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A doctor can rule out other explanations for your symptoms, prescribe medications for symptoms such as pain and poor sleep, and treat other medical issues that often accompany ME/CFS and FM. The latter include sleep disorders, orthostatic issues, depression, chemical sensitivity, and food and digestive issues (IBS, yeast infections, celiac disease, lactose intolerance).

 

For more on what a physician can do for you, see the article How Your Doctor Can Help If You Have CFS/ME, written by CFS authority Dr. Charles Lapp.

 

If there is one key to improvement, it is living within the limits imposed by ME/CFS and FM using pacing. With pacing, you can escape from repeated cycles of push and crash, live a more stable and predictable life that makes improvement possible.

 

Pacing takes time to master, but the rewards can start immediately. One strategy that many people in our program have tried first and found helpful is taking daily planned rests, as described in the article Reducing Symptoms with Planned Rest. For a detailed description of pacing, see the Pacing Tutorial.

 

ME/CFS and FM increase stress and make people more sensitive to stress. This combination makes managing stress crucial. You can begin by working to reduce stress, for example, by having a daily relaxation time, limiting exposure to the media and perhaps to some people, getting help with chores and letting go of unrealistic expectations. Stress avoidance is also very useful.

 

For specific strategies for both stress reduction and stress avoidance, see the articles in the Stress Management section of this site and the four-part series Managing Stress.

4 Get Support from Other People with CFS/FM

Knowing others with CFS and/or FM can counteract isolation and depression, and provide information, understanding, inspiration and support. Surround yourself with positive people who are working actively to improve.

 

To learn about our community, see the Courses section. For accounts of improvement, see our Success Stories.

Improvement is possible but almost always gradual, so we recommend using an attitude that combines patience and determination. We call it acceptance with a fighting spirit, which means accepting that life has changed for now, and also believing that there are things to do that will bring improvement.

 

For seven places to start, see the article The 1% Solution.

  

 

Let me end with some words from ME/CFS and FM authority Dr. Charles Lapp, posted on a self-help website for people with ME/CFS and fibromyalgia that we created together: