Unbroken

Although titled in a slightly misleading way, An Author Escapes From Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (should say "by writing") is a lovely interview about Laura Hillenbrand, the author of Seabiscuit and Unbroken. As she describes, the fatigue of CFS is not what is sounds like. After reading the interview, I read some of the comments and one led to this autobiographical article written by Ms. Hillenbrand.

She says about one of her doctors, "My problem, he said gravely, was not in my body but in my mind; the test results proved it. He told me to see a psychiatrist." Wow, how many doctors are out there that think that pain is a mental health issue? The more I know of chronically ill people and their doctors, the more disgusted with doctors I become. One of the commenters says "I was also embarrassed about being sick because, after a while, you too begin to think you're a head case & could be healthy if you wanted to be." Yes, sometimes I feel that way--shamed into acting like I am healthy, like I have no choice in the matter.

The commenters who have suggestions of tests or treatments for someone who is suffering with such a horrible disease are well-meaning but perhaps misguided, in my opinion. It is so hard to read about all the things you should do and tests you should try, especially if it's all been done. She has been living with this disease a long time, so maybe there is something new that she hasn't done. But sometimes it gives the rest of us some hypochondria moments. For example, one says that her food poisoning symptoms are the first symptom of Lyme disease; others talk about gluten allergies or intollerance. I had food poisoning within the first year after my car accident and started having fatigue issues (that I didn't recognize) sometime, I don't know when, after that. And my food poisoning was weird, nothing like what I have heard from anyone else. But my MS symptoms have been fairly clear for me to recognize other than fatigue. So am I to get tested for Lyme disease? I don't think so. Although I am becoming a little paranoid about the gluten, soy, dairy, egg issues being thrown into discussions of every disease now.

The article is worth reading--don't let the length dissuade you. I agree with her husband (in the interview) who thinks she should write her own story. It is a beautiful story of suffering and coping and love.