Some of you have asked how you can help me. I have a tendency to say, “You just did” because knowing that people care to help and that I won’t be left to die makes things so much easier. But there are a few things that occurred to me the last few days that you can do to help me (or that you already do do) (do do ;-)):

1. When you leave comments on my blog, leave voicemails, send emails, texts etc., it means the world to me. I may not get back to you right away or ever ~ the blog is about as much sitting in a chair at a computer as I can manage ~ but, I thank you and appreciate you and can not adequately express what it means to have your support.
2. If anyone is ever bored, I need help finding a C.F.S./M.E. specialist and figuring out if there is anything I can do to get better or contribute to the research. Can I be a guinea pig? Do I need to fly to some doctor somewhere? And not just good doctors like the ones at the Mayo Clinic, but doctors specialising in this disease. Aren’t they just dying for textbook cases like mine? Don’t they want to take biopsies of my muscles or give me tasks and see how my pain and strength change? I would think there are an awful lot of people out there who are chronically fatigued or chronically in pain or suffering horribly but who do not, in fact, have the classic M.E. symptom of feel-okay-do-something-physical-and-practically-pay-with-your-life (as well as the vertigo at onset, debilitating exhaustion and pain, headaches, sore throats, temperature problems, night sweats and chills blah blah blah). I’m not over weight, I don’t drink or smoke, I have no home stressors, all my labs are normal ~ Aren’t the specialists gagging to study me? And all the other people I am in communication with online who are suffering at home? Shouldn’t the specialists and researchers be coming to us?? I’m just too exhausted to research all the links, all the info, read all the books… it’s such overload and gives me nightmares and makes my fears deepen.
3. I was given the gift of a house cleaning (you know who you are, thank you). The money it cost was better spent than on any therapy session, massage or acupuncture I’ve had. This woman was so wonderful, so thorough, so kind. My house has never looked so good and it is pure joy to have that luxury. When she was leaving, she asked me, “Have you prayed to God?” I said, “No, I haven’t gotten to that point yet.” She said, “I will pray for you every day, Miss.” And it made me think about all those studies I read in college that showed patients healed better, faster, and more completely when people were praying for them even if the patients themselves didn’t know anyone was praying for them. These were statistically significant results. Call it what you like; I call it the collective unconscious, energy, intention. We are more powerful than we know and intention ~ brain waves, the power of the mind ~ can give results. So, my third and most-odd-for-me request: if you are so inclined, please say a prayer for me. And, if you are not inclined, maybe just throw a thought out into the universe that this affliction will leave me. I will do the same for you in my daily meditations. Even if I don’t get better, we might cause Mount Rainier to erupt or something, which would add some excitement to my life.