Consequences of developing chronic fatigue so far:
weight gain from inactivity (and eating worse but easier meals like doordash and microwave stuff)
less physical ability and stamina (i get winded much more easily and need to rest a lot more), kinda from inactivity as well
joint (and regular) pain while walking or standing, from inactivity
depression, from being too tired all the time to do things i want to do, to go places, to spend my days off having fun and enjoying myself
financial and mental strain from missing work due to crashes and flares
fear and possibility of losing job from missing work
you can't work And do fun activities, period. doing both in the same week crashes me
difficulty sitting up more than a few hours at a time, then i need to lay down or nap
needing to nap once a day at minimum to upkeep functional energy
brainfog / inability to think / difficulty concentrating or remembering things
increased sensory sensitivity
people don't understand your lack of energy or ability to do things, they expect you to function to the level of everyone else or to the level you were before you got sick
people sometimes don't even believe that such a condition exists
you get thought of as lazy, uncooperative, unreliable
you lose your social life and friends oftentimes because you can't keep up with them anymore
your living space becomes unkept
it's been very very difficult so far. I've been trying to live as if I'm still healthy and it's been causing major burnout and flares and crashes. I'm having to entirely relearn how to live and take care of myself. I'm getting my second mobility aid - i first got a cane in 2022* and now I'm getting a rollator. I'm also working to be diagnosed not just with my chronic fatigue condition, but with my other disabilities and neurodivergencies as well - fibro, autism, DID, etc - so that i can apply for disability and/or receive work accommodations. i can no longer do things on my days off and then work with no issues - i need days to recover after any kind of out of the house activity where I'm walking a lot. i hope my rollator helps with that
i hope people who follow me understand that ME/CFS isn't just being sleepy, and instead learn the reality of living with it and what it's like to develop it .... yes, I'm sleepy and tired all the time, but it's so much more than that. it's being unable to sit at my desk more than 4 hours without needing to lay in bed for sometimes the rest of the day, it's needing to sit and there being no seats so you go from tired to crashing and need to recover for days after. it's so many things, i recommend you watch some videos or read some articles or posts by people with the condition to better understand it
things I'm doing now that help me manage my energy levels:
sleeping a regular schedule
redbull. (bandaid fix when i can't nap)
resting my body often, by sitting or leaning on things or by resting in bed
being mostly housebound ( :( )
readymade meals, microwave meals, doordash, any kind of food i don't have to stand at a stove and prepare
public transport (i don't drive)
i hope this posts helps someone in any way
blakekathryn
theartofmadeline
turnnoffyourmind
izzy806
2087
germansingergirl
