On a Scale of 1 to 10:

Living with and recovering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME)

Thankfully, I am now in a far better position, having finally identified what I am dealing with and using strategies to manage my symptom triggers and severity. I feel I am on the road to a full and lasting recovery.

The reason for writing my story is two-fold. Firstly I grew ever more tired of verbally explaining my symptoms to the many medical professionals I sought help from, so I started a journal (the core or this book), which, as a happy bi-product, also helped to calm my mind and reduce the anxiety I felt at that time.

Second, and most important of all, is my desire to help fellow sufferers.

Hopefully my story, and progression from hoping, to believing and then knowing that I could recover, and the tactics I now employ will give others a much swifter route to recovery.

I have included links to what proved to be for me really useful support resources e.g. The Optimal Health Clinic, Raelan Agle’s YouTube channel and Toby Morrison’s CFS Health site.

The symptom collage is different for every sufferer and tends to evolve the longer you have suffered with the condition, making diagnosis difficult and usually a process of elimination. Generally the symptom set includes some or all of the following:

• Flu-like symptoms

• Brain fog and fuzziness

• Feeling a little dizzy and off balance

• Digestive issues

• Severe fatigue and sense of energy depletion

• Muscle and joint aches and pains

• Poor sleep quality

• Anxiety

Remember, you are not alone!