Don't overspend

I agree with the "rest" thing too.

Your main body organs don't run on empty - they need recharging on a regular basis, preferably every night (or day).

Especially the adrenal glands.

Mine run on empty alot of the time, as even when I go to bed it is difficult to reach that deep stage level of sleep (even with the low dose of amitryptiline I take nightly).


Every Christmas holidays I wean myself off the drug (or stop 'cold turkey'). I don't sleep at all for the first night or two, then wake every hour on the hour for several days, then wake 4-6 times a night for a few days & so on.

I never, ever sleep through the night. I always wake at least 3-4 times with or without the drug. And my bedclothes are always tumbled & in disarray. I can last for about 6-8 weeks drug free, but by this time I am totally exhausted & can't function at work or home, so I resign myself to starting it again. (I literally bump into things & stagger instead of walking - certainly dangerous if I have to cross a street or use a sharp knife). In fact, I used to bump into office furniture or slurr my words at work at one stage (before being diagnosed with FM & getting the amitryptiline prescription).

Note: Valerian & hops give me nightmares, so do the standard sleeping pills. "Restavit" or one of the muscle relaxants also don't agree with me, but an analgesic/muscle relaxant has somtimes worked.

I do get some success with putting 5-6 drops of pure essential oil of lavender on my hot water bottle cover & placing on my pillow an hour before I go to bed. Then when I get into bed, I move the hot water bottle down to my feet & wrap my feet around it.

Pure essential oils travel through the lymphatic system in the body very, very quickly.

eg rub your feet with a clove of garlic & you can smell it on your breath 10 minutes later.

(note: more essential oil is NOT better, 1-2 drops work well on emotional & psychological problems, 4-5 drops on physical problems like muscle/ligament sprains. 3-4 drops of marjoram essential oil in a nightime bath help with sleep, but 7-8 drops gives me really horrific nightmares as I discovered when I was studying aromatherapy & thought of the "more is better" path.)

If you have access to pure essential oils in your local health food shop, give the lavender oil a go (for more restful sleep).

Just steer away from the synthetic fragrant oils sold for oil burners & room sprays. These have no therapeutic qualities whatsoever - just an overpowering smell which lingers in your hair & clothese. I am super sensitive to perfumes/chemicals & not only can't wear perfume, but cannot breath at work if someone comes into my office wearing perfumes & aftershave. There is even one deodorant alot of young people use these days that make me choke. I have to get off the bus/tram, get out of the shop/room very quickly. I even had to leave an exhibition at the National Gallery some years ago because of the smells in the exhibition room amongst the crowd.

If anyone wants to ask about aromatherapy, feel free to do so, that's one area where I have some expertise.

It's not just about resting, it's also about simplifying & slowing down your daily routine. It's also about pacing yourself.

I couldn't work full-time if I didn't spent most weeknights & some of the weekend doing abosolutely nothing.

Some Sunday mornings I sit on a comfy chair looking through my balcony window watching the wind blow the rose bushes gently to & fro. Complete silence & the rhymmic swaying of the branches gives me far more rest than laying in bed for 2-3 hours.

Try it (if you've got a garden or live in the country).

If you're unable to leave your bed, ask someone to get you a CD of flute or meditative music, & plug in the earphones & close your eyes.

I was just thinking yesterday that sometimes when one is diagnosed with CFS/FM or another ICI, there is a tendency to read/research every accessible book or internet site.

In fact, you may spend months/years desperately seeking a resolution to your symptoms & a "cure". You may get bogged down reading scientific articles & ploughing through clinical trials or some "miraculous" cure. You'll probably spend every cent you own (& go into debt like I did) trying treatments & therapies (although some of my debts were for two lots of back surgery in 2008).

It's jolly hard work & exhausting. My memory & brain function poorly some days. Some days I can't follow simple instructions at work or comprehend simple explanations.

For all the therapies & treatments you follow, try some of the simplest & least expensive - diet & peace.

Relax, let go of the world around you, & do nothing (as much as possible).

Victoria

Wonderful concise blog. (Victoria you're on by the way - check out alternative health section)

Thanks guys.

I wrote that and stuck it in my "ideas" folder about a month ago. I'd been reading a blog of another woman with cfs and feeling a foreboding because she was so busy and harried in her daily life and still, to use Sushi's word, trying to "achieve" in everything. She's have frequent crashes and get up and do it all again.

I remembered being this way, wrote to her about it, sweetly suggesting she slow down. She thanked me, and (as I read her blog over the next weeks) continued to push and crash.

The words in this blog post of mine came together in a rush and I jotted them down and forgot about them till the other day.

I have been surprised as I've had half a dozen responsed to it here and at my ncubator blog. It's so simple, that's why I was surprised. But I guess, it is a central issue for many of us.