Newspaper Article

Help for those with chronic fatigue

Prosser, Susan

2002

Overview

Imagine waking up tomorrow feeling exhausted and experiencing the aches and pains of the flu. Imagine that to be the first day of the rest of your life, a life filled with debilitating symptoms that won't go away. And to make matters worse, the doctors are not sure what is wrong with you and therefore do not know how to treat your symptoms. You now have an idea about what it might be like to have fibromyalgia and/or chronic fatigue syndrome. David Mann was an accomplished, middle-aged vice-president of technology at Nortel Networks when his body started to feel crippled with pain and complete exhaustion. Even with the credibility of his position and his access to the best doctors, no one could tell him why he was ill or what he could do about it. Once diagnosed, Mr. Mann was able to gather his internal and external resources to find ways to cope with and improve his condition. Shirley Westeinde, a successful businesswoman in Ottawa, was overwhelmed by the changes in her body and in her ability to meet the demands in her life. Once she was diagnosed, Ms. Westeinde was mobilized to research the condition and find ways to cope, including a serious regime of exercise, yoga, vitamin supplementation and ways to deal with pain management and sleep problems.

• Publisher: Postmedia Network Inc
• Subject: Dore, Emily / Mann, David / Westeinde, Shirley