ME/CFS (Fibromyalgia) and spirituality

Hi everyone. As I reach age 50, I have noticed, with some sadness, that the myalgic encephalomyelitis aka chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia (good Lord, what a long term!) in my body is slowing me down more. I was diagnosed nearly 20 years ago and have managed it through yoga, meditation, and nutritional changes. But it seems it has resurfaced (?) and what I was able to do last year, I have difficulty doing now (exercise, housework)

I would like to ask this: who else has a physical health condition that minimizes your energy and ability (I'm working hard to keep my language positive here), and yet sees this condition as part of your spiritual path? I read a book many years ago by Deepak Choprah, and in it I considered for the first time that this condition wasn't happening "to" me to victimize me, but that it was manifested as part of my spiritual journey.

I've never talked to anyone else about this, because in my social circle there is no one who has this type of considerable health condition.

Also, is there anyone in this forum who is living specifically with ME/CFS, and has used the condition as part of their spiritual learning/growth? And what physical health strategies have you been using to help with the low energy and muscle inflammation/pain? I keep reading new material on this condition (or "disease" as its called in the scientific community) as it comes out, but so far I haven't found any nutritional supplement suggestions that are helping with this condition in recent years. I would really like to maintain some ability to move ahead into this next stage of my life.

Thank you, I appreciate whatever encouragement any of you fabulous folks decide to share! Miigwetch!

[charly233]

Originally Posted by Raven Poet

Hi everyone. As I reach age 50, I have noticed, with some sadness, that the myalgic encephalomyelitis aka chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia (good Lord, what a long term!) in my body is slowing me down more.

Sorry to hear that you experience cfs/ME. I have had this problem on and off for most of my life. A year ago I had a period of about six months complete remission and the symptoms went away. But more recently I have had it real bad again sometimes sleeping for 18-20 hours a day. I am fortunate in that I only get the muscular pains that go with this condition a small amount.

On these bad days I barely have the energy to get washed and to do my shopping etc. Most of my normal everyday activities go out of the window on these days. I also experience mental health issues ie. hearing voices.

I have a strong tendency towards self-deification. The feeling that everyone is god, that I am God and that my ordinary, everyday consciousness is my God consciousness. For me cfs seems to be associated with boredom. If I am bored I tend to fall asleep to alleviate the boredom. If I am tired I tend to get bored.

So here I am. I am the sleeping God!! I am the God of the universe and I experience cfs and I hear voices and I get bored.

I suspect that it just takes up an awesome amount of energy becoming God and then just being God. Plus I use up a lot of energy dealing with sometimes very negative voices. Plus I am a survivor of spiritual abuse and have a morbid fear of hell fire. One affirmation that I use is that "infinite energy flows to me and through me."

I find that if I accept the cfs without fighting it it usually improves after a while. But recently the improvements have been rather few and far between. Nevertheless I am confident that I will get another good period of remission coming up again like I had before. Sometimes I try not to label the condition as an "illness". I tell myself that I just sleep a lot and that the condition comes and goes and that it is no big deal. Another thing I do is to tell myself that I am really awake even when I seem to be asleep. My feeling is that if I learn to love myself with the cfs and if I manage to give up the urge to fix it up, then I will be in a better position to take advantage of the healing energies that are available.

I don't know of any nutritional supplements that work for cfs. I was diagnosed by the doctors as having a weak thyroid and am taking thyroxine meds but these have made absolutely no noticeable difference so far.

[Arcturus]

i came down with m.e./cfs 15 years ago. then i got mcs about 9 years ago, which has pretty much finished me off as fas as having an outward life is concerned (multiple chemical sensitivity)

"suffering focuses the mind"- j krishnamurti

i'd have to agree. my feeling is that supplements generally just make for expensive wee. i did the supplement thing for a few years, most do with m.e.; thats not to say all supplements are bad. the only ones i consider are oils and occasional psyllium husk...so less is more with m.e. pointless further crowding an already compromised immune system because whats not used becomes toxic. my experience is that diet is king as regards m.e. 90% of m.e. sufferes have low or no stomach acid, hence the food becomes an immune system challenge due to not being processed properly.

diet i recommend; low g.i. (glycaemic index), gluten free; combining as per the "hay diet"; one thousand percent organic is first base; avoid raw as in chin. med. they assert it weakens the spleen/pancreas meridian (which i concur with) which is central in m.e.; drink pure water and avoid all personal care and household chemicals.

healing wise i would stick mainly with energy medicine as this introduces nothing physical into the body which with m.e. is generally just asnother burden. i've used the "healthpoint acupuncture device" and pulsor angel micro-crystals. i ascribe my first near recovery to pulsor micro-crsytals. if you can get to a tai chi then definitely do so....you will get the ernergy share which will top your tank up...be aware tai chi class may make you worse but this is generally good. i may add more later, atb

[lovingkind]

Hello Raven Poet! I am sorry to hear of your chronic illness and how it has affected your life. I have Crohn's disease and have dealt with this for the past 20 plus years. Once I became aware of my spiritual path I realized that this is part of my journey. I have become mentally and physically stronger over the years. Of course, I still have days when I am weak and can't get out of the house. But I accept it b/c tomorrow is a new day. A number of years ago I got attuned to Reiki. I began giving self treatments especially on the days I feel weak or out of sorts. This has helped me tremendously. Have you tried any type of energy healing? I hope this helps some. I am sure things can be very challenging. Blessings to you!

Thank you! To
charly233: good reminder to watch the negative labels and to not fight the condition, as it does waste precious energy.

vecta3: love the Krishnamurti quote - it relates to what I remember reading in the Choprah book about suffering and spiritual connections. I did take Tai Chi class once - I think I will try it again.

Lovingkind: I had a Reiki session once years ago at a women's retreat and I was lucky to have had a truly gifted practitioner. I went for a few more sessions with her but she has since moved. : ( Do you have some ideas about what kind of "credentials" or features should I ask about when tracking down an effective Reiki practitioner? (There seems to be a lot of them out there.) Do you know if there are Reiki p's who might "specialize" in m.e./cfs, or is it more a generalized approach to various conditions.

Thank you again, folks, for all your helpful input and empathy. Onwards & upwards!

[lovingkind]

Hum...the only practioner I have ever worked with was my teacher/Master who gave me my attunement. When you are looking for a practioner ask what their lineage is. It should go back to Usui or Takata. Word of mouth is a very good way to locate a practioner. If you don't know anyone who gets treatment you could ask at your local health food store or if there is a naturopath or holistic doctor in your area ask them. People in the alternative healting community usually know like minded people who practice related modalites. Regarding your question about a specialized aproach Reiki is Reiki. So it is all the same which means that during the treatment you will receive the universal healing energy through the practioner and will it go where it is needed in your body. It is truly amazing. Sometimes when I am not feeling with it I forget that I can self treat. But when I do after 10 or 15 minutes I feel so much better. It balances the energy throughout the body and in your chakras. Blessings!
You had mentioned Deepak Choprah. I love him and his books. He is a very good spiritual guide.

[Nimue]

Hiya Raven... I'm 28 years old but the Fibromyalgia makes it seem as though I am 82!

I manage most days, however have found that it spikes at times of disharmony. Mostly, I have had to learn to control my stress levels - which is not easy when you are a young female running a department in a field considered A Man's World

It got really bad a couple of months ago, where my GP very hesitantly gave me a script for morphine... well, let's just say that it did not take the pain away... only made me not care about the pain. I got careless, moved around more and harder than I should... and when the Morph wears off, Goddess help you if you are in my way!

So I sat myself down and I said: "Self, it is time you pulled yourself towards yourself"
Had some great meditations which took me back to childhood memories - took a few weeks to clear but once done, gone was the pain.

So this post is really not an answer to your question... just rumbles of my own experience with the Brain Eating Zombie fibromyalgia

To Nimue:

I love that you took the time to share your experiences. Thank you! You are such a delightful writer - very entertaining to read! (Sorry if you did not MEAN to be "entertaining" - charming and humourous are other words I'd use to describe my response to your post.)

28 years old and living with fibro - that's nothing I'd wish on anyone. It seems to be one of these "diseases" - or medical conditions - that is appearing more often; kind of like peanut and other allergies in children. (When I was a kid, in the 60s, we never heard of children having serious allergic reactions to peanuts. We LIVED on peanut butter!)

I gotta admit, I am glad you pulled away from the morphine. I know it is a beautiful drug - meaning it makes one feel beautiful and have not a care in the world - but I've heard scary things about people getting dependent on it. And that's one monkey I wouldn't want to see on your back.

I was on NSAIDS (non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) and they helped keep pain at bay .. but then my doctor was concerned over the increased potassium in my blood work. A little research on the internet (which can be a dangerous thing if you're not careful and a little skeptical) and I read that NSAIDS can increase potass levels in blood. So I don't take those no more.

I have actually started taking magnesium and a herbalist concoction called "Inflammex" (has turmeric in it as well as other natural anti-inflammatory ingredients). I think it is actually working. So if anyone else out there wants to try non-pharmaceuticals, these are two I am trying with some improvement.

[Nimue]

Aaaw Raven, thank you muchly for the compliment! I just need to have a few more Life Experiences before writing my book hehehe. I am working with the theory that our memories are held in the spine... and the fibro is like an alarm that goes off when it's time to clear... whether it be for myself now, myself or generations passed... or clearing for generatipns to come. I believe thatin doing so we are literally changing our DNA which clears the path for generations to come.

so whereas in the past i viewed the condition as a curse i have turned it into something positive. And hopefully My Son, my gorgeous beautiful Moon Boy, will have less clearing to do on a genetic level.
That's my take on it anyhoo...

[Nimue]

Update - was busy looking through my old posts and found this one.

I recently went to a Chiropractor, and after a few sessions and at his instruction to quit dairy, gluten and sugar... my Fibro symptoms are gone - even the debilitating permanent vertigo is No More!