@Adirondackwannabe – I didn’t “get through it”, it is chronic, progressive, and eventually debilitating; but with a degree of randomness of flaring symptoms and even some fleeting stages of remission. I was just saying yesterday that the unpredictability of it is the most frustrating aspect. The fatigue was really bad last week, and I pretty much just go to bed as soon as I get home from work. One day I was falling asleep on the drive home—that’s when it’s the most scary.
When I’m in a flare, I’m super diligent with my vitamins and I can increase my prescription dose when that happens. For fatigue, I especially push the fluids, as I tend to not drink enough and being better hydrated does seem to help.
I’m still learning what works and doesn’t work for me, as I am in the earlier stages. I am luckier than most, because my family already eats minimally processed food, so I’m not asking the others to make changes in their lifestyles. Plus they are very supportive of me – while it seems that most people in the forums I’ve joined get accused of faking their symptoms, some even by family members. Fortunately I haven’t had to call out of work yet because of the fatigue or pain.