Ugh...it's a Plan B day...you know, the kind where you wake up so severely crashed that you have to completely dump all your plans for the day and just give in to the need to rest. The kind of day when just pushing through is simply not an option. I haven't had one of these in a long while, so I guess I'm due. I'm not sure if it's your run-of-the-mill Did Too Much crash or if one of the many cold viruses floating around triggered it. It's only the third week of school, but my kids tell me lots of their classmates already have colds. 'Tis the season...
So, I have to postpone my plans to go into more detail on 504 Plans, but I promise to get to it next week. Instead of me doing the writing today, I thought I'd share some really excellent articles on Post-Exertional Malaise (PEM) by Jennie Spotilla a former CFS blogger and member of the CFIDS Association's Board of Directors. Jennie is a wonderful writer and did a fabulous job researching, interviewing, and writing this 3-part article series:
Part 1: Unraveling Post-exertional Malaise
Part 2: Post-exertional Malaise Perception and Reality
Part 3: Post-exertional Malaise: Cause and Effect
Jennie's articles are easy to understand and get at the bottom of this euphemistically-named symptom that I have always felt is at the heart of CFS. As soon as I was diagnosed and began reading about CFS and learned about its characteristic exercise intolerance (aka PEM), I knew it was one of the critical pieces of the CFS puzzle. It is the one unique defining characteristic of CFS, and, for me at least, is the hardest part of the illness to live with.
So, check out Jennie's wonderfully written articles. I'm going to set the laptop aside, turn off the TV, and just relax with my book and my herbal tea.
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.
Thank you for your kind words, Sue. There is a fourth article in the series which can be found here: http://cfids.org/cfidslink/2010/090103.asp
ReplyDeleteIt's about what we can do as patients to cope with and (at least sometimes) prevent PEM.
You're a rock star! I was trying to explain this to the Other Half this morning.
ReplyDeleteI know those days. I had one on Thursday. Hope it passes soon.
Thanks for these links. It explains it beautifully. Now I just need to get hubby to read it...
ReplyDeleteWhat great articles! Do you care if I link back from my blog? I'd love for some of my family to read this is a way that I could never explain.
ReplyDelete