This will be my last post for CFS Squared – Tales of CFS. I have enjoyed writing here, for the past two years. But it’s time for me to move on now.
I must say, that this last word stuff is a little daunting. I kind of want to sneak away – and leave you with fun and quirky posts. But, I owe more than that to all of you, and to myself.
On more than one occasion, I have written about Do No Harm. I am going to share a little secret with all of you. Writing and/or following a health …read more

First off, I want to thank everyone for the comments on this blog.  The comments are an integral part of this blog, the people who comment are just as important to CFS Squared as the writer.  I love being part of such a great community!
Now lets get down to business.  CFS Squared is of course about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and all of the stuff that goes with it (good and bad), and there is a lot of good that comes with this illness.  For the most part, I write about my personal journey with this illness.  …read more

A friend of mine takes pole dancing classes, and has been trying to get me to go with her. For weeks, I have been listening to her go on and on about these classes, saying how great the workout is- and that its just like pilates or yoga, but a little more “intense”. Finally I relented, and went to a class. I am not feeling well right now, so I just watched the class (I did not participate). But she is right. The class I saw was a beginner class. The movements are slow, …read more

You have been feeling lousy for months. This flu you have has lasted a long time, and doesn’t show signs of leaving. You go to the doctor, for what is the 100th time. Your doc has given you every test known to man. Everything comes back negative. Finally, you are given the diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. You say, “finallly! great – now cure me”.
Your doctor gives you a few options:

suggests you stop working, and implement the 50% rule, gives you a schedule of medications to take everyday
gives you just the meds
tells you to continue …read more

How many of these prescription pills do you or have you taken for your condition of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?

Ambien
Zopiclone
Valium
Zoloft
Xanax
Donormyl

This is the list of prescription drugs found at the scene of Heath Ledger’s apartment, at the time of his death. I have taken 5 of the 6 drugs listed, at various times to help deal with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. On several occasions, I took some of them at the same time. You may ask, which ones? – It makes no difference. All of them can be dangerous, if not taken properly. Even when taken properly, and …read more

Not that any of you care, but the second best thing about Christmas arrived in the mail today.  The first best thing about Christmas, is picking out the tree (I have to have the kind that smells like grapefruit).  The second best thing is getting new pajamas.
Mine arrived today.  They are cutest jammies you have ever seen.  They are cream, and have cowboys on them.  Too cute, right?  I get way too excited about flannel pajamas….I know – its a sickness.
Anyway, if you want a pair just like those – and I know you do.  You can order yourself a …read more

Music can be very restful. I often fall asleep while listening to music. If I am really into what is playing, I often feel like I am enveloped by the music. It makes me feel comfortable and safe – which promotes really good rest (for me).   Although not everyone agrees with me.  Not everyone wants to hear soothing sounds while they are trying to get some sleep.  So what do you do, sleep with headphones plugged into your ears?  That isn’t necessary any longer.
There is a pillow being made, that has built in speakers.  These speakers can …read more

I just wanted to reiterate that any information found on this blog, whether it be something I wrote or a comment from a reader, should not be considered as advice from a health care professional. This blog is for educational (and sometimes entertainment) purposes only.
I write about treatments that work for me, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for you…why is that? It’s because you are different. I will occasionally write about other interesting developments…but that knowledge isn’t always first hand.
I learned a long time ago, that prescription drugs do not work (for me), which …read more

It’s the final installment for my series on brain fog. Before we get started on the final episode, I would like to thank everyone who participated. I learned so much about this topic. I had no idea that people other than PWC’s experienced brain fog, and that it takes different forms. I am especially grateful of all the new ways that I can cope with it, when the fog comes to visit me again. You guys have such creative ideas. I loved them all! OK back to the series. Today I am …read more

You may have noticed a whole lot of silence on this blog for the last week or two. The reason for this is because I have been asleep. I sleep everywhere now, at work, the commuter train, at home, at the movies, I even doze off when I am standing in line at the supermarket. Now that the insomnia is gone, I am having to deal with the effects of the flip side. To make this up to all of you (and to b5) I am devoting most of the hours of today to …read more