Who am I and why am I here?
Valid questions.
I'd have to start, though, with -- who was I?
Eighteen years ago, I came down with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Before it knocked me over completely, I had been a very busy woman with a satisfying life.
I raised and homeschooled five children, now ages 19 - 27. I was active in our church. I led a local homeschooling support group, and was the homeschool liaison with the local school board. Our family had had articles written about us in three publications, one local and two national. I had just started moving into a home business, editing and proofreading, and the future was looking bright.
This was my life before CFS.
Eight years ago, I finally surrendered the last of these involvements. I knew no one outside of my own family anymore. I was too sick for visits or phone calls. The world went on without me. And on, and on, for many years.
But I am making a comeback. My health is gradually being restored. And that is why I'm here.
I want to speak to other people felled by CFS. I want to offer suggestions that might help restore health, and to encourage hope for a better future.
Women are still being dealt with by many of the same standards and methods as men are, but more and more we're seeing that this isn't working for women. This is particularly true where pain in ...
May 14, 2013 - 5:21pm
May 12, 2013 is International ME/CFS and FM Awareness Day. ME is the acronym for myalgic encephalomyelitis. CFS stands for chronic fatigue syndrome. FM is the short form for fibromyalgia.
In ...
May 6, 2013 - 7:11pm
Oral bacteria can cause problems that reach far beyond the mouth. A study out of the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine followed the damage caused by bacteria after it ...
April 28, 2013 - 7:05pm
Pain and fatigue are two of the most debilitating symptoms that occur with fibromyalgia. The chronic pain makes getting decent sleep a real challenge. And the lack of sleep is often the precursor ...
April 22, 2013 - 5:47pm
On April 9, 2013 Boulder Diagnostics Inc. made an important announcement concerning the launching of its ParaFlor™ kits in the European market. The kits detect Giardia , Cryptosporidium and ...
April 15, 2013 - 6:23pm
Allergies can make your days miserable. For many Americans the nights can be even tougher.
An article on WebMD.com by Debra Fulghum Bruce, PhD reported that a mere 17 percent of patients ...
April 9, 2013 - 4:55pm
Not everybody welcomes the prospect of springtime. Spring can be a touchy season for people with pollen allergies, and for those who suffer from oral allergy syndrome.
Oral allergy syndrome, ...
April 1, 2013 - 5:48pm
When you think of protecting yourself from ticks and mosquitoes the first thing that comes to mind might be DEET. This stands for N,N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide.
But before the late 1950s Americans ...
March 28, 2013 - 5:59pm
Trouble sleeping is a common enough problem for healthy people. But for many living with chronic health issues, getting a good night's sleep can be even more challenging.
People dealing with ...
March 24, 2013 - 7:12pm
"Abscess" even sounds painful. And it is.
MedlinePlus defines tooth abscess as "a collection of infected material (pus) due to a bacterial infection in the center of a tooth."
Infection ...
March 18, 2013 - 5:15pm
The American Dental Association calls biofilms "microscopic communities". This may not sound too bad until you realize that these communities consist of naturally occurring water bacteria and ...
March 11, 2013 - 4:46pm
Learning can happen while you're sleeping, according to a study performed by the Weizmann Institute.
Prior attempts at research on this subject had been complicated by the fact that while ...
March 4, 2013 - 9:09pm
More and more, research is showing detailed data about something we all have experienced at one time or another. Lack of sleep can be detrimental to health in a variety of ways, many of which may ...
February 25, 2013 - 6:40pm
While the brain is extremely vulnerable in the event of a stroke, research from the UK has shown that the brain may make use of a protein to minimize the damage.
Researchers from Oxford ...
February 24, 2013 - 6:57pm
If you've ever had a canker sore, you were in no doubt about it. Canker sores really hurt. They can make it hard to eat or drink.
Canker sores are also called aphthous ulcers. They form at the ...
February 20, 2013 - 6:35pm
Mussels are a great delicacy to those with a taste for seafood. Mind you, aesthetically mussels lack a certain comeliness. Frankly they don't look like much.
But scientific research has been ...
February 11, 2013 - 7:44pm
Ever heard the fairy tale when you've been in the hospital that being there will help you to rest and recover? Did you ever find that to be true?
I remember being told this after having a baby, ...
February 5, 2013 - 7:54pm
Men and women often respond in very different ways to many medications. This may explain why many women experience more than their fair share of adverse reactions, certainly more than men tend ...
January 30, 2013 - 6:26pm
The link between periodontitis or inflammation of tissue around the teeth and risk for heart problems can be cause for concern.
Dr. Alison Coates, PhD, a senior lecturer at the University of ...
January 28, 2013 - 6:20pm
If you're used to shaving, waxing or bleaching your body hair, then you may be wondering what's all the buzz about laser hair removal? According to the American Society for Aesthetic ...
January 25, 2013 - 8:31am
On January 18, 2013, Allergan, Inc. made the announcement that BOTOX® (onabotulinumtoxinA) has been approved by the FDA to treat overactive bladder for adults who cannot tolerate anticholinergic ...
January 19, 2013 - 7:22pm
If you’re thinking about getting dermal fillers, such as Restylane, you probably want to look like yourself, only better, and avoid looking fake and overfilled. In the 80s and 90s plastic ...
January 18, 2013 - 12:20pm
We all know children should see the dentist regularly to protect them from getting cavities and maintain the health of their teeth.
According to a Nov. 13, 2012 article on Sciencedaily.com, ...
January 12, 2013 - 6:29pm
I'm not really one for making New Year's resolutions. I tend to just carry on with trying to improve on various areas of my life, and New Year's is just another day in that direction.
As I look ...
January 1, 2013 - 7:41pm
If you're like me, the prospect of the new year is always intriguing and appealing, as a time of new beginnings.
It doesn't matter that it comes in the middle of winter, with nothing really ...
December 30, 2012 - 6:41pm
I'm healthier than I've been in many years. So much so that in the days leading up to, and during this Christmas, I often forgot to pace myself and was surprised when the old CFS symptoms began ...
December 26, 2012 - 10:29am
Nothing says Merry Christmas like a nicely roasted turkey. But you'll find that nothing says food poisoning and misery like one that isn't cooked or stored safely.
This year, I had a sudden ...
December 23, 2012 - 6:16pm
One of the unique problems that comes with chronic illness is that ... it lasts so long.
Some chronically ill people are fortunate to have a solid support network of family and friends. For ...
December 20, 2012 - 6:15pm
Toys for kids are integral to the holiday season for many families. Unfortunately, so are children's injuries and trips to the emergency room.
An article on the Reader's Digest website said ...
December 18, 2012 - 7:21pm
A healthy immune system is a thing of beauty. An unhealthy immune system on the other hand can open the door to a wide variety of ills.
Recent research has led to some encouraging results ...
December 16, 2012 - 8:19pm
Grandparents whose children and grandchildren live far away are always envious of those grandparents with their families nearby. This is never more true than at Christmas.
It can take some time ...
December 13, 2012 - 5:29pm
Gift buying and gift giving have always been a central part of the holiday season but they don't have to be if you don't want them to.
There are a number of reasons some folks decide not to ...
December 11, 2012 - 2:23pm
Buying a natural Christmas tree is a highlight of winter for many American families.
A tree can be a wonderful element in creating the holiday atmosphere that is associated with the holiday ...
December 9, 2012 - 7:09pm
The holiday season can be challenging for anybody trying to watch their diet. So many traditional holiday favorites are full of some really unhealthy ingredients.
Think (or perhaps dream) ...
December 4, 2012 - 6:58pm
I had heard the word "ergonomics" many times in the past and frankly I just wasn't interested. It's an ungainly kind of word in terms of aesthetics, and its meaning was slightly threatening.
To ...
December 2, 2012 - 6:49pm
Vitamin D's reputation continues to grow and flourish. Studies have been subject to a new review, indicating that vitamin D was linked with a 50 percent reduction in tooth decay in 3,000 children ...
November 29, 2012 - 8:46pm
Ergonomics is a science that is ignored at your own peril. If you'd like to be able to do your work in a way that is efficient, comfortable and that won't hurt you, get familiar with ...
November 28, 2012 - 7:03pm
Ergonomics is a term that has only been around for a few years but it attempts to address problems that have beset human beings perhaps from the beginnings of humanity.
You may have only heard ...
November 27, 2012 - 7:12pm
Turkey has held a reputation for a long time now for putting the crowd to sleep after a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. The cause for this drowsiness was thought to be high levels of tryptophan. ...
November 24, 2012 - 4:41pm
The terms cold sore, fever blister, herpes labialis, herpes simplex and oral herpes simplex are unpleasant names for an unpleasant condition.
For those who suffer from this affliction, oral ...
November 22, 2012 - 8:34pm
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is a designer disease. It etches a unique signature into each of its sufferers. My worst symptoms are different from someone else's. But certain things remain a common ...
Jody Smith commented on Jody Smith's post Top Ten Symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome