This interesting study by Dr. Myhill and others was published last week, and reportedly establishes a definitive link between ME/CFS and mitochondrial dysfunction.
Personally, I file this under the category of "Things we already knew, but it's nice to confirm anyway." Now, it would be great if someone could figure out how to fix it!
From my experience this is very true. I was running 7 minute miles the weekend prior to my onset. Ever since my dx I knew that my ability to produce energy was comprimised. Have you started to exercise at all? I was dxd at the acclaimed Mayo clinic here in MN, and they strongly suggested some type of mild exercise to keep things moving. I do 1.6 miles on the treadmill at a jogging pace 5x week. Anything more than that and I can feel it the next day. I am 49 and feel like I aged 20 years in the span of a few weeks.....
ReplyDeleteI've only been able to do Yoga and Tai Chi...in other words, things that don't elevate my heart rate too much. That's great that you can jog on the treadmill 5x a week. I'm not sure I would be able to do that. I should try one of these days just to see what happens.
DeleteI know exactly what you mean about aging 20 years in the span of a few weeks. My dad is 30 years older than me and has 10x more physical stamina than me right now. The loss of physical ability is a pretty shocking thing to come to grips with all at once.
For me that has been the hardest adjustment, since my lifestyle was molded around physical activities. All I had ever known in life was to engage in more physically demanding sports like running, tennis, hiking, etc. The sad thing is that those were activities that my whole family did (they still do). So not only has this impacted me, but my family as well. I still get bitter when I see others doing what I used to be able to do, like biking/running, etc. Not sure when that will fade away. Curious how you handle that.
DeleteYeah, that's been the hardest adjustment for me too. My favorite thing in the world used to be to go surfing with my wife, which we did at least once or twice a week. Now she continues to surf and I watch from the shore. Jogging was something we also enjoyed.
DeleteI get bitter too when I see other people doing things that I can no longer do. Especially when they're doing it wrong and I know I can do so much better when healthy! ha.
I wouldn't say I've been very good at handling it. One of the things I've tried to do it "participate" in other ways. We purchased at nice DSL camera with a zoom lens, so I can take pictures and video of Mrs. Calvin surfing. That helps me feel somewhat involved...when I'm not thinking about how badly I miss it!
Bret, for what it's worth, here's a post from back in February about a similar concern: http://quixoticmeblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/how-long-does-it-take-to-accept-your.html
DeleteIn retrospect, it comes off as a little whiney, but hey, I make no apologies - this crap is tough to deal with. lol.