“At least you’ve got your health!”

[Image Description: GIF of Chandler from Friends slightly nodding while smiling sarcastically]

Today is CFS/ME awareness day. Chronic fatigue syndrome (myalgic encephalomyelitis) is a condition with a very poorly chosen name. CFS is so much more than fatigue, though the fatigue described by patients is nothing like the fatigue an able bodied person describes anyway. CFS is brain fog and an inability to concentrate. It is chronic pain. It is hypersensitivity to light, sound, smell, food and temperature. CFS is short term memory loss. It is severe post exertion malaise that leaves us bedridden for days. It is comorbidity with other illnesses such as depression, anxiety, fibromyalgia, IBS and POTS. CFS is a muscle weakness that can only be described as if all the bones were suddenly taken out of your body. It's dealing with isolation, lack of research and treatment, it's being told you just "need to manage your sleep" and the frustration of no one understanding that it's so much more than that. All of this and so much more is what 250,000 people in the UK alone have to battle on a daily basis, and I am one of them. I have my good days, and those are the days any of you will know me on. But what you don't see are the days or weeks I spend trying to recover from them. That is where the hashtag #millionsmissing comes in. On the days you don't get to see. On those days we are missing from our daily activities, from your world. On this day and every day, please try to remember those of us who are missing. Because we're still here. We're still fighting. #cfs #cfsme #chronicfatiguesyndrome #myalgicencephalomyelitis #spoonie #spoonielife #spooniestrong #millionsmissing #may12 #cfsawarenessday #meawarenessday #invisibleillness #butyoudontlooksick #chronicfatigue

When you have to act like you’re fine on a flare/low spoon day

[GIF of Chris Traeger from Parks and Recreation holding up a sign with a skull and cross bones on it, giving a thumbs up and smiling while saying “I’m dead” enthusiastically]

When you wake up with a new symptom and don’t know if it’s temporary or your new normal

[Image Description: GIF of Rupaul saying “I can’t wait to see how this turns out”]

Hello fellow spoonies!

Sorry I’ve been inactive for a while! I’ve been so caught up with college work and sleeping to regain the spoons I lost from college work. I’m hoping to be a bit more active now :)

Also I don’t know how it even happened but I’ve got over 400 followers! Thank you guys so much, you fill my small heart with joy 😊

Love and spoons -G