Is it really Friday? We've had a horizontal week here.
Jamie and Craig and I have all been severely crashed since Monday. There must be a viral trigger behind this for it to have hit all three of us at once. Jamie has been completely flat the whole time - totally exhausted and unable to do anything at all. He's had some congestion but otherwise "just" severe CFS symptoms.
Craig - who rarely crashes for more than a day at a time - barely moved for three days then improved enough to return to school on Thursday, just in time for a field trip to The Franklin Institute (science museum) in Philadelphia, which knocked him back out again. He woke up this morning with all his symptoms flared up again, though he's starting to perk up now. That's his usual pattern - crashed in the morning after exertion, then feeling better by afternoon. He just told me he's bored - a very good sign!
As for me, I've had my ups and downs this week but not a single day alone in a quiet house! I hit bottom last night, after an active morning picking up the house so our cleaners could find the floor. By dinnertime, I had a terrible sore throat and awful aches. Ken brought take-out home for dinner, but I burst into tears at 8 pm when it was time to get the kids to bed - I just felt so bad!
Well, things could certainly be worse. Jamie's best friend had swine flu and now has a bad case of pneumonia. Poor kid has been out of school for two weeks. That's one good thing about this particular year - so many kids have been out sick for extended periods that the teachers are getting used to it. They were all very understanding today when I e-mailed.
Speaking of swine flu, the UK's ME Association has posted guidelines on CFS and swine flu, as well as an update including responses from 38 people with CFS/ME who got the swine flu vaccine - very interesting feedback.
Hope everyone's staying healthy. I have no idea when I'll finally be able to get some Christmas shopping done. We're supposed to get our tree tomorrow, but I don't know if we'll all be up to it.
I have had Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) since March 2002. Both of my sons also got ME/CFS at ages 6 and 10. Our younger son fully recovered after 10 years of mild illness. Our older son still has ME/CFS and also has Lyme disease plus two other tick infections. This blog is about how our family lives with chronic illness, with a focus on improving our conditions and enjoying our lives in spite of these challenges.
Sue, it's like I said earlier... When Christmas shopping, the internet is your friend. :) Relax, recline, and shop. Most of the places have free shipping.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear about everyone. Thank goodness for such a wonderful hubby!
I hope everyone begins to feel better soon.
Lori
Wow Sue. What a week you've had. I've said it before but once again won't hurt: I'm constantly amazed at how well you do, taking care of your family while being chronically ill yourself. I'm always inspired when I read your posts.
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree with Lori: for shopping, try the internet!
A tough week indeed! I can't imagine what it must be like having this illness and sick kids too. You seem to take it all in your stride. What a woman!
ReplyDeleteHope you salvage something out of the weekend. All the best from my corner of the world.
Thanks! I don't often feel like I'm handling things well, but it's nice to hear otherwise!!
ReplyDeleteI do plan to do much of my shopping through the internet, as always, but most days this week I was too sick to even do that. I had to leave the laptop on my desk for a couple of days. I seem to be a bit better this morning, so I'm hoping to make some headway this weekend.
Thanks for all the support and encouragement!
Sue
Sue, too much going on for you. Take care of yourself. Christmas is a strain for healthy folk. Just do what you can and don't do what you can't.
ReplyDeletexxPris
So sorry to hear you and the boys have had such a tough week. So hard with extra stuff going on during December. I am adding my 2cents with Lori...The internet is great for shopping when energy is in short supply. I order so much from Amazon..books, cds, dvds, food, games, toys, etc. I could save a few dollars more I am sure buying toys and games somewhere else...but energy is scarce for Joel and I have not been in a store for years.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info on Swine Flu vaccines and CFS. I sent it on to a friend in my support group who was asking....
Take care.