RT's Story - March, 2012
LOCATION: East Coast of Australia -- DIAGNOSIS: CFIDS - CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME
I had a few bad bouts of bronchitis off and on since the early 90s which seemed to be kept at bay by acupuncture and Chinese herbs. However late 2006/early 2007 I had 3 bouts of flu in 3 months and my health plummeted. I couldn’t seem to recover and was diagnosed with “Post-Viral Syndrome”. As I was a university trained but non-practising acupuncturist, it was very frustrating that my illness wouldn’t respond.
A long period of sick leave from my job followed and my family had to live off my income protection insurance. I had chronic flu-like symptoms, lung pain, coughing, sore throat, day fevers, night sweats, costachondritis (inflammation of rib intercostal muscles), nausea, toxic feeling, brain fog and fatigue. My husband had also become chronically ill in 2003 and so we were both chronically sick with a small child. It was a very difficult period.
I tried many, many physical and psychological therapies; some helped but very few had lasting effects. Saw the usual merry-go-around of doctors/specialists without answers. The only really effective help was from a psychologist who had had CFIDS herself and recovered on her own.
I managed to drag myself back to part time work in 2008. my employer was supportive and fantastic. I struggled through the next year and a half but was in a bad way if I caught the flu.
Early 2010 I caught the flu again and I relapsed back to where I had been earlier. Once again I was off work for an extended period, however this time a blood test at a private lab showed up a chronic mycoplasmal infection.
My doctor started me on antibiotics and I immediately got worse. For the 3rd time I was on sick leave and running out of insurance. Then I found the MP in early 2011 with a new doctor.
Since then although I’ve been through difficult phases I have improved steadily. I’m back at work part-time and loving it. My head is clear, symptoms are reduced and I’m feeling more like the normal me. I still struggle on certain days but overall I’m optimistic and looking forward to the rest of my life!
- RT