Expanding My Envelope: How I Balanced Work and CFIDS

Article on chronic fatigue syndrome and being an occupational therapist by  Kristin Scherger

‘I have faced many challenges in my seven years with CFS, but few have been as significant as the fight for my career. When I first became ill, I had just begun working as an occupational therapist, a field I had dreamed of entering since I was a girl. Fresh out of school, I had all the energy and motivation in the world. But a year later I came down with a late winter flu-like illness that I could not shake. Although I didn’t have a name for it at the time, I had begun my adventure with CFS.

My life with CFS was like riding on a roller coaster. When my symptoms were strong, I would lie at home in bed for days. When I felt better, I would drag myself to work for several weeks before collapsing again and returning to bed. I had always been able to push through other illness, but this time “pushing” only made things worse. The unimaginable had indeed occurred, and I was forced into facing the possibility of losing my career.’