Vera's SEVERE Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (M.E.) FULL RECOVERY Story!
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- čas přidán 16. 08. 2020
- Vera shares openly and bravely about the challenges she faced during her severe chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) recovery, along with the things that finally brought her back to 100% vibrant health!
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Remember that we are not professionals - this is what worked for us, and it will not be suitable for everyone. Please make your own assessment, do your own further research, and consult your trusted healthcare professionals before deciding if anything we talk about here might be right for you.
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THE AYURVEDA PODCAST EPISODE VERA SPOKE ABOUT
www.lavendaire.com/lifestyle-59/
THE RELATIIONSHIP EXERCISE VERA SPOKE ABOUT
"Codependent - Now What?: It's Not You - It's Your Programming"
www.amazon.com/Codependent---...
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For those interested in the Ayurveda podcast episode Vera mentioned in this video, you can find it here: www.lavendaire.com/lifestyle-59/
Biggest Takeaway "SWITCH DOCTORS!!!"
If yours isn't listening...get a new one.
Thank you Vera & Raelan.
Love this, Vera states the TRUTH!!! CFS is a "stress illness" (from a maladaptive stress response on overdrive/limbic system impairment in the brain/oversensitized amygdala). As horrible as the symptoms are and although it often takes a matter of years (and usually recovery is not linear)---everyone can fully recover!!!
Eveline is the most inspirational commenter I've met in the community all over. Go Evelyn speak that truth :) !!
Yes!! I love this Eveline, thanks for sharing your insight and hope 🙌
Wow!
Can you prove all of that with data please
@K cfs is a mental illness. No data needed.
Stress has led to my CFS. My brother assaulted me in 2012 and my mother and sisters hurled abuse at me for years afterwards as I refused to forgive him. I eventually found the strength and cut my family out. I had therapy and realised just how toxic my family were and how mentally and physically abusive they’d always been. Stress and toxic relationships were definitely the catalyst to my illness. Well done Vera for walking away 💖
You too!❤💪
I'm so sorry Julie that you've had to go though all of this, but it's inspiring to hear how you've come through it all. Thanks for sharing 💗
Well done finding the strength to move forward. Wish you all the best 🥰
There are so many of us who come from truly toxic families. Unless you've lived it, it's hard for people to believe it. Prayers for all dealing with these situations. ☮️💞🙏🏼
When she said the first few sentences... that she had to becone engeneer or that she was in the orchestra without even liking it I immediatly knew the she had selfish and abusive parents!! My mum is like that too... I am 32 years old and still struggle to know what I really want and if I am really allowed to want something. Also I struggled all my adult life with fatigue and overwhelm. Hoping for healing
15:44 You ladies are on to a good point: in school we are trained to believe authority over ourselves. Having punitive parents doesn't help as another early life experience. We need to stand in our own power, all of us on earth do, and take authority over our own lives back. We can cooperate in the system we live in while still being self-governing.
Very well said!
My symptoms have included frequent urination at night, over production of cortisol, use of sugar to try to regulate moods, extreme tiredness, inability to do housework for more than 5 minutes at a time. It started when I was 35 when I'd show up to the dr complaining of tiredness, but when I was about 52, it started in earnest. I'm 59 now and I've adapted to it as best I can but now I realize that overdoing anything isn't going to help me at all. Some things make me feel better, sugar always makes me feel worse. I believe I'm treating symptoms but I stress having a good night's sleep and napping whenever I need to. And also avoiding stressful people and with a past of abuse, that means many people. And staying calm, also meditation helps. I also remember the need for sunlight which people thought was strange. I used to work in office buildings in rooms with no sunlight so I believe this and the job stress contributed to it.
Sunlight is a huge healing/health component for me too. Good for you for being so aware of what works for you and what you need ✨
In my experience urinating at night is to do with sugar. When I give up re-fined sugar and go low carb I don't need to pee at night.
How are you now
Wow the point of not eating until your hungry & not snacking is huge. I always felt worse as well with too much in my stomach. Thank you, thank you!!
I can relate to parts of her story, having been bed bound for some time myself ( off and on for a few years- the longest stretch 7 months), I know how horrible it was just to try and lift my head or walk to the bathroom. I can't imagine going through that, that long. I've always been fascinated by ayeruveda. She is so wise beyond her years! Thanks so much for sharing this!!!
I'm so sorry you've had to go through this Kathy. I'm glad you are finding your way out now. And I agree - Vera is so insightful and wise for sure 💜
What a beautiful open and honest girl. And I always love the space Raelan creates to let someone tell their story
💗💗💗
Such a sweet soul, thank you for sharing this.
Isn't she, Colin?! Glad you enjoyed it 😊
Also, it's amazing that Ayurveda had such a quick, dramatic effect on Vera. From bedbound to walking 3 km in one month! Wow. So glad for her! I got into Ayurveda 20 years ago, just doing basic things, and I didn't improve, but I'd like to try a practitioner and panchakarma. It can be hard to try new things, though. The roller coaster of hope and disappointment if it doesn't work. But I am not too far from the Ayurvedic Institute in New Mexico run by Vasant Lad, so maybe I should give it a try. Thanks again for the inspiring story! Edit . I just looked at Vera's blog and wow, so glad she's overcome so much!
Thank you!❤ I've finished my first year of Ayurvedic training now, and Dr Vasant Lad was the author of one of my school books! I feel like he is a trustworthy and wise person 😊🙌
It is a powerful transformation, isn't it!
Wonderful interview. We also need to do grounding on the Earth with our bare feet every day for at least 10 minutes.
I've only recently come to appreciate this and have started doing this as well. Great tip, Nicki!
@@RaelanAgle Oh yes wonderful. It's a life saver. I was outside today again on the grass my husband had bought me a shower chair which works amazing out in the garden light weight easy to carry and I can sit on it with my feet grounded to the grass and it's very comfortable.
Her suggestion at the end to do a capsule wardrobe of your three favourite colors... Very interesting, and probably life changing.
I was thinking the same thing, Don! We had a chat about it after the interview. I'm super intrigued...
Lovely video. Thanks Vera and Raelan. Rambling thoughts on leaving toxic relationships: If you're not in an overtly abusive relationship, but are merely feeling dismissed / unseen, I've found it to be complicated. For me, ME/CFS hit 10 years ago and friends slowly left. I had two friends left, neither very understanding of ME/CFS. One just stopped talking to me recently because I made the tiniest inroads to explaining to her I don't like having my illness minimized or dismissed. So another friend gone. My family mostly doesn't want to understand this illness. I asked my dad if he knew the name of my illness, and he said no. End of convo -- no desire on his part to even know the name after 10 years!! This hurts terribly but I keep him in my life because being totally alone is worse and I love him. (I know this isn't as bad as many relationships and of course people should always leave abusive situations, but there can be gray areas where you feel dismissed and unseen.)
My point is that when years of illness leaves you with very few people in your life, it can be difficult to weed out people who may be considered "toxic" or who can bring up discomfort or mixed emotions when you think of them -- because the alternative is simply to have NO ONE. Wondering if people can relate to this.
Yes I can relate. Personally, I found discussing my health with loved ones, in my desire to feel understood often got me no-where. I shifted my focus, instead, on what was going to make *me* feel good (rather than convincing others of anything). That being said, it doesn't mean accepting people's negativity.
For blundering but well-intentioned people (the grey area), it can mean setting clear boundaries and having consequences. It can also mean being clear about what you want (rather than just what you don't want). I've found when I describe the problem (my symptoms etc.) I'd just get people sharing their problems in attempts to empathize or bad advice that was often dismissive or just hilariously wrong for me. But when I asked people "hey I could use some support today" (focusing on what I wanted) I usually got it. For me, it was very important to find ways to cultivate joy and FUN among deserving people (within my health zone!). One day, I decided to start sending joyful funny cards to friends. I then got even better ones back.
It's possible for relationship dynamics to change after establishing boundaries, etc. But for toxic relationships, Vera has made me realize leaving is the only solution.... the unknown is much better than a shitty reality! Sending you my support and healing vibes from California.
First off - I'm so sorry you're facing this. You make a great point about the grey areas. Loneliness is toxic too and we all need some companionship. I would imagine that many people can relate to this to thank you for sharing.
No one is better than toxic people and then you have a space for better people to enter
this is my favourite story so far and i can relate to Veras story on so many levels and she radiates joy!
Thank you!😍🙏🌞
That's great to hear, Chantelle! 😀
I'm so happy for you Vera! You are such a wise soul and have so much life ahead of you! 💕💕💕
Two of my fav youtubers😍thank you
Wow, thank you, Katie! 💓
I felt exactly like you!! I have never heard of anyone that also was pushed to believe that engineering was the only path, fit into the box! So now I also see my fatigue as a blessing, an opportunity to break free, to get to know myself and what I like. It turned out I like art and should have gone to art school and not engineering, haha! But at least I know that know and can create a new life! Thank you for sharing your story!
Wow, it’s fascinating how many of us have similar journeys. Thanks for taking the time Camilla to share a bit of yours 💛
💛 What a precious soul this young woman is! And, always Raelen 💖
This is so inspirational! And I love Vera's headset =)
Thanks, girl! 😉🤩
THANK YOU Vera and Raelan for this awesome interview. So helpful :)
Glad it was helpful, Imma!
Most doctors areUSELESS! 😮 thanks for sharing Vera ! Raelan you ask all the right questions!
So much wisdom from someone so young. Vera's story really resonated. Thank you.
I thought the same thing while chatting with Vera! Glad you enjoyed this, Cheggs ☺️
I agree
Such a happy ,strong young women Wising you much love , laughter and joy in your life Vera 😬
💓💓💓
Vielen lieben Dank 😊😊 macht weiter so
It's all really individual. But in all recovery story's the same thing is: listen to our body...😊
I hope I find also a way to recovery.
Jeg er glad du likte det Sab! (I hope I got that right - thanks Google translate 😅)
@@sabs6666 yes! So true, right? 😊😊
What a joyful soul! Thanks Vera, and congratulations ❤️
This is heartbreaking listening to the beginning of this interview.
I absolutely love this Raelan thank you, it makes my heart smile seeing how lit up with joy you are now Vera. I 100% believe the root cause of my ME/CFS was caused by stress. I have also found Ayurveda to be helpful in my life and hope to go further along this path. Thank you so much Vera for sharing your story, I really feel your joy and the ripple effect of that is going to change so many life’s 🙏🏻💜
Isn't she wonderful, Janie?! I'm so glad you enjoyed this 💗
Raelan Agle she is 💜😘
Aww, thank you so much!! 🙏😊💕
✨Thank You Vera, Thank You Raelan✨for this wonderful discussion!✨This gives many things to think about - I’m severely ill, almost 100pros. bedbound since last winter; last year 90pros. bedbound. After I became ill a few years ago my condition has slowly got worse and worse. I won’t loose HOPE, but on the other hand the general prognosis (for examle NIH, USA) is not promising the recovery: the older you are, the lomger you have been ill, the more severe your ME is, the worse is the prognosis -. What do you, people on this channel, think about these things??? 😌🇫🇮
❤❤❤
Hi Marie! I'm so sorry that your struggles with this have been so severe, this sounds incredibly difficult to face. I'm glad you still have hope though, for me that was the main thing that propelled me towards recovery (despite what the stats said!)
Vera Wilhelmsen ✨💛✨
Raelan Agle ✨💛✨
32:58 Trying to afford a practitioner when you're on disability pension and otherwise trying to make things work out financially often isn't an option for all of us. So a book and self learning is the cheapest way to go about recovery. Our capitalist world doesn't take well to people who are not able to work and pay taxes so disability pensions tend to be pretty minimal. I would know. I'd love to see a naturopath for this but I can't afford it.
I recommend Wired for Healing by Annie Hopper (neuroscience), The Energy Codes by Dr. Sue Morter (the mindset content is superb, some of the techniques may need to be modified for your health zone), Healing and Wellbeing Cards on Amazon by Abraham Hicks (mindset), and The Vortex by Abraham Hicks (mindset).
I started out just reading Idiot's Guide to Ayurveda by Sahara Rose Ketabi 🙌 Perfect Health by Deepak Chopra is also great, but I'd recommend reading Idiot's Guide first 😊 All the best ❤✨
Great point, Sharon. And great book suggestions everyone here - thanks for this 😊
The audio in some parts goes out. Also, the link to Vera's IG is not working and when manually looking her up, there is no account by that name stated in the caption. Otherwise, great interview!
She deleted her instagram it seems
Thank you so much, Vera. I saw you speak about this before and looked Ayurveda up at the time then voosh it disappeared from my memory! I will definitely look into it properly this time. It sounds a bit like Chinese Medicine in that it covers the whole body and actually Chinese medicine cured my chronic eczema years ago so these things can help. So glad you have come out of this horrible condition xx
Wonderful! Thanks so much for sharing, Jenna, and I'm glad this sparked/re-sparked an idea for you 😊
Thank you!🙏💖💖🙌
@@VeraWilhelmsen I have the book you suggested on the way and some spices for tea. Worst case scenario we make a lot of curry over the next few months! You are both awesome for putting these things up to help others and not just leaving us behind. Thank you 💕 x x
@@jennamartin-payne1653 Thank you! x Yeah, it's not dangerous to try Ayurveda, that's what's so great - it's good for the wallet and gentle on the body! :D
I can relate with Vera's experience almost 100% just on bed after taking covid vaccine almost 7months now and still switching doctors to get the root if it is fibromyalgia or CFS becoz all things are normal they say. Thank you both xx.😊😁
Abdirahman, I'm so sorry to hear that you've been dealing with this for so long. I hope you find all your puzzles pieces and can finally put this all behind you soon ❤️
Hi please suggest tablet
This is helpful but getting quite disheartened because none of the severe to very severe videos are as bad as me and I worry this means I'm too far gone. 24/7 bedbound for 9 months now. Longest I've been without a shower is 3 months.
You can recover, hang in there 💚
Thanks SO MUCH for your knowledge and time. Be Broadminded! Neutral position.
Keep being an explorer! Discovery of all kinds of inspiring
Insights. Try different things to find yourself & care well for yourself. Be creative. Dream. Brainstorm. & DO NOT CATER TO ARROGANT MEN. DO NOT TAKE ORDERS from bossylike
People looking out for their selfish neediness. Do not be a willing slave pleasing other people. Gut illness result. Extreme stress results. Headaches results. 😩 FATIGUE,
Exhaustion results. 😩 Hiding
& restraining self from freedoms.
Health issues result. Keep Awake. Stand firm to your own
VALUES & STANDARDS. SELF RESPECT! SELF REGARDS. etc.
Thinking freely. Safely. Keep FREE FROM ADDICTIONS. EAT CLEAN! TREAT YOUR BODY WELL. KEEP your body HEALTHY.
THINK WELL. 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Treatment of CFS
There is a tendency for both patients and doctors to concentrate on treating the symptoms of CFS rather than trying to cure the illness itself. Many patients take various herbs and supplements in order to cure their symptoms. In most cases these supplements have been shown to have no effect whatsoever, and at best they only give a mild improvement.
CFS researchers sometimes give antiviral treatments to patients who have persistent herpes infections such as EBV. These treatments, while they may help in combating any viral infections, has not been shown to actually cure CFS itself. Quite a few clinical trials have been published by Straus, Lerner, Montoya and others, and all of them have shown that antiviral treatments have no significant effect on the symptoms of CFS.
When hormone tests are performed on CFS patients by some doctors, there is a tendency to treat the illness by replacing deficient hormones, such as testosterone, cortisol, growth hormone or the thyroid hormones. Again, this only cures some of the symptoms and does not provide a cure for CFS.
Many CFS patients use sleeping pills to cure insomnia, but in many cases this simply leads to a dependence on the medication and only offers a partial or temporary cure for the actual insomnia. This is also the case for treatments for other symptoms of CFS, such as depression, anxiety and tachycardia. In some cases the patient ends up taking a large number of different drugs and supplements, and may end up feeling just as bad or worse than if they were taking nothing!
Studies have shown that providing cortisol replacement therapy in CFS patients gives a small improvement in symptoms, but does not cure the illness and is generally not recommended. The problem with cortisol replacement is that it tends to suppress the HPA axis responsiveness of the patient, resulting in adrenal insufficiency after the treatment has ceased. In addition, as it only replaces one hormone it is not surprising that it does not cure all of the symptoms.
The existing CFS treatments really just seem to be skirting about the main issue of trying to restore the normal HPA axis activation / brain function. What is likely to be more effective is to develop a treatment which combines certain aspects of existing treatments such as CBT and graded exercise, and which also attempts to make patients aware of the causes of the illness and the steps that they can take in order to cure themselves.
CBT, although useful, is based on the notion that patients' negative beliefs about their illness serve to perpetuate the illness, through negative feedback. While this may be a factor with some patients, it doesn't fully explain the etiology of the illness, and as discussed earlier research shows that adding cognitive elements to a treatment does not make it more effective. While CBT does help somewhat, it is possible that it is due to something along the lines of the placebo effect, and not for the reasons given by the practitioners. Many CFS patients will not have anything to do with CBT because it implies that they are deliberately prolonging their illness.
The treatments that tend to work best for curing CFS can be divided into three categories: psychological, changes in lifestyle and the placebo effect. All three types of treatment ultimately work in the same way, with the psychology of the patient determining the effectiveness of any particular treatment. In many cases it is probably the act of doing the treatment that results in recovery, rather than any actual benefit from the treatment itself. Purely psychological treatments, such as CBT and counselling, tend not be very effective, as they tend to focus on areas such as emotional problems which are not necessarily a significant factor in many cases. In the lifestyle category, many patients find that getting a new job or changing their career to something that they really enjoy results in curing their CFS symptoms. In terms of the placebo effect, many dubious alternative therapies that rely on the placebo effect for their effectiveness have resulted in people completely recovering from CFS. Treatments that have worked include anti-candida diets, kinesiology, food intolerance diets, as well as many others. It should be pointed out that these were not patients who had mild symptoms; many of these people were bed-ridden and had highly debilitating physical and mental symptoms, all of which were completely cured by apparently trivial treatments.
Perhaps the most beneficial way of treating CFS would be a combination of psychological/lifestyle and pharmacological treatments. Initially, the patient could be treated with drugs to help cure symptoms such as adrenal insufficiency, depression, anxiety and insomnia. This would provide a temporary cure for some of the symptoms, which would then allow the patient to work on the long-term recovery process. Factors that are likely to be important in this healing process might include:
Reducing any excessive negative emotional or work-related stress.
Getting rid of any negative mental attitudes to the illness, and concentrating on improving rather than thinking that the illness is going to be permanent.
Increasing short- and long-term goals and motivating tasks and having sufficient physical and mental stimulation, while at the same time not doing so much that they suffer from a "crash". People who have recovered from CFS say that an important factor in improving health is to learn how to "pace" themselves, and to only do as much as their body can handle.
Making significant lifestyle changes in order to align their goals and beliefs with how they live their life.
The concept of flow developed by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi closely corresponds with the factors that result in recovery from CFS. Flow is the mental state of being fully immersed and enjoying an activity, with a feeling of being energized. It is similar to being "in the zone", and is similar to Zen Buddhism. Studies of workers suffering from burnout have shown that the absorption and enjoyment aspects of flow are associated with energy after work, and that a harmonious passion for work results in low levels of burnout.
What is important is to make changes in mental attitude and/or lifestyle that break the vicious circle of HPA axis suppression leading to illness, which then leads to further suppression of the HPA axis.
Patient support groups are not always useful for CFS patients. In many cases these groups foster the myth that recovery is not possible, which may in itself be detrimental to the chances of recovery.
In summary, the only real way to treat CFS is to get to the heart of the illness and treat the underlying factors that cause the various mental, physical, endocrine and immune system symptoms associated with the illness. Concentrating on just one single group of symptoms will only bring partial relief, and will simply serve to prolong the illness. Recovery is not instant, and may take many months due to long-term changes that have occurred in the HPA axis, the brain, and associated areas which may take a long time to reverse. However, recovery is possible, even for the most severely disabled patients.
Why you say it is possible under this video and under others is not in the same timeline 2 days ? makes no sense !
@@christianbleich9930 You're not making sense. What is possible? There is no known cure for CFS/ME. I had it bad the first 2 years. Then it went into remission. Every few years I get a relapse that lasts about 3 months. You think you are "cured" but it stays in your system. I have tried everything in the world when a relapse occurs and during the original infection to make it go away but nothing helps, it always lasts the same amount of time. The CDC and Mayo Clinic who studies CFS/ME says there is no known cure, but some symptoms can be treated. If a true cure was known it would be world renowned. I just hate people saying they found the cure for CFS/ME and getting people's hopes up that suffer from the disease. It is like saying they have found the cure for cancer. There is no cure for cancer at this point and time, or people who get it would just take a magic pill and it would go away. Yet some people recover from it and with different treatments it goes away or goes into remission. You see what I'm saying? "I have found the cure for cancer!" I would be world renowned and famous for finding the true and one and only cure for cancer. Would you believe me?
@@douglasvancier7683 I think every Person is different and I think it is possible to cure from some kinds of cancer and I wish you the best my friend :)
@@christianbleich9930 Yes but I am talking about the disease of cancer in general, the whole scope of the disease of cancer, like CFS/ME. There is no cure for cancer or CFS/ME. If one individual had success with treating their disease of cancer like Louise Hay did who wrote "You Can Heal Your Life" or this woman above who "cured" her CFS/ME that is fantastic. But there is no magic cure for CFS/ME or cancer or one's doctor would prescribe a magic pill to make it go away, and we would not need places like the Mayo Clinic or the Moffitt center to treat the cancer. I just don't agree with people touting they have found the magic cure or treatment for CFS/ME by taking certain supplements or changing one's diet or what have you when a real cure does not exist, especially if such an individual takes advantage of people's illness purely for monetary gain. I wish you the best too, my friend. : )
@@douglasvancier7683 i understood you and i think a part is right but i think and i hope that the future will show that there is a lot of energy and potenzial in the body that we must learn to channel and to understand to help illness like ME/CFS to deal with to have better life
Quanto mi piace 👄✌💯🥂
What if you can't leave toxic relationship?
Then focus on yourself and building up your self love and self respect, then you'll have more immunity against toxicity 🙌
@@VeraWilhelmsen I have kids though it's really challenging. No money to move out so I'm stuck in toxic relationship
@@Star5dg my situation was seemingly impossible too. Learning about narcissism, toxic relationships and codependency was extremely empowering. Books on these subjects contain a lot of advice on different situations, so maybe you'll find what you need there 🙏🙌 all the best ❤
That's really tough David, I'm so sorry you're facing this right now. No easy answer to this I'm sure - I hope you are managing ok.
@@RaelanAgle I feel its holding me back from recovery. For years I coukd handle it. I've read countless boundaries books etc but my wife is abusive and I have two kids I want to protect. Things have been the same for years and I was strong enough before but now with eds diagnoses it's getting worse. I have so much debt too. No where else to live. If declare myself homeless will get some old moldy place I bet. Just have to keep moving forward