Living with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - Part 2: Life Now

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Hello lovelies!

If you haven't read Part One of this series, then I suggest you click here before continuing on.

Learning to live with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome has been one heck of a battle. When I first became sick, it wasn't unusual for me to cry several times a day. I don't think my tear ducts have ever worked so hard! Figuring out my limitations and dealing with said limitations was a moment-to-moment struggle. Thankfully, I've learned over the last 5 and a half years what my body can and cannot do, and how that affects daily life. 

Currently, I am sitting on my bed trying to make sure this blog post sounds cohesive, and not as if a drunk woman wrote it. My mind is attempting to keep it's thoughts in order, while my body is fighting the fatigue that so often sits right behind my eyes. The fatigue is always there, but it is especially heightened today because I went out for a few hours. What did I do all that time? I sat in a chair, read a book, and scrolled through my phone. It is simple tasks like those that can knock me out like a prize fighter. 

Since that moment I first noticed something was very wrong, my life hasn't looked much different than the paragraph you just finished reading. My day usually consists of getting up and setting out to accomplish several things that would be no problem for other people. Finish a bit of school work (online, of course). Watch Youtube videos (currently, PopularMMOs is my obsession). Maybe work on my Etsy Shop. There is a substantial amount of resting between those things - less than there should be, actually, because I have a tendency to push myself. 

'What about working?' you may ask. I have held one part time job in my life, and unfortunately, wasn't able to stay due to shift changes. Now, I spend a good portion of my day searching the internet for a job that I can do at home. (I never knew there was an official word for it until yesterday - telecommuting). 

So far, this blog post has sounded pretty pessimistic, and I must confess, it's not hard to travel down that road. But in all honesty, my life has had its fair share of joyous moments since becoming ill. I have seen love and kindness and compassion in so many different forms. From a group of women deciding to pray hourly for me, to a Mom who made sure I remembered God's love for me in the darkest times. The years may have been scattered with darkness, but they also have been scattered with light. 

So, what's life like now? It's difficult, and beautiful, and scary, and delightful. It's a crazy cocktail of emotional high's and low's, and I've learned a lot from each and every second. In Part Three of this series, you'll get a little peek into those lessons, and hopefully, you learn something beautiful too. 

God bless,

Laura