One Pace At A Time

Oh how so many ME patients will be saying "pacing, I love it, I hate it"!
To an ME patient, pacing is varied and confusing. It can be taken back to the simplest terms of walking at different speeds. I have had ME for 24 years and still struggle with it as the pace at which I walk changes from day to day and only during a time of restrained stability is it nearer constant. Pacing is described and proven by ME charities as the one way that patients can improve their health and, as the name suggests, it is all about taking one step at a time; winning the race as the tortoise rather than the hare.
The finer principles are very personal and requires listening to the body as much as following a scientific model. As I mentioned before, finding stability is the first step; by realising your limits the progress options show themselves more clearly. I found stability by writing out tick charts, of the simplest things I do everyday: watching an hour's TV, doing 30 minutes knitting, 15 minutes yoga, 10 minutes on my feet, 20 minutes reading emails. I discovered how little I was actually doing and therefore did not push myself. If I wanted to leave the house it meant at least three ticks: dressing, leaving house and either car or wheelchair journey (and as I was only achieving eleven or twelve ticks every day this would be a big thing) This would usually suggest also being in the company of another person, (which can be very draining) and sitting on a chair without a head support- two more ticks! It might seem very severe but for those days it was important. By pacing myself I did not enter the realms of twenty ticks in one day leading to a week of eight ticks every day. This is known as crashing or dipping, symptoms increase, exhaustion sets in and is not a nice experience!
I have been using my Tick Charts for years. I came across another form of this last year and it is a very good example of how to explain an illness such as ME to a friend. It uses spoons instead of ticks (The Spoon Theory- hunt this down on a search engine or on butyoudontlooksick.com, as it is a copyrighted piece, links are not allowed)
As progress continues and I use more and more ticks and spoons I am searching out more theories and information about pacing. (I'm currently using about 25-30 ticks each day!) This is where my knowledge has not been complete in the past and now that I have more clarity in other parts of my recovery I know how important pacing will be- the muscle damage and cellular deterioration will rely on my giving rest time and healing pacing, significant thought. The general principles are obviously very similar, but as many tips as I can find will be helpful. I have been searching out websites and documents this week and have amassed a large body of pacing information to research. Even though it might seem extreme I feel that the more input I have, the more I can weed out the unnecessary repeats and find a few new ideas which can do nothing other than help me as I go. Wish me luck!