Another lovely conversation. As a fellow spoonie writer, I found myself nodding a lot. The comment about bringing someone with you to an appointment in order to be believed is a very real, relatable, and painful fact for so many of us. As is the conversation around "I'm tired too". So few people truly listen to us, hear our definition of exhaustion or pain or depression. I'm saddened by the fact that she's experienced so much of this too. <3 Gentle hugs.
Eager to listen to this podcast. I have two chronic illnesses - fibromyalgia and ME/CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome). One was likely caused by the unimaginable stress of my 18-yr-marriage to an abusive narcissist (which ended with him cheating in 2017); the other was likely caused by the Epstein Barr virus. I will go through periods where I feel decent and am able to walk and work at my desk; but then there are times when I end up in bed all day, so exhausted in pain I can barely move. These flares just do me in and I feel so helpless and frustrated. I still think I should be able to do All The Things. I don't think I've reached the acceptance stage yet.
I, too, decided to give my limited attention and energy to my writing. I gave up working on my PhD, gave up all of my freelance and volunteer work, and am home most of the time. I cancel plans with friends and family all the time, and the guilt is overwhelming.
Another lovely conversation. As a fellow spoonie writer, I found myself nodding a lot. The comment about bringing someone with you to an appointment in order to be believed is a very real, relatable, and painful fact for so many of us. As is the conversation around "I'm tired too". So few people truly listen to us, hear our definition of exhaustion or pain or depression. I'm saddened by the fact that she's experienced so much of this too. <3 Gentle hugs.
Eager to listen to this podcast. I have two chronic illnesses - fibromyalgia and ME/CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome). One was likely caused by the unimaginable stress of my 18-yr-marriage to an abusive narcissist (which ended with him cheating in 2017); the other was likely caused by the Epstein Barr virus. I will go through periods where I feel decent and am able to walk and work at my desk; but then there are times when I end up in bed all day, so exhausted in pain I can barely move. These flares just do me in and I feel so helpless and frustrated. I still think I should be able to do All The Things. I don't think I've reached the acceptance stage yet.
I, too, decided to give my limited attention and energy to my writing. I gave up working on my PhD, gave up all of my freelance and volunteer work, and am home most of the time. I cancel plans with friends and family all the time, and the guilt is overwhelming.