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Difficulties keeping in touch and feeling isolated

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I’m feeling a bit down this week at how difficult things are.

My main way of keeping in contact with people has usually been with text message. This is often a struggle too, but at least it was an option on days when I was able to do it.

But now I feel this has been taken away from me.

I just can’t bear to switch my mobile on and see missed calls, text alerts about the missed calls, and voicemails. From people (eg. mortgage lenders) about the bankruptcy stuff. They usually refuse to acknowledge I am Bankrupt. 
Because all this stuff has been going on such a long time – my automatic stress reaction is quite severe now. I talked about this in a previous post.
The last time I put my mobile on it showed I had accumulated 20 voicemail messages. Over a few days. And I ended up having to listen to them – I couldn’t stop myself. And of course I ended up totally debilitated afterwards by headaches.

And another whole day was wiped out because of it.

Another big problem is my hyper-sensitivity to things like my laptop or tablet – this often makes it torture to use email. I can manage it some of the time, just not very often. And even that’s assuming my brain fog will allow me to think out an email.

Phone calls are often too difficult – for lots of reasons.
So many reasons.
Other ME sufferers will know exactly what I mean, especially if they have had severe symptoms.  I don’t have enough energy to explain it here just now. I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before – somewhere. If I can find it later I will add a link.

So the only thing left is sending letters or cards.
Which is a nice thing to do – really nice actually. And lovely to receive.
But it takes a lot of energy too.  And not always ideal. Eg. I may just want to text hubby to buy me some more painkillers on his way home.
Plus, when my supply of cards runs out – I can’t just easily order more and have them delivered.
Especially if I feel I cannot open the bloody door . . .

I’m so frustrated at how much these neurological type symptoms (headaches, brain fog, hyper-sensitivity, heightened stress response, etc) are severely limiting my life day to day. On top of everything else.
And even more frustrated that the Trustee In Bankruptcy cannot seem to do anything about many of the unwanted phone calls. Or visits.

I thought about getting another (very basic) phone of course. Maybe just for texts.
But with my levels of exhaustion, brain fog, headaches, etc etc – this is beyond me at the moment. And the delivery wouldn’t work anyway.

Not being able to open my door to anyone (on a good day when I’m up and about) is rubbish.
At least Asda or Tesco deliveries can be booked for an evening delivery when it should be “safe” to answer the door. Thank God for that !
But most other things can’t.

But it’s just life I guess.
We have to take the bad as well as the good. That may sound philosophical and accepting. But I don’t actually feel philosophical or accepting in any way at all right now.

The thing is – we all need connection and contact with other people. 

The physical ME symptoms I struggle with already drastically reduce my contact with friends, and the outside world.
And for this to be made even more difficult now, thru no fault of my own, is hard to deal with some weeks.

Hence why I’m writing this post – to get it out.

Final note :

I have an Eckhart Tolle app on my mobile. Which has lots of calming and accepting and philosophical statements on it.
A good idea I thought.
A positive action.
Trying to help myself.
Will help me stay strong.
Try to focus on bring grateful that things aren’t even worse.
But have you spotted the obvious problem ?

I cannot switch on my fucking mobile because of all the shit going on . . . .

Apologies for the F word.

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Brain Fog & Racing Thoughts

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A Wasted Friday

I am glad its Saturday.

Yesterday was a rubbish unproductive day!
Now I don’t obsessively measure my days in terms of “productiveness” in the way that I remember employers doing. But it was a write-off.
But unfortunately it hasn’t been written off in my mind yet and I’m still fretting about it.

This is why I’m adding it to my blog at this early hour on a Sat morning. An early hour for me at the weekend but my sleep pattern is “gubbed”.

Anyway the very poor summary of my work yesterday consisted of :

a) One letter which took me a ridiculous 2 hours to type ! Yes – that was it.
(I changed the content and tone of it so many times.)
b) Plus a lot of thinking and mulling over property & tenant problems – but no actual “doing”. About 3 hours spent (wasted?) here.

All the usual CFS or ME problems were present.
But I seem to be finding that the “neuro-type” symptoms have been getting worse and worse for some time now. Certainly a few years at the least. And even more so over last 12 months – really hindering me.

For the benefit of non CFS/ME sufferers : by neuro-type symptoms I mean :

Brain Fog :
Cannot think clearly, if at all. A bit like your thoughts are trying to get thru mud or treacle. And it is all so very very slow . . . Plus trying to find the right words can be hard too. Or to finish the point you are trying to make. (Or even work out what the point is . . ) Forgetting the point of what I was talking about mid-sentence is common. A total nightmare if in a phone call – but not easy either when a letter or email.

Hyper & Racing Brain :
Dozens of thoughts racing about at 100 miles an hour, conflicting thoughts, decisions, changing mind, more frantic thinking, cannot decide what best to do, or what to do 1st, or in what order, etc. Just unable to think straight or focus or concentrate.

Out of these 2 symptoms this 2nd one for me is probably the more exhausting as my brain feels as if it has run a marathon afterwards. If that makes sense?
Often I still have to later change what I have done or decided – as it can seem obvious (when rested) that I have made a bad decision. Or I have just confused everyone – including myself !

Headaches:

The headaches are so bad too. They come often with quite an intensity.

Hyper Sensitivity:

Plus I find more and more that I cannot tolerate even looking at a PC screen for long. Or a TV screen. I seem to be getting more and more sensitive to colour, moving images on TV, sound, etc.
Which isn’t helpful at all.

Anyway by 5pm I just had to give in – and took painkillers and went to lie down in my bedroom next door to my office. With the black-out blind pulled fully down. Had planned to get up after a few hours, but ended up getting into bed and staying there for 10 hours – until 3 am.
I was just too exhausted to get up before then and my brain felt burned-out as I was still thinking about so much stuff while in bed.
But hunger finally got me up and went down to kitchen for something to eat.

Not the way I would choose to spend a Friday night.

Just realised this is another long post. (Have no idea how I manage on Twitter . . .)
And it is rather moany again. I admit I was feeling a bit sorry for myself. Although now that I’ve typed it I feel much happier.

Note To Myself :
Some Aims : do shorter posts and more fun ones !

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