Not an exhaustive guide and not a guide you have to follow 100% either. It’s just some main general points to focus around and start to think about.
Identify how you can pace, what you can say no to :
- Do less and break tasks up into small sections that are more manageable.
- Say no to activities and tasks that will cause your symptoms to flare.
- Take a good look at the overview of your day to day tasks, responsibilities and what can be cut down.
Getting financial support or work that you can manage :
- Don’t be afraid to apply for disability, but expect that it’s going to be difficult to get. At least make it a long term goal.
- Go to charities for help, the more people you talk to who are available to help, the more opportunity you’ll find.
- Think about re-skilling to work from home type jobs if you’re not currently doing them. Retail and Manual labour don’t mix well with this illness.
Organise the implementation things in the home to help :
- Shower & Kitchen stools
- Flexi Phone holder
- Soft Furnishings & comfy clothes
- Electric Blanket or Hot Water Bottles
Supplements you can start trialling :
- Co-enzyme Q10 (Ubiquinol)
- Nicotinamide Riboside
- Ashwagandha
- Ginkgo biloba
- L-carnitine
- Quercetin
- Vitamin C & Zinc
- Magnesium Bis-glycinate (Evening – for sleep)
Medications you can consider with your doctor :
- Amitriptyline
- Low-dose naltrexone
- Cymbalta (Duloxetine)
- Medicinal Cannabis THC:CBD Oil
- Melatonin
Taking care of your mental and physical health :
- Realising that stiffness from inactivity can be more energy sapping than light movements.
- Doing something to mitigate to the trap that is depression, which if you suffer from CFS, is almost guaranteed.
- Breathing exercises.
Altering your diet slowly in response to symptoms :
- Avoiding processed food, gluten, lactose and high sugar choices.
- Having easy meal plans with easy to digest food.
- Focusing on enjoying food still. Being healthy shouldn’t be suffering more.
Depending on your severity of your CFS symptoms, some of these suggestions can be ignored completely. You really have to tailor everything so that you’re not harming yourself even more.
Exercise/movement is key to even the most ill, but it can also be easily overdone. Rest is very important, but resting too much can cause stiffness which then leads to more energy being used up.
The usual cliché phrase of balance in everything is back as usual here. Balance needs to be within your limits though. CFS is a disability, a dysfunction in the mechanisms of energy that the body relies upon to do every action.
