HELP ME! What I Wish Families Knew About ME/CFS

HELP ME! What I Wish Families Knew About ME/CFS PDF Author: Dr Cherla Meisterman Lisw, PhD
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781654247492
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 226

Get Book Here

Book Description
HELP ME! What I Wish Families Knew About ME/CFS, subtitled, MYALGIC ENCEPHALOMYELITIS (ME) Also Known As: CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME by Rebecca Susan Culbertson, MSW/LISW. Foreword by Dr. Cherla Meisterman, PhD, LISW. HELP ME! This book pleads for families, partners and friends to educate themselves about this horrific illness that literally rips families apart. Divorce rates are over 75% for couples when a spouse has been diagnosed with ME/CFS. A frightening statistic. This book is written for those who have been diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), Fibromyalgia, or any other chronic debilitating disease. It is written for those who are in limbo, suffering still without a diagnosis, and this book is also written to educate families and friends of persons with ME/CFS. This book will help you learn how to maintain your dignity while dealing with doctors who doubt your illness. You will discover self reporting charts later in this book for use with family, physicians, employers and others. It is difficult to maintain your self confidence if persons in your life do not understand the current state of your functioning. It is of vital importance to educate those around you, when you are able. This book can be a tool to that end. The book provides information about when and how to apply for disability insurance you certainly deserve. Are you watching your former financial security implode right before your eyes? Learn how to deal with creditors and how to manage financial debt with less stress. The book will teach you techniques that the author has used in her Family Therapy Practice with patients in living lives of positivity, seeking happiness, and practicing humility. Learn methods of living with ME/CFS while still setting life goals to realistically achieve your dreams. And importantly, the book is written from the viewpoint of having been diagnosed with ME/CFS herself, and then filtered through her professional perspective as a psychotherapist. Michael McVicker a Prevention Specialist and Family Therapist, concludes this book, (in Chapter 26) with THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING A PERSONAL SUPPORT SYSTEM. Michael uses true life storytelling mixed with humor to inform families from his section titled, A VIEW FROM THE SIDELINE. He tells his story from watching (at times helplessly) and supporting his spouse, the author of this book, through the misery this illness brings. He also writes through the lens of being a stepfather to their two teenage sons, and watching their ascent into adulthood. He deals with topics not currently addressed in other ME/CFS literature currently available, including sex and intimacy. Divorce is seldom the most ecological solution to this real life crisis. Divorce only exacerbates the familial problems. Dr. Cherla Meisterman, PhD, LISW, (Dr. Cherla's Musings, Chapter 18) offers methods of treating patients with ME/CFS, and attempts to invite other professional therapists to join her in treating this very needy population. With divorce rates so high, questions arise about why more ME/CFS patients do not seek psychotherapy treatment. To me, as a ME/CFS sufferer, it is very clear. Treatment is financially prohibitive, and more importantly persons with this diagnosis have been told verbally and nonverbally, over and over "it's all in your head". So why would any ME/CFS patient want to go to psychotherapy? ("Why go and prove the wrong headed physicians correct - "it's all in my head"?) If the patient is supported by his or her partner, and if the patient feels believed that their illness is real, then psychotherapy may become an option that could potentially save relationships and lower divorce rates. Dr. Cherla addresses how to go about selecting the best therapist for you, and things to consider prior to making that phone call. There are worksheets included for your written expression, and for use with physicians, family members, and others.

HELP ME! What I Wish Families Knew About ME/CFS

HELP ME! What I Wish Families Knew About ME/CFS PDF Author: Dr Cherla Meisterman Lisw, PhD
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781654247492
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 226

Get Book Here

Book Description
HELP ME! What I Wish Families Knew About ME/CFS, subtitled, MYALGIC ENCEPHALOMYELITIS (ME) Also Known As: CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME by Rebecca Susan Culbertson, MSW/LISW. Foreword by Dr. Cherla Meisterman, PhD, LISW. HELP ME! This book pleads for families, partners and friends to educate themselves about this horrific illness that literally rips families apart. Divorce rates are over 75% for couples when a spouse has been diagnosed with ME/CFS. A frightening statistic. This book is written for those who have been diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), Fibromyalgia, or any other chronic debilitating disease. It is written for those who are in limbo, suffering still without a diagnosis, and this book is also written to educate families and friends of persons with ME/CFS. This book will help you learn how to maintain your dignity while dealing with doctors who doubt your illness. You will discover self reporting charts later in this book for use with family, physicians, employers and others. It is difficult to maintain your self confidence if persons in your life do not understand the current state of your functioning. It is of vital importance to educate those around you, when you are able. This book can be a tool to that end. The book provides information about when and how to apply for disability insurance you certainly deserve. Are you watching your former financial security implode right before your eyes? Learn how to deal with creditors and how to manage financial debt with less stress. The book will teach you techniques that the author has used in her Family Therapy Practice with patients in living lives of positivity, seeking happiness, and practicing humility. Learn methods of living with ME/CFS while still setting life goals to realistically achieve your dreams. And importantly, the book is written from the viewpoint of having been diagnosed with ME/CFS herself, and then filtered through her professional perspective as a psychotherapist. Michael McVicker a Prevention Specialist and Family Therapist, concludes this book, (in Chapter 26) with THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING A PERSONAL SUPPORT SYSTEM. Michael uses true life storytelling mixed with humor to inform families from his section titled, A VIEW FROM THE SIDELINE. He tells his story from watching (at times helplessly) and supporting his spouse, the author of this book, through the misery this illness brings. He also writes through the lens of being a stepfather to their two teenage sons, and watching their ascent into adulthood. He deals with topics not currently addressed in other ME/CFS literature currently available, including sex and intimacy. Divorce is seldom the most ecological solution to this real life crisis. Divorce only exacerbates the familial problems. Dr. Cherla Meisterman, PhD, LISW, (Dr. Cherla's Musings, Chapter 18) offers methods of treating patients with ME/CFS, and attempts to invite other professional therapists to join her in treating this very needy population. With divorce rates so high, questions arise about why more ME/CFS patients do not seek psychotherapy treatment. To me, as a ME/CFS sufferer, it is very clear. Treatment is financially prohibitive, and more importantly persons with this diagnosis have been told verbally and nonverbally, over and over "it's all in your head". So why would any ME/CFS patient want to go to psychotherapy? ("Why go and prove the wrong headed physicians correct - "it's all in my head"?) If the patient is supported by his or her partner, and if the patient feels believed that their illness is real, then psychotherapy may become an option that could potentially save relationships and lower divorce rates. Dr. Cherla addresses how to go about selecting the best therapist for you, and things to consider prior to making that phone call. There are worksheets included for your written expression, and for use with physicians, family members, and others.

Can I Tell You about ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?

Can I Tell You about ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome? PDF Author: Jacqueline Rayner
Publisher: Can I tell you about
ISBN: 9781849054522
Category : Chronic fatigue syndrome
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book Here

Book Description
Mollie and her family help readers to understand what it is like to have ME/CFS and how it can affect their day-to-day family life. They explain what ME/CFS is and how it can affect people in different ways. This illustrated book is packed with accessible information and will be an ideal introduction to this often misunderstood condition.

Finding Strength in Weakness

Finding Strength in Weakness PDF Author: Lynn Vanderzalm
Publisher: Zondervan
ISBN: 9780310200048
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 292

Get Book Here

Book Description
Chronic Fatigue Immune Deficiency Syndrome (CFIDS) is not the 'Yuppie flu.' It is a debilitating, incurable illness that hijacks the body's immune system and drains the life out of its victims, often leaving them incapacitated for years. While researchers around the globe explore the causes of treatments for CFIDS, the men, women and children who suffer with the illness grapple with questions like: -Will I ever be normal again? -Of what value am I now that I can't work or go to school anymore? -How will CFIDS affect my marriage and my family? How will CFIDS affect my ability even to consider marriage or having children? -How do I glorify God in the midst of a debilitating illness and pain? Lynn Vanderzalm and her teenage daughter, Alisa, have battled CFIDS for over seven years. In Finding Strength in Weakness, Vanderzalm shares her family's struggles and questions-along with those of 70 other men, women, and children-while offering direction, encouragement, and hope to the countless families who battle with the 'mystery illness of the nineties.'

Beyond Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Beyond Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome PDF Author: Institute of Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309316928
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 251

Get Book Here

Book Description
Myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) are serious, debilitating conditions that affect millions of people in the United States and around the world. ME/CFS can cause significant impairment and disability. Despite substantial efforts by researchers to better understand ME/CFS, there is no known cause or effective treatment. Diagnosing the disease remains a challenge, and patients often struggle with their illness for years before an identification is made. Some health care providers have been skeptical about the serious physiological - rather than psychological - nature of the illness. Once diagnosed, patients often complain of receiving hostility from their health care provider as well as being subjected to treatment strategies that exacerbate their symptoms. Beyond Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome proposes new diagnostic clinical criteria for ME/CFS and a new term for the illness - systemic exertion intolerance disease(SEID). According to this report, the term myalgic encephalomyelitis does not accurately describe this illness, and the term chronic fatigue syndrome can result in trivialization and stigmatization for patients afflicted with this illness. Beyond Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome stresses that SEID is a medical - not a psychiatric or psychological - illness. This report lists the major symptoms of SEID and recommends a diagnostic process.One of the report's most important conclusions is that a thorough history, physical examination, and targeted work-up are necessary and often sufficient for diagnosis. The new criteria will allow a large percentage of undiagnosed patients to receive an accurate diagnosis and appropriate care. Beyond Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome will be a valuable resource to promote the prompt diagnosis of patients with this complex, multisystem, and often devastating disorder; enhance public understanding; and provide a firm foundation for future improvements in diagnosis and treatment.

Girl in the Window

Girl in the Window PDF Author: Penny Joelson
Publisher: Electric Monkey
ISBN: 9781405286169
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 352

Get Book Here

Book Description
See the world from another unique perspective in the thrilling new novel from the author of I Have No Secrets .Nothing ever happens on Kasia's street. Kasia would know because her illness makes her spend days stuck at home, watching the world outside from her bedroom window. So when she sees what looks like a kidnapping, she's not sure whether she can believe her own eyes... There was a girl in the window opposite - she must have seen it too. When Kasia goes to find her she is told the most shocking thing of all: there is no girl.An eye-opening and compulsive page-turner for readers aged 12 and up.

Lighting Up a Hidden World

Lighting Up a Hidden World PDF Author: Valerie Free
Publisher: FriesenPress
ISBN: 1460280504
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 516

Get Book Here

Book Description
The onset can be fast and shocking or slow and insidious. It can happen to anyone at any age. A flu, a vaccination, or an infection can be the innocent beginnings to the potentially life-long and disabling illness called myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), which is more commonly known as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) or ME/CFS in North America. In the mid 1980s, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) was called in by concerned doctors who were witnessing an influx of patients with a mysterious illness. Eventually the CDC labeled the condition "chronic fatigue syndrome" which turned out to be very misleading. Decades later, in 2016, health agencies are finally beginning to agree with international experts that ME/CFS is a serious, chronic, multi-system illness. Through artwork, poetry, story-telling, and meticulous research, Lighting Up a Hidden World: CFS and ME takes readers into the fascinating, yet frightening, landscape of ME/CFS. Author Valerie Free shares her personal experiences and delivers illuminating first-hand perspectives from patients, caregivers, journalists, and medical professionals from within the global community in short easy-to-read segments. These stories reveal the disgrace, controversy, and tragedy of worldwide neglect by political and health care systems, leaving ME/CFS research underfunded and millions of people marginalized, sick, and socially unsupported. Lighting Up a Hidden World: CFS and ME advocates for those too ill to speak out, abounds with patient resources, and offers realistic hope for the future. People living with this illness, along with their family and friends, will find compassion and camaraderie in its pages. This book reaches beyond the ME/CFS community exposing the themes of human suffering, resilience, and the need for social change.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Myalgic Encephalitis

Diagnosis and Treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Myalgic Encephalitis PDF Author: Sarah Myhill
Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing
ISBN: 160358787X
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 434

Get Book Here

Book Description
"Original edition published in 2017 by Hammersmith Books, London, United Kingdom"--T.p. verso.

Understanding and Treating Chronic Fatigue

Understanding and Treating Chronic Fatigue PDF Author: Joel L. Young
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1440871930
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 246

Get Book Here

Book Description
Some doctors still think Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is a "fake" diagnosis. In this book, Joel Young, MD, presents the research, experience, and treatments that prove otherwise. Millions of Americans experience chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), a continuous exhaustion and a feeling comparable to that of having just run a marathon when all they have done is a daily living task, such as taking a shower or getting dressed. Doctors don't have tests for CFS, and some think it's a faux or psychological disorder. Joel Young, MD, in this heavily researched book, explains why it is a true physical illness and how it may be treated. He details how he successfully treats the symptoms, which can include severe fatigue, "brain fog," chronic pain, and sleep problems. Unlike doctors who recommend exercise, supplements, or opioid medications, Young integrates such options as long-acting stimulants, meditation, and dietary changes to reduce fatigue, as well as non-opioid drugs, medical marijuana, and self-help options including yoga for the associated chronic pain.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome PDF Author: Frankie Campling
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 0191579718
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 216

Get Book Here

Book Description
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) remains one of the most controversial illnesses, both in terms of its causes, and the best ways to treat the illness. For years, sufferers have had to deal with scepticism from their families, employers, and even health care professionals. The vast amount of conflicting advice that has been published up to now has served only to confuse sufferers, and professionals, even more. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: The Facts presents a compassionate guide to this illness, providing sufferers and their families, with practical advice, based solely on scientific evidence. It is unique in being written by both a sufferer and a physician, both of whom have had extensive experience of talking to, and helping, patients. Included in the book is a detailed guide to self-help, written from a patient's perspective, but evidence-based. The book also deals with a number of special issues, advising on how to choose therapies and therapists, and how to deal with CFS in children. The book additionally includes an overview of the history of the illness, looking at the nature and causes of CFS, and the opportunities for the future. The book will be invaluable for sufferers from CFS, their friends and families, and the numerous health professionals who come into contact with sufferers from this illness.

What Nurses Know...Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

What Nurses Know...Chronic Fatigue Syndrome PDF Author: Lorraine Steefel, RN, MSN, DNP, CTN
Publisher: Demos Medical Publishing
ISBN: 1617050288
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 186

Get Book Here

Book Description
Live the best quality of life possible with this expert guide to chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) CFS is not ìall in your head.î Written by a registered nurse and parent of a child with chronic fatigue, What Nurses Know: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome provides compassionate support and practical strategies for living well with this challenging and often unpredictable chronic illness. Using information drawn from research and reputable sources as well as insight from people dealing with CFS, Lorraine Steefel, RN, provides options for coping physically and emotionally so that you can move forward with your life. Youíll learn: What CFS is and how it effects your body How to find the right doctor and a supportive health care team The variety of available treatment options, from analgesics to complementary and alternative therapies Evidence-based advice on the best sleep, nutrition, and lifestyle practices to avoid flare-ups Tips for dealing with postexertional malaise (PEM), brain fog, and other symptoms How to cope when things get tough Packed with tips, tools, and resources, this user-friendly guide puts you on the road to recovery and is an essential resource for caregivers and loved ones. About the Series Nurses constantly straddle the line between the world of medicine and the patientís experience. This series offers down-to-earth, evidence-based advice from expert nurses who offer straightforward and practical guidance for dealing with all kinds of medical conditions.