Welcome to my blog. My name is Johan Mares, I live in Ostend, Belgium, and I was diagnosed with CFS in February 2002. I do not have a severe case of ME/CFS. I have been bedridden several times in the past 8 years, especially in the beginning before I learned pacing, but never longer than a day or two. I have been housebound a bit more often, sometimes after overdoing it, but usually after an infection, and never longer than a couple of days. Still, it is very rare that I am even unable to go for a 15 minute walk on a very bad day. Most of the time I have spent between 40% and 80% (first semester of 2007 and I spend it on work, GET and study; I could have travelled) according to several ME/CFS disability scales. I estimate that I am currently at 50%.
My intentions for this blog:
- to document living with a disabilitating disease
- to share tips & tricks
- to document my experience with doctors and alternative therapies, genuine and quacks
- to give my humble opinion on research, therapies, media coverage, and politics
- to receive feedback and tips & tricks as well, I hope
- to practice and improve my English writing skills
- to have a more active social life, even if it is just online
- to contribute
The fact that I have a moderate to mild case of ME/CFS probably gives me a different perspective on this disease, but time will tell. If a blog is as a journey, my articles and your comments will determine the direction.
Warning: I like playing the devils advocate, so I intend on making a strong case in favor of graded exercise therapy and will even question the hype surrounding XMRV. 
PS: What kind of articles would you like to see in a <abbr title=”Myalgic Encephalomeylitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome”>ME/CFS</abbr> blog?
PS: Can a negative review have legal repercussions? In my opinion a review can positive, negative, neutral or even a combination. I find the amount of positive reviews on blogs hilarious as they usually include an affiliate marketing link. There is nothing wrong with affiliate marketing, but I like to read more balanced reviews. And if someone doesn’t agree with me, there is always the comment section. Right?
| A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. |
| Lao Tzu |