How I got ME & related information

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     About 18yrs ago I appearently got EBV, and had a day of over 103 degree fever.  A couple of months before the fever day, I kept feeling run down, and so I increased my exercise, but to no avail.  Still, I kept on with it, until the fever day which was quite a crash.  After this, although I may have had a low grade fever from time to time, I was still in a crashed state, just going from bed to restroom, and watching TV laying on the couch rarely.  I saw many doctors, who ran many tests, and found out things like sleep apnea, diabeties, EBV titers, but most tests ruled out condition after condition.  Finally, CFIDS was the diagnosis, which name is now CFS or ME. 

     I went to several specialists, one recomended a low dose anti-depressant (the lowest available), which really cleared up over reaction to cold!  After a few months of that, plus the side effects, I weaned myself off that, the cold problem has not really come back, and sunsets look so great!!! 

     It was a pharmacist that recommended the over the calf tube socks to me (2nd benefit they are much cheaper than compression stockings, and do the same function), and it worked so super well ever since.

     After getting the diagnosis, I have always been of the opinion that you never quit, as an answer to prayer, and so I kept on getting up, trying new things like walking up stairs (one at a time at first), singing and composing on the piano.  I added several activities like playing majongg and chess (I can't handle fast games too well like I used too) to keep my mind active, Ham Radio when I could, and trying to keep to routines and having important things in proper places (like keys in my jeans, hanging on the hook).  I started wearing sweats all around the house and to bed, and would take showers only infrequently.  As for chores, I delegated them, but like only get a load of laundry done a day, and maybe cook one or two of the meals using the microwave and paperplates so as to keep dish washing to a min.

     Even after all this, sometimes I over do things, and so, I get crashed then, and weirdly, about 24hrs after the stressor.  Brain fog, as others call it, affects me daily, but then I have my "routines".  I also still have a bit of a problem of recalling where I am going and what I am doing, so, I try to limit other thoughts and recall frequently the 'list' of what I am doing / going as I go from here to there, also, I try not to be too scared when my brain doesn't answer back my inquiry right away.  One other thing I am trying in the past couple of months is greatly increasing my intake of pro-biotics, currently taking a 30billion twice a day, and about to increase that to thrice and more. 

     One of the songs I had come to me (and I wrote it down) has the title "Never Give Up, Never Give In", and so, I hope my little bit of story here helps!  So, God Speed, and Good Luck!