Birthday

I have always hated Birthdays so much that I insist on my Hubby and Daughter not getting me cards or gifts for my Birthday. That question “What do you want for your Birthday” absolutely turns my insides wrong, I don’t know what it is about that day or if it is so tied up to some trauma or bad experience that I think that I had worked through a long time ago that is still affecting me a lot more than I thought.

I tried to go over and above for my big 40 and sat in a corner on my own for a lot of the night as I was so exhausted that I could barely string a sentence together if you did attend that night absolute sincerest apologies again. Myalgic Encephalomyelitis absolutely ruined that night and the many days after so badly that I would wake in tears from such awful pain, the phrase I was so tired I couldn’t lift my head is accurate and not exaggerated for someone with ME.

So back to my Birthday and this year, I am going to try and enjoy it, for me this will be a takeout and a movie on the iPad in bed with the Hubby and the dog, yes the dog does everything with me. I might even really push the boat out and finish the night off with a Mcflurry or carton of Carte D’or Mint choc chip ice cream. To many, this will probably seem a little pathetic but for someone with the severity of ME that I have it will be a huge achievement, that’s if I am able to manage it, of course, so please keep everything crossed for me.

Not having my baby girl home is going to be tough but knowing how happy she is in her new job I wouldn’t want her to miss a moment of it. I am so incredibly proud of her as she has now finished her degree and moved away to work on the entertainment team of a holiday park. Knowing that she has been able to take all of the pain from being a Daughter of someone with severe ME and for her to be so fearless makes me incredibly proud.

Rather than ask for cards or gifts this year I will be asking anyone who asks to just make a donation to my car appeal as the sooner I can achieve that target I will have back my life as I will be able to get out and about in my powered wheelchair. I can’t wait for life to start again. Just knowing that I will be able to leave the house with the huge amount of things I need to make myself comfortable no matter the location or the weather. As I’m feeling pretty fearless this morning I’m going to be a little presumptuous and leave the link below so that any of you amazing readers can make a donation, it doesn’t matter if you donate a pound or a hundred pound just knowing you care enough to make a donation means so much to me. If you haven’t already read my post about raising money to purchase a wheelchair accessible vehicle just follow this link to my post https://alishawhittam.com/dream-car/

Please Donate

Thank you for reading and I look forward to posting again soon x x

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Alisha

Proud Wife, Mother and Nanna . We married 19 years ago in Rome, Italy surrounded by our friends and family. We have the most beautiful, caring, considerate daughter, she makes us proud every single day. I am nan to Alfie, our Black Labrador and he is my best friend in all the world, I love how he understands that just laying next to me is all I need on a bad day and on a good day well it is cuddles and kisses galore. Liverpool born & bred, I never had enough guts to ever move away. Maybe it’s on my cards in the future. I have an illness that has destroyed my life, that illness has led me to blog my life with no filter. I put everything into raising awareness of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and I would do anything to make sure no one else has to feel the way that I do. We have fun in our little home and I do anything to make my family happy. Love meeting new people over the web and hearing their stories. I Love making new friends and just trying to make a difference in this world.
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What is Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

According to the NHS Website, Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a long-term illness with a wide range of symptoms. The most common symptom is extreme tiredness

For more information please visit https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/chronic-fatigue-syndrome-cfs/

People with ME/CFS have fatigue that is very different from just being tired. The fatigue of ME/CFS:

  • Can be severe.
  • Is not a result of unusually difficult activity.
  • Is not relieved by sleep or rest.
  • Was not a problem before becoming ill (not life-long)

Worsening of ME/CFS symptoms after physical or mental activity that would not have caused a problem before illness. This is known as post-exertional malaise (PEM).

Sleep problems.

Many but not all people with ME/CFS have other symptoms.

Pain is very common in people with ME/CFS. The type of pain, where it occurs, and how bad it is varies a lot. The pain people with ME/CFS feel is not caused by an injury. The most common types of pain in ME/CFS are:

  • Muscle pain and aches
  • Joint pain without swelling or redness
  • Headaches, either new or worsening

Some people with ME/CFS may also have:

  • Tender lymph nodes in the neck or armpits
  • A sore throat that happens often
  • Digestive issues, like irritable bowel syndrome
  • Chills and night sweats
  • Allergies and sensitivities to foods, odors, chemicals, light, or noise
  • Muscle weakness
  • Shortness of breath
  • Irregular heartbeat
Information is taken from The CDC Website https://www.cdc.gov/me-cfs/symptoms-diagnosis/symptoms

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis does not have a cure.

Find a Dr or Consultant who listens to you is the first step

It is a manageable condition and depending on the severity of your symptoms the more difficult this can become.

I advise learning to listen to your body and what it is telling you. If you feel tired rest and if you feel pain find a solution to reduce that pain, this could be through pain medication prescribed by your Dr.

I am not saying that finding a Dr who listens or listening to your body is going to be easy as this illness is incredibly complex for some and manageable for others.

Having a Dr who listens to you or reads about the latest drug that sufferers are recommending can take a lot of unnecessary stress and anxiety from the sufferer.

It would be best for me to point you to the above question What is Myalgic Encephalomyelitis? 

Most pages list the illness as ME/CFS or Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or sometimes even Systemic exertion intolerance disease (SEID).

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