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Hi, everyone: sorry if this is a question everyone knows the answer to but me...
I've had ME/CFS for 5 years, but have been *very* lucky to have had a very mild form (part time work and greatly reduced activities for the first 3 years, much more active for the last 2 years). I think I've been in denial about what could happen if I overdid it.
Now in the wake of an unbelievably stressful 4 months (severe depression/loneliness after moving to a new city, anxiety, leaving my good job to move back to my old city unemployed, finding a new place to live...) I'm in week 4 of a crash. I've never experienced this since the 4 weeks in year 1 when I first was told my recurring flu might be ME/CFS. (Previous crashes were all 1-4 days, and strangely only after emotional stress, not physical exertion).
In addition to the old symptoms (fatigue, aching finger joints, sore throat, feverish) I'm really lightheaded all the time (OI?) with pins and needles in my calves and a feeling that my breathing is a bit restricted.
I know there's no single answer, but any advice would help--I have to move in 5 weeks and am terrified that this is the "new normal" and not a crash I'll recover from. I'm constantly worrying and self-blaming, even though I'm trying to accept it, meditate, etc. I'm also single, which is making it much harder to get through it.
I've been resting a *lot* in bed with no stimulation, drinking lots of water with some salt and lemon juice in the mornings (electrolytes?), trying to sleep well, and eating healthy food. Any other advice/experience?
I'm particularly interested in opinions re no stimulation vs radio (to distract me from the worrying) and lying down vs sitting up looking out the window, etc. (Lying down feels much better but might make the lightheadedness worse?) I also have a prescription for sleeping pills but the sideffects are supposedly daytime drowsiness and lightheadedness, so I'm not sure if that's a good idea...
Thanks so much!
I've had ME/CFS for 5 years, but have been *very* lucky to have had a very mild form (part time work and greatly reduced activities for the first 3 years, much more active for the last 2 years). I think I've been in denial about what could happen if I overdid it.
Now in the wake of an unbelievably stressful 4 months (severe depression/loneliness after moving to a new city, anxiety, leaving my good job to move back to my old city unemployed, finding a new place to live...) I'm in week 4 of a crash. I've never experienced this since the 4 weeks in year 1 when I first was told my recurring flu might be ME/CFS. (Previous crashes were all 1-4 days, and strangely only after emotional stress, not physical exertion).
In addition to the old symptoms (fatigue, aching finger joints, sore throat, feverish) I'm really lightheaded all the time (OI?) with pins and needles in my calves and a feeling that my breathing is a bit restricted.
I know there's no single answer, but any advice would help--I have to move in 5 weeks and am terrified that this is the "new normal" and not a crash I'll recover from. I'm constantly worrying and self-blaming, even though I'm trying to accept it, meditate, etc. I'm also single, which is making it much harder to get through it.
I've been resting a *lot* in bed with no stimulation, drinking lots of water with some salt and lemon juice in the mornings (electrolytes?), trying to sleep well, and eating healthy food. Any other advice/experience?
I'm particularly interested in opinions re no stimulation vs radio (to distract me from the worrying) and lying down vs sitting up looking out the window, etc. (Lying down feels much better but might make the lightheadedness worse?) I also have a prescription for sleeping pills but the sideffects are supposedly daytime drowsiness and lightheadedness, so I'm not sure if that's a good idea...
Thanks so much!