Chronic Fatigue part 4

It’s been a while since I’ve updated the blog with regards to my battle with chronic fatigue.  It’s been nearly 3 months since my diagnosis, which included confirmation via specific blood tests that looked for antibodies of the Epstein Barr virus and the Cytomaglo Virus, both of which I tested positive for. And, while the general fatigue continues, I’m starting to notice that my recovery from working out is starting to improve some.

 

I’ve learned that CFS affects people differently and the best way I can describe it for me is the feeling of being stuffed in a very small box with the loudest hard rock metal music that you can’t stand blaring at you for hours.  The feeling is that I just want to escape.  This is when the chronic fatigue is at its worst.  So for me, it’s not so much the fatigue rather the inability to absorb life’s little challenges that’s been challenging -- although some morning it was painful crawling out of bed and some afternoons I just wanted to crawl under my desk and go to sleep.

 

I’ve kept up with my medication, 8 weeks of a low-grade antibiotic, vitamins and clean eating – limited sugars, coffee and things that feed Candida.  I also started napping frequently and my afternoon cat naps really, truly helped a lot.  It took me a couple of weeks to get used to them and now I can’t live without them, which can pose a problem when having to deal with real life.

 

I also discovered that the main trigger of fatigue for me is dehydration.  Meaning that I have to be ultra-sensitive to make sure I don’t dehydrate too much else it will take me days to recover.  Dehydration, I’ve found, leads to other things and my body just suffers as a result.  So, I’m always drinking water and always looking for ways to keep myself over-hydrated.

 

CFS has been challenging for me, not just physically, but also emotionally.  For an athlete who is used to going and achieving, it’s hard not to have motivation and energy to do one tenth of what I used to do.  CFS has also impacted my work and my relationships.  I don’t want to blame this all on CFS, but in less than a month I lost my job and my girlfriend broke up with me.  Yeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh CFS!!!

 

The last thing I’ll share today is that apparently the majority of people have these viruses in their bodies.  These viruses live dormant in and around our livers and only come out when we are immune suppressed.  Suppression of our immune system is caused, in my case, by a lot of emotional stress and physical challenges.  The basic things that your grandparents told you…eat well, sleep well, be wholesome with your approach to life is very true.

 

Thanks for reading,

 

Kam