The 50% Rule
In my life with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, there is nothing that I dread more than hearing my doctor tell me its time to cut back on my activities by 50%. There is nothing worse. When I hear those words, its like I have failed. I don’t think about how a little rest for a month or 2 is going to be good for me. Instead I think about all the stuff I am going to miss out on.
I get mad at my doctor for making me say goodbye to the life that I have worked so hard to get back. I get mad at my friends for making me go to my doctor, I get mad at myself for allowing this illness to get the better of me. I get mad at just about everything in my life.
Then I remember something. My doctor is telling me to reduce my life by 50%, in order for me to have a better life. I am a 30 something woman, who falls asleep most nights (lately) by 7pm. What kind of life, can I possibly be having right now. I wake up exhausted, I am not putting forth my best effort at work, my relationships are suffering a bit, and I am crazy stressed. So the reason why I am so angry is because my doctor is right. I need to make some changes, once again.
I tend to think that once I start feeling better, that I am no longer sick. I forget that I will most likely have to deal with this illness for the rest of my life. I know how lucky I am. I know that not everyone has the quality of life that I have. So I need to do whatever I can, in order to live effectively.
Recently my doctor and I had a chat on the things I can do, in order to regain some good health. I will share this list with you. By the way, the management of my health has nothing to do with meds. I take an herbal supplement and some vitamins….and with the exception of a puffer for the occasional attack of asthma, I don’t take prescription medication.
So here is the top 11 list (because 11 is better than 10) of normal everyday things to do to regain your health, as devised by me and my doc.
Reduce my teaching load, or cut back to part time hours at work.
Remove toxic people from my life.(done-well except for the work persons….but I can’t do much about that at this moment)
Organize my life-Prioritize!(no more multi tasking)
Take the following supplements, Zinc, Magnesium, Calcium, and a multivitamin
Keep up with my regular therapies
Keep a regular bedtime-I have been getting too much poor quality sleep, so he suggests that I quit going to bed when I am tired, but try going to bed at the same time each night(this goes well with my new sleep experiment…which he agrees that I should try out for a while)
Excercise outside rather than inside
Limit television to 30 minutes or less a day….and absolutely no watching the news
Increase my protein intake
No phone calls after 9:30
Drink 2 litres of water a day
All of this stuff is doable. And I am trying really hard to work within the list.
If you have more suggestions (medicine free ones) please don’t be shy…..share them.
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POSTED IN: CFS Awareness, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Fibromyalgia, Management of CFS, Physician Info, Support
1 opinion for The 50% Rule
ASTHMA
Oct 3, 2006 at 10:15 pm
A good blog you got there! I’ll bookmark and come back later.
Keep up the good work!
Eddy
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