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Sick & tired

Now I use my energy to help others

Penny Firshman, 42, Gatwick

True-life PATIENT CASEBOOK

Dragging myself to the doctor’s, I flopped down in a chair opposite my GP. ‘I’m always tired,’ I groaned.

Some days I couldn’t get out of bed.

When I did, I was so exhausted I couldn’t even wash or brush my hair.

Was always dizzy, too, and kept forgetting things.

But it was 2003 and I was only 22, in my final year of uni, studying psychology.

I should have been at prime fitness.

Concerned, my GP referred me to a chronic fatigue consultant, who made a diagnosis straight away.

‘You’ve got myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome, or ME,’ he said.

Apparently, my symptoms were textbook.

I was told that ME could be caused by viruses, infections, physical trauma or even hormonal changes.

Or it could develop on its own, which is what seemed to have happened to me. Aghast, I listened as the consultant told me it was a long-term condition with no cure.

Catching COVID-19 dragged me back to square one

‘Defer your final year and rest,’ he warned.

Heartbroken, I went back to uni and spoke to my tutor, who came up with a solution.

I could do my lectures and assignments at home.

Thankfully I passed, but I couldn’t cope with a full-time job so I found part-time work as a support worker. Even then, I struggled with fatigue, my memory, and muscle pain – particularly in my legs.

But I liked helping others.

So, in 2010, I went back to uni to study occupational therapy.

This time, I paced myself and rested, so I could cope. And three years later I’d qualified, specialising in working with stroke and neurology patients.

I told my patients suffering from fatigue to prioritise tasks, pace themselves, take breaks and divide jobs into smaller chunks.

‘Sit down when you chop vegetables,’ I suggested.