About Recovery Road

In July 2023, I became suddenly bedbound with a host of intense symptoms that were later diagnosed as chronic fatigue syndrome, long covid, POTs, postural orthostatic hypotension, worsening of IBS and PMS symptoms, migraines, MCAS symptoms (including both food and chemical allergies) and raised acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibodies (which can lead to a neurological condition called myasthenia gravis).

My body was crying out, but I couldn't understand what was happening. I had been a normal 32 year old, working hard in my NHS job, spending evenings and weekends with my partner, friends and family, saying "yes" to a busy and exciting social calendar and continually progressing my career. When I got sick, everything stopped. It was without a doubt the darkest time of my life. I was told that there was no cure, no chance of recovery and that my best hope was some small improvement with pacing techniques and symptom management medications. For a while, I lost all hope.

About 6 months into my illness, I looked back and realised this wasn't completely sudden, there were a couple of symptoms (IBS and worsening PMS) that had been present for years, maybe longer. I had assumed the PMS was a sign of aging, peri-menopausal symptoms, I had no idea there would be anything I could do about it.

The impact of becoming severely disabled so rapidly was overwhelming. I truly believed there was no way out and the doctors must be right (because they are doctors, you know?). At the point I thought I was going to lose my 10 year relationship, I stumbled across Raelan Agle's youtube channel. Listening to her story of complete recovery after 10 years of CFS/ME sparked the first hope I had felt in months.

I immersed myself in recovery stories, trawled the internet, watched a video (in tiny chunks across the day) everyday until I had convinced myself that it wasn't a scam, a hoax or a cruel lie. When my brain could handle it, I made notes, whilst my partner (and his Mum) helped search for answers. On the recommendation of a friend with a semi-functional level of Long Covid, I started taking Low Dose Naltrexone. The initial side effects were wild, but it cleared my brain fog enough for me to spend more time thinking about how to get fully better.

I tried functional medicine, doing about 5 different extreme diets and spending huge chunks of my savings on supplements. Some gave me small improvements, but nothing stuck. I started acupuncture, which helped to reduce some symptoms (read more about my theory on this here). I tried a whole range of other treatments and approaches, but eventually I could not ignore what I had been avoiding.

Almost all the people who have fully recovered say a key factor in their recovery was some type of brain retraining and/or nervous system regulation/somatic work.

I felt like it wouldn't be for me, as it felt like saying that the symptoms weren't real, or that it was all in my head, but this wasn't true for me and it isn't for you either.

As a classic overachiever, I engaged in multiple healing courses, primarily Jason McTiernan's 'I can thrive' program with elements of Somia International's HEAL and some one to one coaching from a psychotactile psychotherapist doing Trauma Discharge Massage. At the stage I was at physically, I couldn't have attended a face to face course, though if I were beginning at a more functional level, I would have loved the face to face interaction of something like the Lightning Process or the Gupta Program. It really depends on where you're at, what level of support you need and how you learn, but it is different for everyone.

Since I have fully recovered, friends, family and colleagues have asked me so often how I did it, telling me about their own chronic symptoms (of all kinds!).

What should they do? Where should they start?

Well my answer is the same for you.

Start here. Start now. Start with us.

We will help you find your own recovery road.