On the ME/CFS front, I had this for 2 years after having quite a serious illness.  I didn't so much have the fatigue, although this did feature, it was more chronic and unexplained pain which didnt respond to painkillers, dizziness, chronic infections (that I never usually suffered from), depression, joint pains and generally feeling unwell.  I just knew I was unwell; I saw various doctors who kept fobbing me off with "it's all in your head."  Eventually I was referred to a consultant who diagnosed CFS, which surprised me as I'd never even considered this.  After reading up on it, I reaslised that my symptoms were pretty classic.  It was good to finally have a diagnosis. 

 My ex had ME for about 6 years after a bout of glandular fever. She worked too hard and it took a long time to recover. She has recovered - interestingly after she became pregnant! Not sure if that's recommended. She was told so much - cognitive behaviour, graded exercise, it's all in your head. She did pace herself and made herself do things - but also got payback later.

Another friend of mine had severe ME for 10 years. She was almost bedbound. She did some therapy and is a different person. She runs her own business and leads a full and active social life. It's amazing to see how she has changed.

Hi hoodbrowser, I've just replied to a post that you left a comment for too and then I noticed this. I left teaching a couple of years ago after 28 years in the profession. I was incredibly ill for a year due to prolonged stress creeping up on me for a couple of years or more before that. I was unable to do much physically, easily exhausted (getting a shower would be a challenge), terrible aching, unable to follow conversations or a tv programme, and became so frightened of what was happening to me that I suffered from anxiety and depression - does this ring bells? It took a good year after I left teaching to get back to something like normal and I still struggle with fatigue now but am so, so much better. I found that when I stopped trying to fight the fatigue and the brain fog and accepted that I just had to go with it that I started to improve - but you have to keep reminding yourself every day. It's so hard when you've been a 'doer' all your life to listen to your body and adapt. It's another thing to have to also deal with people's perceptions of you and your illness. Altogether this brings a complete change of priorities and of life.

You're lucky to have your SLT understanding of your condition which will help you manage it and recover. You seem to already have the mindset to be your own 'best friend' on your journey to recovery - and you will get better over time. Do you think it was teaching pressures that caused your condition or was it something like a virus?

I mentioned in my other post that I feel my experience has placed me in a position where I feel a sense of responsibility to do something with it. I've been thinking about this for some time and have decided to create a service to help teachers be in charge of their lives. This is a radical turn around for me and which makes me feel I have something to offer again. Do let me know if there's any other way I can be of help to you - I found it hard to ask for help myself or to realise that I needed other people having been so used to doing things myself, and perhaps the education system makes us that way - but people/I do genuinely want to help and we all need each other in order to be at our best. Take care. : )

You poor dear - I'm so sorry to hear about your problems. It's a terrible thing, most especially because people just do not understand what is wrong and how awful you are feeling. My daughter was struck down with is at age 13 and spent her teenage years stuck in bed and home-schooled. However, now in her 20s, she swims every day, cycles across London to work and is running the Bath half marathon. She put herself through Uni working 2 jobs and still graduated with honours. The wan, exhausted and depressed girl has long gone. There is an end to it, but I'm afraid that it requires time, patience and understanding. I really never thought I would ever see my girl healthy again, and I thank God every day for her recovery.

Hello Hoodedbrowser, I have just seen your November post today and you have my heartfelt sympathy for your situation. I was also a teacher for many years, and left my job because the stress and overload of work had lead to cfs. At the time I didn't know what was wrong with me, and the plan was to leave, recuperate for a term then get a new post nearer home and possibly part-time. In this way I gave up my rights to any sick pay etc, as I just got worse and worse and was diagnosed with cfs a few months later. That was 5 years ago, and I am just beginning to pick up again, although not sufficiently to return to teaching which demands 120% off everybody.

So I urge you NOT to resign, even though there will be all sorts of pressure put on you once they realise you have a long term condition. Your pension rights will be frozen, and you may never be able to return to work. You need to get your pension years enhanced if posible, your union rep should be able to advise you, and also be your advocate in any negotiating. You will need a sympathetic GP who will help you collect the evidence you need to apply for early retirement or whatever is on offer if you are younger.

You will probably be sent by your GP to whatever CFS clinic you have in your area; they offer graded exercise therapy (GET) and cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT). Try and have the CBT first, it does help with trying to come to terms with the guilt, depression and isolation that you are now feeling. The GET is useless, trying to make someone with cfs do exercise is such bs, then they treat you as if you don't want to help yourself. But save your energy for the things you have to do at home. I remember having to crawl up the stairs to get to the loo; at the same time as a physio was trying to make me do graded exercise.

Your former colleagues will disappear from your life quickly, and you find out who your friends really are. This is harsh, but don't waste emotional energy on them, you have survival to consider. Most people don't know how to be with sick people. I found that the friends I did keep, couldn't bear to acknowledge how sick I was and were resolutely jovial and insistent that I looked 'better'. Just try to forgive everybody, it's the only thing to do. You do not have the energy to waste on annoyance or anger, and probably not the memory to hold onto resentment about anything. In time you may see that this will make you a better person and not one of the driven souls that teachers have had to become.

Try and work out what you can do, and when is the best time to do it. You will forget last week's thoughts so get a fat notebook and put everything in it. When the fear and panic get too much, do something that requires concentration up to a point. I used sudoku puzzles, which made me feel more calm and ordered. At first I couldn't order numbers 1-6, and got the easiest puzzles wrong; now I am able to complete the Sunday Times's 'very hard' one which is a right stinker. The small amount of improvement that I could easily track, day by day, I found very reassuring. Don't bother with crosswords, they need knowledge and therefore memory. But there are lots of things you could try for staying calm, another teacher I know with cfs plays music. She is fortunate to have musical talent and play several instruments, this part of the brain seems to be less affected and the rhythym helps everything else. The rest of us just have to listen to the music, maybe tap something to the beat... then a different area of your brain takes over and the fear is held at bay.

It doesn't seem possible at the moment that your life will get back on track. You may not yet even have hit rock bottom (sorry). My brief recommendations for survival are:

• Eat as good a diet as you can afford. Cut out chemicals and junk as far as you can. Cooking is a labour, but chucking  unpeeled potatoes & carrots in the oven to roast isn't. Lots of salads ready-washed, and fruit...
• Enlist help. If you have a partner, they are your best resource if they are the understanding type. Maybe parents, friends... Decide what you need them to do, then be gently specific. They can't read your mind.
• Sort your finances. Don't give up your sick pay and future pension like I did! Get help to deal with any guff/meetings (union rep or willing friend). Work out where you can cut corners, you'd be surprised how much less you can spend if you have to. Use the notebook!
• Get your GP onside. You need to visit them from time to time; make a list of things to mention.
• Careful with drugs. The GP is likely to offer SSRI anti-depressants, amitriptyline for sleep and pain, NSAID painkillers if you have muscle/joint pain; this is protocol but doesn't mean it will help you. You are likely to be extrasensitive to drugs and chemicals. I can post more about drugs if you are interested.
• Sod the exercise. Just save what little energy you have for functional use. You will know when it is right to start exercising again.
• Deal with the fear and guilt. Get CBT if you can in your area. Find stuff to read online.
• Accept that your friends and contacts will change. Keep in contact by email which saves having to talk. Accept the new friendships you may be offered, eg online.
• Find a fear-quelling activity (music, sudoku, drawing...) Doesn't matter if it is a bit donut to begin with, that's where you are now.
• Get over being a do-er. You used to be one, you used to have responsibility, a heavy workload etc. Now you don't. It's heartbreaking. But the sooner you can come to terms with the 'new you' and what you can do, the sooner you will get a form of life where you survive. Fighting is useless. CFS gets worse if you fight it.
• Deal with whatever your problem with sleep might be. If you don't have a problem that's great, but unusual. I needed a softer mattress (memory foam topper) for the joint pains, and a quarter of a tablet of amitriptyline to start with although it made me very groggy. Other things that might help: herbal sleep remedies, melatonin, alcohol (small amounts if you can tolerate it. Many people with cfs can't)

Phew, I seem to have written a lot here. I do hope you can let me know how you survived Christmas. Best wishes and hang in there.