Ela’s success recovering from long-term Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Long-term Fibromyalgia & ME/CFS Recovery Success Story Transcript:

My long-term Fibromyalgia & ME/CFS Journey Introduction

Hi, this is a message for anyone looking at the ANS REWIRE program. I'm Ela, I'm 47 years old, I live in Norway with my husband and three teenagers, and 18 months ago I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and then CFS.

Long-term Fibromyalgia & ME/CFS Onset & Symptoms

I had then been ill for 20 years. starting at the age of 26. Um, and I was then a very active person playing European handball. I was socially very active. And one day I started to feel dizziness. I was constantly nausea, fatigued, um, and had just a general sense of being ill. And, um, the symptoms gradually developed Uh, over the years, and although I had good times in between, I would say the curve in total went mostly one way, um, and during that time and ended up with the worst symptoms for me that have been fatigue, pain, and irritable bowel syndrome, and I also had, uh, quite a few other, other symptoms that I never dared to talk with anyone about, not even my doctor, such as brain fog, heart palpitations, night sweating. I had constant lactic acid in the larger muscles. But I never brought those up with my doctor or to anyone else because I didn't want to be seen as a hypochondriac. I didn't know then that the combination of many different symptoms. The very combination is the, uh, characteristic of, uh, both fibromyalgia and CFS.

What treatments I tried to overcome long-term fibromyalgia & ME/CFS & Diagnosis

And I had tried a lot of things on the way to get better. In the early phase, uh, exercise was my number one tool. Um, I've always believed in physical activity and exercise, um, to, to get raised energy level or more specific exercises to, um, to work with pain. Um, and while it helped me, I think, staying active.

It, it also, um, also just kept me crashing because I, I tried to gradually, I always trying to get fitter. Um, and eventually that always led to a crash. Um, but I've also tried many different therapies like physical therapy. I went to a psychologist. I did acupuncture. I had tried different diets such as candida diet and low FODMAP which actually helped a bit.

Um, the last one, the FODMAP and also a few medication treatments on the way. But what helped, had helped me the most was yoga. Uh, and I used, I used meditation to, to calm my system, to recharge, to, in order to get through, a day at work, um, because I, I really, I, um, uh, really worked hard to, to, to stay at work, to be able to work.

Um, and I did the physical yoga to be able to actually do some exercise without doing the cardio that just kept me crashing. And I think the worst with my situation was that I was per definition, not ill. I, um, the explanation was pretty much that I was stressed, that I just tried to do too much and try to do it perfect.

Um, and I was constantly told by others, the doctor and friends that we were doing too much. And as the years went by and the symptoms got worse, this explanation really frustrated me. Um, because the more I let go, and the less I did, the more fatigued I became, and the worse the symptoms became. And I, I remember I cried when the test, there was a test returning negative.

Um, because I really wanted just something, I wanted an explanation. I was starting to doubt my own experiences. Uh, and the image I had of myself, it just started to crack because that's, um, I had excruciating pain. I didn't have any energy. I was not bed bound as I know many people the CFS, um, are. So I didn't even think about CFS.

Um, I never heard about fibromyalgia, so, um, um, so I was. luckier than many people. Um, but I still couldn't believe that in my age would not have the energy to get through a day at work. It was, yeah, it was, um, very difficult to accept. And I felt that I had turned into a person that I didn't want to be. Um, and I certainly didn't like her.

Um, she was not positive anymore. She was certainly not strong. Um, and I didn't like, I didn't want to live like this. Um, so I guess the, the bottom point for me was, about 18 months ago, I woke up one morning, uh, having excruciating pain in the whole body, um, and no energy to get up. Um, and this led, then it led to eventually to the diagnosis of fibromyalgia and then CFS.

And at first it was a very depressing result because everything I read about it, said that there is no cure. This is something you have to live with, live with for the rest of your life.

Discovering CFS Unravelled & the ANS REWIRE recovery program

Um, and it was first when I started to Google, um, fibromyalgia and recovery, uh, that I found the ANS REWIRE and the book CFS Unravelled.

Um, and when I read that book, uh, the whole jigsaw just fell into place. It, it just made sense. The last 20 years made sense. Um, and next day I am enrolled in the ANS REWIRE online program. At first, I only tried the four first days to see what it is, uh, because I, I had huge hesitations about buying into such an online program.

Um, the scientist in me is very skeptical, um, and particularly skeptical to people who, you know, who claim they have the solution. Um, but I soon realized that in this program, um, and Dan, uh, has this focus on knowledge and it doesn't claim to have the solution. Um, instead there is a holistic view which fitted my view of the world, uh, through that I learned through yoga very well.

To see things connected. It's not, it's not either this or that. It's, it's, everything is connected. Mind and body and all the different things in life are connected. So I liked that very much and he also turned out to be very pedagogical in the way the program was made.

Progress & Set-backs recovering from long-term Fibromyalgia and ME/CFS

So I chose to, uh, to buy into it. Um, and I, uh, experienced improvements quite quickly.

Uh, after a couple of months, I'd gone from, I'd say about 20, 30 percent recovery. to around 50 percent and it, I gradually became better. I was doing everything in the program. Um, unfortunately, um, maybe because I got a little bit impatient, I don't know. After nine months, I experienced a real setback, a huge setback, uh, bringing me back to where I was in the beginning.

Um, not that that meant that everything had been for nothing, of course, it, uh, but I had to do another go, um, and used another nine months, um, which means that after 18 months I was fully recovered. So the second try was more successful, building on the first of course. Uh, and the, I guess the two most important factors that made it possible for me to recover, um, helped by the anus rewire, is that I, it helped me understand that I didn't imagine my symptoms, not that I really believed that I did.

They felt very real, of course, um, but it made me believe in myself more that I wasn't a hypochondriac. Uh, and the focus of, on knowledge in, in ANS REWIRE, helped me understand that. Um, and I also learned a holistic approach to calming down, uh, um, an autonomic nervous system that was on overdrive, including very practical tools, uh, that I can still use today.

Full recovery from long-term fibromyalgia and ME/CFS 

And today I can do what I want to do. I can work a full day at work. I can be a full day at work. I exercise. I run intervals. I can go hiking. I can be with my family. I can last whole days. and not have to choose to do either this or that. Um, so I can both work and be, do something else as well.

Um, um, at the same time, I've learned the value of rest and being able to, to do all this after so many years, it feels like just, I guess how I imagine it feels like waking up from hibernation, um, for the best, just. suddenly realizing it's spring. Um, my kids notice it. I'm present. I'm more, I'm a happier person.

Um, a colleague of mine mentioned that he had never seen me that vital and full of energy before. Um, and it feels fantastic. The thing I like the most about the ANS REWIRE program is that, uh, they're the strong emphasis on knowledge, um, and to understand the connections between mind and body. Um, which I really liked.

I'm that kind of person. I need to know why. Um, and I've learned so much on the way. And the tools that I learned is something that I can use later as well. They're actually tools to cope with life. And, um, I wouldn't say it was only easy. I had some difficulties as well. Um, and especially in order to identify triggers and thoughts that were subconscious.

I needed some help to bring them up so that I can work with them. Um, to understand bodily sensations. in a better way. And, um, I also found it pretty hard to accept my situation, to let go of the image that I had of my previous self and, um, and to let go of what I thought others might think of me. To me, being recovered means to, to just lead a normal life, to work, to do things with my friends and family, and without having to check if it's not too much or just not feeling trained all the time.

Or having to deal with pain. Um, so if you're looking for something that can help you with a recovery, I will strongly recommend the ANS Revive program. Uh, it can help you find your way to recovery, uh, to help you find your strength within, um, to help you develop hope and to believe that it's possible to recover.

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