How
I became sick with ME/CFS
I first
became sick in 1990, at the age of 16 when I was hit with a barrage
of chronic secondary viral infections which lasted for 1 and a half
years, I took anti biotic after anti biotic because I had too , yet
the infections persisted.
Throughout that time I managed to work full-time for 12 months as a
pharmacy assistant and then start a 12 month diploma in theatrical makeup
(not a beautician!) under the teaching of Dawn Swane at "The
Art and Technology of Makeup College" in Chippendale, Sydney.
Life was going pretty well and I had my future and career mapped out...then
in March of that year (1992) I contracted another virus, yet this time
it was very severe and left me incredibly sick and completely exhausted
and unable to continue on with my studies. I then decided to defer them
to the following year.
12
months on and I still was no where near well enough to study, let alone
travel the 3 hrs a day to get to Sydney then back home!, it was then
evident that my body just wasn't doing what my mind was telling it to
do!, I then started to get worried that something was more wrong than
just a severe virus and went to see some specialists, a few gallons
of blood and lots of other tests later , I was diagnosed with M.E/CFS
.....what an exciting life for a 20 yr old I thought, this was not my
plan for my life and I refused to believe in my mind that I would be
sick for much longer!, and so began my mission to find a cure.....
11yrs
on and the ME/CFS is still as persistant as ever, despite having tried
everything and done everything from spending $1000 on 3 different forms
of natural therapies, to positive thinking, special diets, exercise,
and gamaglobulin injections to get my system well again but to no avail.
I find this incredibly frustrating especially because I have no control
over it, it's not like I can do a course to get better or win lotto
or something it's completely out of my hands, and beyond comprehension
not only to myself but to everyone around me.
In
January 2000 when I contracted glandular fever (the first dose!) I finally
excepted that continually bashing myself up emotionally, and saying
to myself and everyone else "when I get better" , was only
placing enormous amounts of stress on myself, which inturn would not
help me get better!......I finally found peace with the disease and
it felt good.
As
anyone with M.E./CFS knows, it's a long hard and often very lonely road,
we not only have to cope with the effects of the illness, but also other
people's ignorance which at times can be worse, not to mention very
damaging, my hope for the future is that as sufferers of this disease
we will be taken seriously and treated with the respect we deserve.
Gayle
Life
is mostly froth and bubble;
Two things stand like stone:—
Kindness in another’s trouble,
Courage in our own.
Adam
Lindsay Gordon
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