I would absolutely say "dont go by any of our stories."
With that said...I was able to work full time and raise two daughters (not giving 100 percent to either job...) until only 3 or 4 years ago. Neither of my girls have health problems. (I dont want to hear any "so fars...") This illness came on suddenly when I was 15, and I am 44 now. I always had hope, I never treated myself as if I had CFS/ME. Being into alternative medicine for most of my life, an illness didnt need a name. I focused on diet and taking care of my body as a whole. Now that I have spent some time on these forums, I realize that I have done much better than many for many, many years. I never realized how sick some people were and I too experienced about 2 years of rock bottom myself about a year ago.
I do recall very early on finding the Prohealth message boards because I was ordering supplements. I went on a chat and was hoping to learn of "positive" treatments that I had not yet discovered. Instead, I found a group (mainly women) who obviously knew each other very well. When I asked about treatments and what they were doing etc, they basically all agreed that I had better just get used to being sick as there was nothing to be done. They almost got mad that I still intended on being well one day. A lot has changed since then but it was a very sobering experience. It took the "hope wind" right out of my sails for quite a while.
We are all so different. Im not sure why I did as well as I did for so long and then got so sick. I believe if I had truly realized the magnitude of the illness and how sick so many were long ago, the course of my illness would have been far worse. Without hope, there is only desperation and depression and that is the worst possible place to be in.
I believe we need to have plans A through C. (maybe more...) I try to live each day as fully as possible and not in a state of "PEM" fear. I did experience housebound and now I work part time and get out almost daily. I never thought I would come out of it but I did. Im working on disability because I dont know what the future holds but I think of it as an escape plan. I too love what I do and even on days that I barely push through (and fall into a heap when I get home), I feel satisfied that I made it. I personally believe that giving up on work, for me, is one of the worst things I could do. I also realize there is a time I may need to. (Escape/disability plan...)
I check these boards to see about latest treatments, how others that seem to have "my kind of CFS" are doing on different protocols, etc. I try very hard not to get pulled into despair. I know that despair is worse than this illness itself. I think about Plan C every night before bed. In Plan C I am athletic and healthy again and loving life. We have to be smart and realistic but I believe that not letting go of "Plan C" is vital.
As much as we dont know why some end up bed bound and stay there, we dont know why some actually recover. We cant forget that some DO RECOVER.
I believe you have to write you own story with this illness!!