I spoke to a friend-of-a-friend who had CFS and now, in her words, is "completely recovered". She has 3 young children and is working on her PhD. She still needs to get a good night's sleep, and she tries to keep her stress down to avoid relapse. But she is living a very full life and was very reassuring that I, too, would recover.
I wanted to share this to give hope that it seems that recovery is possible. I'm sure timelines are different (I think she said she was sick for 2.5 years, and I know there are many people who have been sick for longer than that) and severities are different, but perhaps recovery is indeed possible.
In Solidarity in Sickness and in Healing,
Pella
On Tue, Jun 23, 2009 at 1:01 PM, Dawn Fraley <dawn87@...> wrote:
I am in Oakland if you would want to share, I feel all alone there myself, I have no family here and my current friends give me a hard time and do not understand.
Dawn
To: CEFSFB@yahoogroups.com
From: frankydreamer@...
Date: Mon, 22 Jun 2009 22:08:27 -0700
Subject: Re: [CEFSFB] Complete Recovery? And Walking/Phone Buddy Needed
Hello Ariyele,
I can soooo relate to many of your challenges and interests. My name is Franky Dolan and I am now completely housebound, just turned 31. I have been up and down throughout the years and have traveled to other countries and studied and lived great romances even, all while being sick. Though I am in a major down-slope now, I remind myself that it is possible that we can really "live" again!! We can.
I do a lot of advocacy work from my home and I hear from people all over the world actually. I had one person contact me recently just to tell me that she has completely recovered from chronic Lyme Disease. (Chronic Lyme Disease mirrors the symptoms and circumstances of CFS) I have heard of other people saying that they have recovered CFS at least 90% as well. I know a woman personally who says that she is at least 90% cured. She participated in the Valcyte (antiviral med) trial at Stanford. I have heard people having success with the SHINE Protocol as well.
I am richly spiritual as you seem to be too. My partner has been very supportive too, but it has put strains on the relationship as well. We are in a very healthy position in our relationship, but it has taken some serious delicate and raw honesty. We both give to the relationship in our ways, equally overall. It works for us. It has evolved from him feeling scared or overwhelmed on how to help me, to a point of him being empowered and heroic in helping me when I need it.
I have been pretty darn sick for the last couple of weeks, but I was able to push forward and write a note to you (and everyone else) .. :-)
This is a beautifully supportive group! The people here are safe, supportive and honest. That is just what we all need.
I hope that this gives you comfort, Ariyele, our new friend. I will give you a few of my website below. I have worked so hard to help people --including myself-- to be less lonely...
I started a website for people living with Invisible Diseases, if you would like to see it:
www.InvisibleDiseases.com
The Invisible Diseases facebook support group:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=67434616607&ref=mf
My art blog is:
www.frankydreamer.wordpress.com
Warmest of love and friendship to all,
Franky :-)
From: Sharon R P <hosnar@...>
To: CEFSFB Yahoo <cefsfb@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Monday, June 22, 2009 8:52:35 PM
Subject: [CEFSFB] Complete Recovery? And Walking/Phone Buddy Needed
Please welcome newcomer Ariyele. She has a question and a request...
"has anyone ever heard of someone healing completely from this illness? i am also open to walking buddy, a phone buddy, and any support that is out there."
Welcome to the group Ariyele!!
Sharon
1) my name is ariyele.2) i am 26 going on 27 years old3) i have chronic fatigue immune dysfunction syndrome and hypothyroidism4) i am the person with the illness but i have many friends and family that need support too5) female6) i live in oakland7) caucasian8) my orientation is humanist/my behavior reflects being straight (most of the time) and i identify with queerness9) my functionality varies greatly; most of the time i can get out for a few days but with minimal activity (walking to the store and back is all i got) often i cannot cook or clean for myself, i am unable to work.10) a question i have for the group is: has anyone ever heard of someone healing completely from this illness? i am also open to walking buddy, a phone buddy, and any support that is out there.11) wow! i have so many interests that it pains me to list them all because this illness has taken away my ability to indulge them...making jewelry, reading tarot cards and studying mysticism, writing, reading, social welfare, specifically permanency work with you in foster care, outdoor sports (kayaking, surfing, snowboarding) , running, swimming, cooking, eating, and on and on12) i have been so alone and isolated in the experience of this illness aside from the support of my caring and devoted partner. my being sick has put a severe strain on our relationship in many ways, and i am needing support from people who are actually living this or a similar experience. i've begun to lose hope and this was my sign that i needed to reach out. thanks for being open!Thanks for your interest in the group. I'd like to introduce you to the list and make sure that you're not a spammer. Please answer the following questions. The ones w/ stars are mandatory. All of your answers, except the first one, will be forwarded to the group. Feel free to use a pseudonym to protect your anonymity.
*How did you come to learn about this group?
*1) Name
*2) Age
*3) What medical conditions do you have, or think you may have?
*4)Are you the friend or family of someone w/ one of these illnesses?
*5) Male/female
6) Town or City you live in
7) Ethnicity
8) Sexual orientation/ Gender Identity (I ask this question bc/ many gay, lesbian, and transgendered people w/ these illnesses have expressed that they feel more comfortable in groups like this, if they know that there are others like them in it. I am a lesbian.)
9) Level of functionality - i.e. homebound - unable to cook or clean for self, able to get out a few days in a week, work part-time, work full-time
10) Questions you have for the group i.e. "does anyone have a good rheumatologists who knows how to treat FM," "does anyone have a good Kaiser doctor," "would anyone like a walking buddy," "would anyone like a phone buddy"
11) Interests you have that have nothing to do w/ your illness(es)
12) Anything else you want to say about yourself.
We appreciate the interest of healthcare providers, but they are not allowed to join this list unless they have one of these illnesses and are joining for personal reasons. But we are glad to forward your info to the group. If you would like to make your services known to the people on the list, email your info toCEFSFB-owner@ yahoogroups. com, and it will be forwarded to the group. You may do this once a year.
Sharon
Group list owner
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