Celebrities and recovery

This week Martine McCutcheon has 'revealed' that she has had a seven year battle with ME and depression but from the sounds of it she's recovered. While I'm pleased to hear that she is well again, unfortunately she hasn't told us HOW she recovered which is frustrating for the estimated 250,000 people suffering from ME/CFS in the UK.  This sounds all too familiar... over the years I've read about celebs who have suffered from chronic fatigue and got well again but never shared their secret to recovery. This list  however does mention some of the celebrities affected and what approaches they have used. I can't help but feel that the availability of money and time contribute significantly to most of their recoveries... One sufferer also mentioned this week in the news although not quite so famous (yet!) is Malcolm McKay, a writer from Stornoway who has won the top crime writer award in Scotland. His illness has prevented him from working or going to uni so it's a pretty amazing feat to have written a novel and sends hope to others.

To the ignorant or ill informed lay person (or professional for that matter) reading Martine's article I don't think it gives a very good insight into how severe and debilitating ME/CFS symptoms can be. I always find it frustrating that someone in her position could use her fame to spread awareness and understanding of an illnes, that still after all these years, is misunderstood. But it appears that she would prefer to promote herself and discuss her return to singing...

Next week I start my ME specific yoga class which I'm looking forward to and I have my follow up Consultant appointment, when I should get the results of my autoimmune tests and hopefully be referred to the ME/CFS rehab service. In the meantime, I came across another free ME/CFS self help website, which was promoted on Phoenix Rising. I've posted a link to it under the links section of the page. It seems to make a lot of sense and I feel I can incorporate some of the approaches related to nutrition, exercise and rest into my own recovery.

I've been buzzing around tonight but came across a nice little article with ways to relax....