To ask how you cope with having ME and Fibromyalgia as it feels like it’s killing me 😢

[RehomingRainbow]

I’ve just had 3 months of feeling pretty much back to my normal self and I’ve been struck down again 😢

I feel really depressed and I’m in total agony

35 years old and feel 100 since this all started 5 years ago after having flu

Sympathies- these are both horrible illnesses and it’s very tough to have them both. No wonder you are feeling depressed, if this mood persists I would definitely go to your GP for help.

It’s very promising, though, that you felt back to your normal self for a while. I haven’t got much experience of fibromyalgia, but for me, with ME, rest and pacing is absolutely key. I rest as much as I can, and build in rest periods after any tiring activity.

I manage by living within my energy envelope, and creating as many small pleasures as I can.

I’m so sorry. It absolutely sucks, doesn’t it?

If you can afford it, you might benefit from finding a therapist with experience helping people with chronic illnesses. It’s a difficult thing to come to terms with how this changes your life. And managing pain is an added difficulty; it takes a lot of mental energy, which leaves you vulnerable to depression etc. Having some support from someone who is knowledgeable about managing pain could help you.

In a way, I’m lucky, as I’ve had thirty years to get used to it! But even so, sometimes I fall into feeling like a total useless failure. And when I’m having a bad patch, I don’t have the energy to pull myself out of that. So I accept that it’s a symptom of the flare-up and that it will pass. For the time being, I treat depression as though it’s any other symptom, and do what I can to keep it manageable: I give myself lots of self-care; I make sure I’m sleeping and eating well; I drink enough water; I don’t take on stressful tasks; I treat myself to frequent cosy time on the sofa with a comforting movie; I eat comfort food; I spend as much time as possible in spaces with plenty of natural light, even when I can’t get out of the house; I stamp on any negative self-talk when I notice myself doing it.

I wish I had a better answer for you. But please know you’re not alone, and thanks to the internet you will find people who understand and will listen when you need them.

Wishing you health and happiness.

I try to focus on what I am still able to do, and reframe my energy envelope as a budget rather than a limit.
I can do one "thing" a day, so I choose a good thing rather than a boring thing.
Lunch out with DH, or half an hour sitting in the garden, or a lovely bubbly bath with candles, or cooking a nice dinner, or meeting a friend for a cuppa, or doing a jigsaw.