I hadn’t even heard of NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) three years ago and now I am an NLP Practitioner! NLP completely changed my life around – here’s my story.
Where it all started
Thirteen years ago I was a healthy, active woman working as a teacher and a make up artist. My hobbies included salsa dancing and performing in amateur musicals as a singer and dancer. When I had my son, I was the happiest person alive to become a mum for the first time. Shortly after his birth though, I began having dizzy spells. I also felt constantly fatigued with widespread pain. I had bad insomnia and other symptoms.
GPs told me it was normal to feel extra tired with a new born baby and gave me some sleeping tablets! A year later, I was prescribed tablets for the dizziness.
Diagnosis
I knew how I was feeling wasn’t ‘normal’ newborn baby tiredness! I tried acupuncture, as it had been recommended to me for insomnia and dizziness, but I still felt ill. The acupuncturist, however thought it may be fibromyalgia. So three years from the onset of my symptoms I saw a Rheumatologist and was finally diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). He recommended Pilates and put me on more tablets, which didn’t work and then clashed with the dizziness medication.
How it affected my life
As the years went on, I had to start dropping out of shows and social functions. I could push through, but would then crash for a few days to a week and so the cycle went on.
Although having my son had triggered my condition, I had another baby. I wasn’t going to let my condition stop me and I had my beautiful daughter. I continued to struggle through life, pushing myself to do more than I was actually capable of, so everyone assumed I was fine. After all, Fibromyalgia and CFS are ‘invisible illnesses’, so I didn’t look ill, despite feeling in agony and fatigued the whole time.
I gave up on GPs and struggled on the best I could. I tried deep tissue massage and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, which both helped a little. One GP told me I would always have Fibromyalgia, which I accepted and continued to cope as well as I could while getting progressively worse. I tried to live life to the extent my limitations would allow.
Things got worse
9 years later I had an operation that triggered my fibromyalgia and CFS symptoms to extreme levels. I was left unable walk for more than ten minutes, with sticks, due to extreme pain and fatigue and I could no longer push myself beyond my severely restricted limits. I struggled to look after my children and spent most of my days lying on the sofa unable to move.
I was desperate, on the verge of registering disabled, but I knew I had to try something before I gave in.
