Humans of ME/CFS

I received my first flu shot back in November 1988 in San Diego, Calif. After that, it just seemed like I was sick all the time with something. I was stressed at my job on top of that. Then a friend of mine found a good deal on flights to Europe for the following spring. I kept hoping to get better from all these sicknesses I was incurring by the time April came. I had a stomach bug as we were flying over there. I pushed myself to backpack going from hostel to hostel.

When I returned back to work my body just crashed and I was bedridden for a week. I worked, but never felt good, and it was a huge struggle day to day. I went from doctor to doctor trying to find out what was wrong with me. Finally one doctor said I had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. My labs were positive for Epstein-Barr virus. I got a little better but never fully recovered from the symptoms of a flu-like illness. Twenty-four years later I still suffer.

I stayed in an unhappy marriage, so that I didn’t have to work and that I could raise our two daughters. A huge challenge! Now I am divorced and working part-time in the school cafeteria, which has become very difficult lately as I have been having heart exertion, pain and palpitations. An echocardiogram was normal. I am on a beta blocker now, but the fatigue and sick feeling is still overwhelming.

I’m afraid I have to finally submit to this chronic illness and apply for disability if I make it that far. I truly just want to make it to my daughter’s high school graduation in 4 years. All these years have been just plain scary. Yes, I’ve been through the friends not believing me thing, saying it’s all in my head to losing jobs all because of it. Every person I encounter in my life, I think to myself, they are so lucky not to have this! Thank you for this site! Thank all of you working toward a cause and cure.

P.S. My cousin also has this and my sister has fibromyalgia. I do not have fibromyalgia with my ME/CFS.