborah Waroff, a
colleague of the 1970s, who has been a virtual invalid for 23 years =96
her dream-like life confiscated by a disease no one understands,
without a recognized diagnosis, no cure and no effective treatment for
the symptoms.
ME/CFS symptoms include joint pain, migraine, cognitive dysfunction
and sensitivity to light. Physical exertion is often followed by
immediate collapse. Interestingly, most patients remember the exact
time and location of their initial attack.
Many sufferers are housebound, like the author Laura Hillenbrand, and
go through months and years of being bedridden and unable to tolerate
light. Suicide is common.
Women account for at least two-thirds of the 1 million victims in the
United States and 17 million worldwide. Yet ME/CFS has no lobby in
Washington, no celebrity spokesperson, gets next to no media, leaving
the sufferers to feel cursed, hidden in plain sight.
The only blessing in these unblessed lives may be the Internet. It is
their line to the larger, happier world and the source of strength
through shared experience among the afflicted.
Together with Deborah, I started a YouTube channel of interviews and
observations that also has gained world viewership. The channel is
called mecfsalert.
Recently, I asked mecfsalert viewers to tell me how they get through
the day. Do they cope with a prayer, a mantra, an effective diet,
scents, music or reading (for those who have enough energy to do it)?
Their e-mailed responses have been pouring in. Friends and loved ones
-- even Internet friends =96 are very important, followed in many
e-mails with pets:
Hazel Quinn writes of her comfort: =93My cat. She waits until she hears
me stir; she will be so happy, and will come over and purr. When she
comes in from outdoors, I smell the outside on her fur. I can tell
what is happening outside by what she has =91collected=92 such as rain,
smoke from peoples=92 fires, moldy smells from dank piles of old leaves
and undergrowth, even cow poo at the end of her very furry tail (I
live out in the country).=94
More about cats comes from Sue Howley: =93I can say the biggest lift for
me in recent weeks has been the introduction of two cats into my home.
Although I am fairly functional and can look after myself, I still
have to spend a lot of time indoors doing not very much. Having the
cats around has been wonderful, as it gives me the role of carer and
makes me feel of value. When I am resting, having a cat snuggled up,
purring away, sharing the snooze, is so deeply relaxing. Simply
watching them play together always creates the sense of a smile in my
heart. =94
May McGrath, who lives in Nottingham, England, is severely disabled
and needs constant care. She writes: =93I got ME suddenly in 2008, age
23. I was at work and the left side of my face went numb. It was a
virus that affected a facial nerve. I went home and the rest is
history. The little things that get me through the day are: my huge
rescue dog, Digby; my cat, Bear, who sleeps on me; and my rabbit,
Cookie, who loves hugs and kisses.=94
McGrath adds that it helps her enormously if people preparing her
breakfast and lunch take care with the presentation. =93It really cheers
me up if they make it look appetizing, and remember the extras like
fruit and a bit of chocolate. It can literally make my day.=94
Jerrold Spinhirne from Chicago is a shut-in. He says =93the thing that
helps me through my day the most is listening to audiobooks. Before
becoming ill, reading was one of my greatest pleasures. For the last
six years, due to increasing cognitive difficulties brought on my ME,
I can read only briefly with great effort. I find listening to audio
much easier and enjoyable. I am very grateful to the volunteer readers
at librivox.org for their free recordings of books in the public
domain. The librivox recordings of Dickens, by Mil Nicholson, are my
current favorites. I must spend most of the day lying down in a dimly
lit room and audiobooks make good companions.
=93The other valuable thing for me is keeping in touch with my friends
and fellow sufferers around the world via social media. =85 I don=92t know
how I would survive without the support of my dear online friends.
Weeks go by for me without seeing another soul, besides the delivery
people and the woman who cleans my apartment.=94
Cyd James, an American living in Australia, gets such joy as she can
from a child's e-mails and chirping birds. She writes: =93You asked what
little things brighten up a patient's day. Our family live in the USA.
Therefore, the first thing that brightens up my day is to get an
e-mail from my 9-year-old granddaughter. The way she sees the world
makes life more innocent and takes me back to my youth.
=93And second, to hear the birds chirping outside. I get amazed at how
after a heavy rain, the birds are immediately out chirping once again.
They don't let the storms get them down.=94
http://open.salon.com/blog/llewellyn_king/2012/02/07/little_things_that_hel=
p_sufferers_cope_with_mecfs
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