Glad you got the postcard, and yes it was a nice visit despite my dumb health woes!

Yeah they like to do that :/.

It made me get a bit teary and woe-me :p. I only hope it helps people who aren't suffering with such conditions to get a better idea of what it's like for me and the others who are going through (or have gone through - like u) such things. I get really tired of people thinking i am simply on one long holiday!

Thank-you, that is really kind of you to offer :).

Thanks, it's the years until i get better, mostly minus any love and support that i just can't face :/.

Aww thanks *hugs back* :).

Yeah, i'd say one of the worst parts of having this thing is the social stigma (and that's the same for you). People either think they get it (when they so don't) and offer well-meaning advice (as if i haven't actually looked into my own condition :p) or they don't want to get it - either 'cos they don't wanna have to deal, they really think you're making it up or they're just assholes! Being told i look well when i feel awful, that this doesn't exist or my faveourite "oh i feel so tired sometimes, maybe i have it" *HEADDESK*.

My symptoms vary in severity depending on whether i am having a good or bad day/period/relapse/have pushed myself too hard e.t.c. I mostly always have some combination of the following (with the first 8 being ever present);
*Persistent exhaustion & extreme tiredness
*Non-refreshing sleep
*Insomnia - problems sleeping
*Malaise lasting more than 24 hours after exertion
*Delayed onset of fatigue, sometimes 1 to 3 days after exertion
*Sensitivity to stress
*Gluten Intolerance
*Mental (’cognitive’) difficulties such as; poor concentration, reduced attention span, poor memory for recent events, difficulty to plan or organise your thoughts, difficulty ‘finding the right words’ to say, sometimes feeling disorientated
*Unexplained weight loss or gain
*Sensitivity to light & noise
*Nausea or Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
*Muscle fatigue
*Joint pain (without swelling or redness)(usually when cold)
*Increased susceptibility to infections
*Night sweats (not related to menopause or fever)
*Increased thirst

When i push myself i also get;
*Headaches
*Dizziness
*Sore throat
*Mild fever
*Swollen glands/ enlarged glands
*Muscle pain (i get his when cold too, usually it's my arms which can be cold even when it's hot :p. I need like upper-arm warmers!)

Thank you i do appreciate you being there and actually asking questions - informed friends are good to have :). How have things been going for you btw? Well i hope? (I understand if you don't want to elaborate if they haven't on a public forum). In any case i hope you're in less pain with your current health woes and that you get to the bottom of them soon!

It almost made me cry too, luckily i am not suffering to the degree that many others are, i can socialize a fair amount, and while i can't walk or dance away my troubles like i used to, unless it gets really bad i can at least read them away or use the phone & computer (with rests!).

It's not easy or ideal, and i mourn the lack of career and love life e.t.c but i'm glad i can still do things and i am able to hope that i will be well enough to have a career and love life again one day :).

Thank you so much for the compassion and the hugs **hugs you back**.

Me too :/. Luckily i have mostly only had it to a mild or moderate level, i feel so sorry for people who are bed bound and i thank the Gods my body is reactive to treatment! If i do everything i am supposed to do, i can have a social life and do other things part-time :). (Thought that's not the case right now, which is partly my own fault for having a holiday & forgetting to see my acupuncturist since returning. But also due to the big stress that was October sparking sleep problems :/. But yeah, up and downs you know all about them too!).

I've had glandular fever too (back when i was 16) and i remember it being pretty awful! In some ways it's comparable, but really you're right, it's a totally different experience.

Thanks, letters & e-mails and the like do help, it's not the same as practical support (which i actually require a lot of!) but emotional support is still pretty wanted and appreciated - cfs or no cfs, it's nice to know your friends are thinking of you :).

Hope you have returned to NZ feeling refreshed and happy **hugs**

Thanks ♥

:) Love you too.

the hardest part suffering from something like this is not being able to explain to people around you how it is i agree :/.

I do the same, you kind of assume people know all about it, but they don't. It's hard enough to understand when you have it!!

You're welcome :).