In 2005, I was finishing my Master's Degree while simultaneously starting a pet sitting business.
A whirlwind of change occurred after that. The economy was booming and my company took off. I took every client who called within a 20 mile radius. My work days started at 6:30am and ended around 10:30pm, driving around 100 miles daily. Something that started out as a way to make a little extra cash had turned into a career. On top of working, I was in my early 20's enjoying an active social life. Involved at church, playing on a co-ed softball team, running several times per week and dating. I was planning new goals for running. Training for my first ever half-marathon. Life was good.
I loved pet sitting, however, caring for pets is a 7 day a week, 365 days a year commitment. No days off, no calling in sick. If I was ill, tough, I worked through it. The hours I was putting in with work and play left no downtime to recover. A year later I became sick with the flu, continued working 10-12 hour days, then my body shut down. I don't blame it. I was young, not invincible.
Now normally, you get sick, go to the doctor, take meds and feel better in 3-7 days. This is what I did. But I didn't get better. After one month of feeling like I had the flu, the doctor ran tests and concluded I had Mononucleosis. Where in the world did I get that? I went from having a flu virus to Mono? After 6 months, I started seeing countless doctors for answers. My symptoms were flu-like; weak, so tired I could barely get out of bed, horrible muscle aches made worse by movement, foggy headed, constant sore throats, etc. No one could explain what was wrong. I looked perfectly healthy on the outside, but felt like I was dying on the inside. I started doing my own research and came across a condition called CFS or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. It fit everything I was going through. It was similar to an auto immune disease that can be triggered by multiple causes, one of which, a viral infection. One year after the viral onset, my primary doctor diagnosed me with CFS. Victory! I had an answer! Now what?
Nothing. Most doctors had never even heard of CFS. There was no cure or treatment. Only management of the disease. I saw specialists, was given pain and antidepressant meds (just in case it was all in my head), off label drugs for Fibromyalgia, etc... Too many to list. I tried a few but never for long. I'm a firm believer that certain prescription drugs mask pain and cause serious side effects. Not to say they aren't right for everyone, they just didn't improve my condition. In fact, the side effects worsened it.
Over a year had passed and I wasn't feeling any better. I was forced to cut back significantly with work, lying in bed in agony between pet sit visits. Barely working part-time. Running was out of the question. I tried very hard to run, even if it was a mile or two, as the doctors all said it would improve my condition. It didn't. I was confined in bed, exhausted for 3 days after a short run. I gave up socializing and any extra activities. Everything was draining and painful. I joined online chat forums with people experiencing the same thing I was going through, searching for answers and options I hadn't explored yet. These people lived with CFS for 5, 10, 20+ years with no end or cure in sight.
I tried staying positive but almost everything I cared about had been taken away. A rewarding career and business were hanging on by a thread. An active social life and friendships were diminishing. Most of all, I could no longer run. The biggest passion of my life was cut off abruptly. There were so many questions and not enough answers. Would I ever be healthy again? Have a normal life? Run again? It was bleak.
~Continued in Chapter 1.3
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