Constant
throat infections, incredible tiredness, lack of
concentration and growing incapacity to adequately
manage were obvious signs that something was increasingly
wrong. In 1998 Anne was forced to withdraw from
the award-winning business that she and her partner
had established and built up over 15 years.
A rare bacterial
infection of the blood was diagnosed - this gave
Anne and her partner great hope that, as something
was found, it could be tackled and she would
rapidly return to the business in full health.
Months passed without any improvement before
a change in treatment approach was recommended.
'Medical science gone mad' involved heavy doses
of antibiotics that only resulted in greater
fatigue, loss of cognitive abilities and general
health deterioration.
At her worst Anne
was unable to construct a simple sentence, referred
to most objects as "thing", spent much
of her time close to tears and was severely restricted
due to overwhelming fatigue and unrelenting pain.
Escape from this
'treatment' was engineered by Anne's partner
who delivered the mess that she had become to
the naturopath/medical practitioner that she
still consults. His combined qualifications and
skills meant that the whole of Anne's
health has been nurtured. Recovery has been very
slow but generally in the right direction! Like
most CFS/FM sufferers, Anne experiences the one
or two steps forward before a crash or setback.
By looking back over the past nine years though,
the improvement is impressive.
Undertaking a diploma
in clinical nutrition allowed Anne to better
understand the power of good food - but more
importantly, that extra energy can
be won with healthy nutrition. Other natural
therapy courses followed as Anne's interest in
energy and wellness expanded.
Frustration in
not being able to find practical information
to manage CFS/FM led Anne to start pulling together
all the bits of information she had gathered
over the years. Many of these she has tried,
but she also recognises that what may have worked
for her or someone else may not work for you
so her books include lots of ideas and suggestions.
As she says,
"These
are the things I wish someone had shared with
me!"
Anne has also experienced
the incredible thoughtlessness, doubts and accusations
that seem to be typical of what sufferers have
to bear in addition to the illness itself. She
calls it The Cruelty of CFS/FM and addresses
some of the negativity associated with the illness
in this article that is made freely available
to you on the Articles
page.
The photo above
of Anne is recent - she looks well, doesn't she?
If you have CFS/FM you will no doubt appreciate
the significance of the question; the continual
implication that there must be little wrong with
you as you look OK. This and the persistent question "Are
you better, yet?" are discussed as only
a fellow sufferer could. Her books are very clearly
directed to CFS/FM sufferers and their carers.
Give the ideas
on this site a try - just one strategy that gives
some relief will make it that much easier to
face the daily challenges of CFS/FM. Better still,
find a wealth of information in her easy to read
books.
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