Stina, Sweden

I developed Chronic Fatigue Syndrome after a very stressful period in my life. Demanding events that happened in my work and personal life over a long period of time just became too much for me. I became burnt out, which then deepened into CFS.

During my three years with CFS, I was severely fatigued and highly anxious, and because of that I could barely leave my home. I could not go for walks, I couldnā€™t do any household chores, and I could only rarely cook food for my family. I couldnā€™t use a computer for more than 15-30 minutes a day, and I was in a constant state of inner stress.

I had difficulties maintaining the mental focus to follow a simple baking recipe, or pay the bills. Even though I wanted to, it was very straining to see friends and relatives, and I often had to cancel our plans. Getting a cold or the flu was almost a near-death experience that made me completely bed-bound for a week or two.

There were countless times that I tried to do a bit too much, and then I crashed and was bed-bound for days. Things seemed hopeless, there was nothing I could do to get better. Everything I tried just back-lashed and often made me worse.

I even considered getting a wheelchair so I would at least be able to get out a bit once in a while, with the help of my husband. I felt utterly helpless, and I was so afraid that my life would be like that forever.

Then one day I googled ā€œCFS recoveryā€, like so many times before, and I found Russell Stubbsā€™s website. What he wrote really resonated with me. I recognised so much of what he said from my own experience.

I was quite anxious of speaking to him on the phone, since English is not my first language, but I found that we had no problems understanding each other. Working remotely with Russell was really a blessing to me, since I couldnā€™t have gone to a course anywhere, not even here in Sweden. I was too ill to leave my home.

On the ME/CFS Recovery Programme I learned a lot about how these conditions develop, and what I could do to get better. I found it easy to understand the concepts and to learn the techniques. Russell is a great coach and therapist, very understanding of these conditions, having an extraordinary ability to pin-point the real issue in any situation, and mixing seriousness with some humour.

Before I found Russell I saw a number of doctors, and tried some treatments like CBT, ACT, mindfulness, and a stress-managing course, but nothing really helped me. Some of the treatments even made my condition worse. Russellā€™s course on the other hand really made a difference, right from the start.

Quite early on in the recovery programme I was able to go for a short walk, something that hadnā€™t been possible before. From that point on, I have steadily been getting better and better. I have continued to work with Russell in one-to-one sessions, and that has been extremely helpful in my progress.

During my years of being ill, I went online as often as I could manage, desperately trying to find some help with my condition. But most of what I found either felt like a scam, or were depressing stories of no improvements through years and years of illness.

I read on the medical websites, that said that the condition is incurable and that you just have to learn to live with it. And I read a study from the Swedish CFS/ME unit at Danderyd’s hospital in Stockholm, saying that their patients did not experience any long-term improvement, despite getting the best possible treatments and care. If I hadn’t already found Russell by then, that study might have taken all my hope away. But now I know that you can get well from CFS, and I’m living proof of that.

My life now is so much better than I could even have hoped for. I live on my own and Iā€™m managing beautifully, taking care of everything from cleaning, cooking, and shopping groceries, to going into town whenever I want to, and taking the kids to things they want to do.

I was recently even able to go to London (from Sweden, where I live) for five days, all on my own. That wasnā€™t possible for me even before I got CFS, Iā€™ve always been terrified of flying, and traveling in general.

Iā€™m so grateful that Iā€™ve got my life back, in many ways better than before suffering from the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Choosing to take Russellā€™s course is definitely one of the best decisions of my life, it has helped me so much, and Iā€™m now able to do things I couldnā€™t even dream about before.

If you are suffering from M.E., CFS, Fibromyalgia or any similar condition, I strongly recommend taking Russellā€™s course. It is life-changing.

Stina, Sweden

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