I posted this originally last week on my wordpress blog, but I thought I would see how it fairs on this website.
My name is Thomas, I am 29 years old and I have just completed my first term at university. The aim of this blog is to provide an insight into the everyday trials and tribulations of living with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), during the intensive experience of university life. I am hoping to resonant with anyone who suffers with chronic illnesses and to prove that you can be successful whilst overcoming obstacles.
CFS is a complicated illness that I find many people can’t grasp, one in which people tend to have a pre-conceived idea of what CFS should look like, and I don’t fit that. I often find social situations that I don’t feel comfortable in the most draining, where I often just shut down and feel cut-off. This is contrast to my capability of walking several miles without any issues, I even tried sports last term, which led to extreme tiredness on the following days. Mentally I often, in moments of exhaustion, tend to let my emotions overwhelm me, and to go to a dark place.
My CFS started 10 years ago after I originally dropped out of university, so coming back has led to a whole range of emotions, from excitement to being utterly terrified. The last few weeks before starting university climaxed with a debilitating series of tension headaches, that only released when I started at university and realised that there isn’t anything too scary.
The first term was challenging particularly as I suffered with my tension headaches throughout the majority of the term, due to stress from a personal relationship. Thankfully my CFS stayed fairly consistent which meant I was able to attend classes and see my friends, although I struggled a lot with focussing on reading, especially books which I found uninteresting.
I received my first piece of marked coursework back last week, and I just got a 1st, which I am very happy about. This was an aspect of university that felt particularly daunting because I haven’t completed any marked work for ten years, but amazingly I felt confident when I handed it in. Even last week’s exam seemed to go fairly well, with the extra time coming in handy, as my wrist wasn’t used to writing this much.
Socially I am quite shy, especially when tired, however luckily, I found a great group of friends last term, unfortunately two were Erasmus students who have gone back to Germany, both of whom I miss greatly. This has left the desire to make some new friends, because friends, especially close ones, can give me energy, which is greatly desired. So far there is one new person who I hope to become good friends with.
My name is Thomas, I am 29 years old and I have just completed my first term at university. The aim of this blog is to provide an insight into the everyday trials and tribulations of living with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), during the intensive experience of university life. I am hoping to resonant with anyone who suffers with chronic illnesses and to prove that you can be successful whilst overcoming obstacles.
CFS is a complicated illness that I find many people can’t grasp, one in which people tend to have a pre-conceived idea of what CFS should look like, and I don’t fit that. I often find social situations that I don’t feel comfortable in the most draining, where I often just shut down and feel cut-off. This is contrast to my capability of walking several miles without any issues, I even tried sports last term, which led to extreme tiredness on the following days. Mentally I often, in moments of exhaustion, tend to let my emotions overwhelm me, and to go to a dark place.
My CFS started 10 years ago after I originally dropped out of university, so coming back has led to a whole range of emotions, from excitement to being utterly terrified. The last few weeks before starting university climaxed with a debilitating series of tension headaches, that only released when I started at university and realised that there isn’t anything too scary.
The first term was challenging particularly as I suffered with my tension headaches throughout the majority of the term, due to stress from a personal relationship. Thankfully my CFS stayed fairly consistent which meant I was able to attend classes and see my friends, although I struggled a lot with focussing on reading, especially books which I found uninteresting.
I received my first piece of marked coursework back last week, and I just got a 1st, which I am very happy about. This was an aspect of university that felt particularly daunting because I haven’t completed any marked work for ten years, but amazingly I felt confident when I handed it in. Even last week’s exam seemed to go fairly well, with the extra time coming in handy, as my wrist wasn’t used to writing this much.
Socially I am quite shy, especially when tired, however luckily, I found a great group of friends last term, unfortunately two were Erasmus students who have gone back to Germany, both of whom I miss greatly. This has left the desire to make some new friends, because friends, especially close ones, can give me energy, which is greatly desired. So far there is one new person who I hope to become good friends with.