Other than the few weeks following my C-section, I've never been disabled. My perspective on disability comes from my best friend becoming a paraplegic when we were in High School, living with a child with a chronic illness, providing physical therapy to many patients with varied diagnoses, and one special lady that changed my perspective on life many years ago.
Over the years, I've treated 1000's of patients, and one thing seems to stand out in those who do better-It's a sense of optimism. One of the biggest frustrations with Chronic Fatigue, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis or Fibromyalgia is not knowing the cause. I do believe we are on the verge of discovering biomarkers for these illnesses, but currently there is no definitive blood test or imaging technique to tell us the cause of your illness. Many CFS/ME patients go years without help but it's important never to give up hope. This feeling, that things will get better, seems to be the driving force in so many of my patients.
