Yesterday was ME/CFS awareness day. It shows really hope much this condition is a spectrum. Some people are mild can work etc, some are moderate can do little things but crash often, others are severe can’t even get out of bed at all.
It’s sad to see and a lot of posts can be relatable. But for me I can’t let myself sit in the sadness. I’m not going to be an advocate for chronic fatigue/ ME. I don’t want to give that much attention and stress to tell people about my condition.
Ever since Covid there’s so many more people who are getting ME/CFS and or POTS. Which is good for research and treatment…bad for those people. You have to be REALLY strong to handle this. I know. And you need God.
Here’s some symptoms
I’m done with that. If I’m using a mobility aid, I’m not going to explain to the person what my conditions are. I’m just going to enjoy my day.
I have some friends that focus on advocacy and I swear the stress and fear surrounding those conversations makes them more exhausted especially mentally.
I’m focusing on me. My health. My mind. My peace. Giving it to God. Letting go letting God.
As Rick’s cousin says “you need to stop collecting conditions like they are Pokemon to catch.”
This is so very true! So I have many complex chronic illnesses. I have POTS, CFS/ME, Vestibular Migraine, Small fiber neuropathy, CRPS, anxiety, depression…I wonder why?, EDS/Hyper-mobility, and which used to be the newest Pokémon I caught.
Which cause my joints shoulders, hips, neck, knees, and ankles to “go out of the socket sometimes with the least amount of movement, it hurts.
Ohh nope that’s not my newest condition. The other day I had my blood sugar tested just cause I’m in the Medi-Cal system new primary appointment. And my A1C was 8.3 so APPARENTLY I’m a diabetic now. The doctor thought maybe type 2 but that wasn’t even confirmed. So what’s Teresa’s fears? Hmm doctors, hospitals, needles….OH WAIT. Needles need to be used to test my blood. So now I have to test my blood. I haven’t got the hang of doing it myself yet causes me a lot of anxiety to do the poke but it’s only been a day.
So if I wasn’t already scared enough for listening to my body and making sure nothings an emergency. I sure am now. It’s insane how much these symptoms over lap with my other conditions.
According to ChatGPT yes I’m using this!
🔄 Symptoms high glucose and your conditions have in common
1. Exhaustion / fatigue
High glucose: cells aren’t using sugar properly → low usable energy
POTS: blood pooling, heart rate changes 👉 Can feel almost identical
3. Nausea / stomach upset
High glucose: slows digestion and irritates the gut
Your conditions: autonomic dysfunction can also affect digestion 👉 Nausea, bloating, or even diarrhea
4. Headaches / migraines
High glucose: inflammation + fluid shifts
You already asked about migraines → big overlap 👉 Can trigger or worsen headaches
5. Brain fog / confusion
High glucose: affects how your brain uses energy
Your baseline: fatigue + meds can already cause fog 👉 Hard to tell apart sometimes
6. Rapid heart rate / “off” feeling
High glucose: dehydration → heart works harder
POTS: heart rate spikes with position changes 👉 Feels like your system is “out of whack”
7. Weakness / shaky feeling
High glucose swings (especially if dropping from high): 👉 can feel like a crash, even if not true low blood sugar
🚨 The tricky part
Because there’s so much overlap, it’s easy to assume:
“This is just my normal condition acting up”
…but sometimes it’s actually:
blood sugar being too high
So now I’m like how many times when I was so nauseous in bed was it POTS or high blood sugar?
It kinda feels like what do I believe. Okay I blackout from POTS. Yes that true. And I have eye issues with vestibular migraine. And I’m obviously exhausted with chronic fatigue but also that can be diabetes.
My niece has type 1 diabetes she’s only 5 years old. But now it’s all she knows. I think if she can do it I can do it. But she doesn’t have the over thinking side of it. The trying to stay away from sugar and it causes more depression, the fear of needles, ALL the other conditions I have.
Lately well for a while now, I’ve been using to use something to be able to sit up or go to something like out to dinner with hubby. I would need alcohol or soda. But now either are options!??? Am I going back to those 5 years where I could barely leave the house cause I couldn’t be upright for long enough to do anything!?
NO, I refuse to go back to those times.
Now that I’ve gotten a lot of emotions out let’s do what Teresa does best find the positives.
My dad texted this “I have been praying hard for you and maybe this latest challenge is an insight towards healing? Maybe the sensor needed to collect data needed to move the needle in the right direction and it will fix something. I still have hope.”
My mom texted
There is HOPE cause there’s one stationary belief that I have and that’s having God fight these battles with me.
I hear this song Battle Belongs.
“When all I see is the battle, You see my victory When all I see is the mountain, You see a mountain moved And as I walk through the shadow, Your love surrounds me There’s nothing to fear now for I am safe with You
So when I fight, I’ll fight on my knees With my hands lifted high Oh God, the battle belongs to You And every fear I lay at Your feet I’ll sing through the night Oh God, the battle belongs to You”
One thing I noticed today was sometimes diabetes awareness has a butterfly and a butterfly 🦋 has always been my own sign of HOPE.
So for now let’s take deep breaths, keep praying and hoping.
After 7 years of dealing with my chronic fatigue off and on and then 4 years straight of it 24/7. I was finally able to do something I’ve wanted to do for so long.
My mom and I decided to just plan a trip to go visit our family friends in Spokane Washington. we had to fly since it would be an easier trip than driving.
There was definitely some fear and anxiety surrounding it 1) going to airport 2) going through TSA and 3) being on an airplane again. All the unknowns are the ones that tend to trigger my anxiety. Will I be okay in the drive there? Will I get sick while going through security like before? Will I not be able to sit up during the flight?
I’m HAPPY to say “I made it through it all.”
My wonderful boyfriend drove us to the airport which really helped my anxiety cause he distracted me on the way there talking and listening to music.
Then we were all loaded up wearing my backpack and my mom and I walked into the airport.
As we got closer and close to the security line I was getting nervous. But I kept saying “it’s okay, you’ve done it so many time before.” Trying to reassure myself. I read all the signs to make sure I didn’t have anything I wasn’t allowed.
I showed my Real ID (glad I had that!) and moved toward the security. This part kinda went into sonic speed, because next I walked up to the buckets put bag and shoes in it took our iPad and put it in the tote. There was a couple in front of us who didn’t seem to know what they were doing cause they were going too slow. But my heart rate stayed calm. Then I walked through the big machine stood there for 5 seconds with arms up, which I would have never been able to go before.
As I stepped out they stopped me and a lady with gloves started to pat down my chest and asked “is there anything in there?” And I said “just my boobs and bra.” We had a good laugh 😂 I got stopped before I have the pole in my back so the machine must have notified them. Then continued walking out everything back on and picked up everything and moved forward.
You have no idea how AMAZING it feels to 1) walk through security on your own 2) feel confident and “normal.” And 3) not feel like you were going to cause a scene or pass out.
This was definitely a really awesome milestone today! Did I still get sick on the airplane yes it was like car sick feeling. But we walked around before the flight and I was able to function walk to the bathroom alone.
I still don’t know how long this energy will last, but for now I am thankful and really enjoying the ride.
This was going out without my walker and it felt amazing
Some things I have been struggling with through this wellness journey I am on. If I’m not as sick as I was and don’t need a mobility aid to walk am I still identified as disabled? Like I think I am because I still need to rest a lot and there are definitely times when I’m out with bf or parent that I need something extra like sit down while we are shopping.
I used to be scared to say I was disabled. Like by saying those words it meant it was a forget thing and I gave up trying to get better. But that’s not the case at all. I can be disabled and still live a thriving life.
Just my thoughts, for today. Anyone who is disabled. I send good thoughts, prayers, and many spoons to you! 💕🥄🥄🥄💕
I think it’s interesting how much your emotions can change from one second to the next. At one moment you’re feeling okay and content and the next you can feel so distraught or sad and you don’t know why.
I understand it is my depression but I still feel like it’s such an abnormal feeling in my body. I’m the girl who is smiling because she’s happy. The girl who cheers other people up. But now I’m the girl whose sad. I’m the girl whose tired of feeling sick all the time. Who has all these emotions and she’s writing because she doesn’t know how to get them out.
I’ve always pulled my strength from God. I was doing a Bible study the other day with my mom and there was a part that said “ Happiness is dependent on what happens – our circumstances. Joy is far deeper and is not so dependent on our outward circumstances. It is a blessing from God. Joy is the characteristic of an encounter with Jesus.” I feel like this really speaks to how I feel. Even if I feel emotionally sad it doesn’t mean I have lost the JOY and HOPE we can find in Jesus.
Teresa Love 
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