Chronic Fatigue Case Study
Introduction
Chronic fatigue can make you feel trapped – like your body’s working against you. Sophie’s story shows that healing is possible, but it’s not about quick fixes or perfection.
It’s about understanding your body by using functional testing and listening to its signals, addressing trauma, and taking small, consistent steps toward balance in all body systems. Her journey proves that your past doesn’t have to define your future – you can reclaim your health. Progress over perfection.
Read on to hear her story and find out Sophie’s key lessons learned.
A Journey of Resilience and Healing
Background: The early years
Sophie’s health journey started early. At 19, she was in a serious car accident that crushed her pelvic bones, ruptured her bladder, and left her in the hospital for four months.
In the 1990s, during extensive travels in the Far East, she contracted multiple insect infections and experienced severe gastroenteritis. These infections may have compromised her immune system. Sophie also worked for years as a manual therapist, which placed significant physical strain on her body.
In 2001, she lost her best friend and later experienced an abusive relationship, adding emotional stress to her physical challenges.
Car Crash and PTSD
In 2004, Sophie was involved in another car crash. This time, the crash caused whiplash and claimed the life of the other driver, who was a local man she knew. The trauma triggered PTSD and marked the start of her struggle with chronic fatigue.
Despite this, Sophie managed to balance motherhood and her demanding job. Her symptoms worsened significantly after the birth of her son in 2006. Fatigue, brain fog, and chronic pain became part of her daily life.
Diagnosis
In 2011, Sophie was diagnosed with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome & Fibromyalgia. Also a dysfunction of her gallbladder sphincter. The diagnosis was validating, but managing the symptoms was a constant battle. Her symptoms included:
- Eye fatigue (hazy vision)
- Muscle tenderness and pins and needles
- Brain fog and memory issues
- Sensitivity to light and sound
- Hot flushes and PMS, mood swings, weight gain worsened by HRT and the Mirena coil.
Functional Testing
Sophie undertook extensive testing to understand her body better. These included:
- Complete blood count(s)
- Comprehensive stool analysis
- Food intolerance testing
- DNA testing
- Stress hormone testing
- DUTCH hormone testing
- Nutreval nutrient profiling
- Hair mineral analysis
- Lyme disease screening
The tests identified specific triggers, functional imbalances, toxins, hormone imbalances microbiome imbalances and nutritional deficiencies – all of which helped her make very specific adjustments to her diet and lifestyle.
Self-directed approach to healing
With the help of her supportive GP and several complimentary health professsionals, Sophie began experimenting with different ways to improve her health. She tackled issues like sleep disturbances, adrenal fatigue, and gallbladder pain using strict diets and supplements. She also incorporated holistic approaches, such as meditation, limiting blue light exposure, and taking Epsom salt baths.
Progress during lockdown
The 2020 lockdown gave Sophie the chance to reflect and reset. By following a strict keto diet and using gallbladder supplements, she lost a stone in weight and felt more energised. However, maintaining this progress was difficult, as exercise and dietary shifts sometimes triggered flare-ups.
Key insights from her healing journey
Sophie learned that mindset played a key role in managing her symptoms. She adopted techniques such as neurolinguistic programming (NLP) and the Lightning Process to shift her perspective.
A pivotal strategy was learning to detach from her symptoms instead of identifying with them…
I pictured my symptoms on a conveyor belt. When they showed up, I’d acknowledge them, thank them for what they taught me, and let them go.
She also replaced self-criticism with kindness…
Be kind to yourself. You wouldn’t talk harshly to a child – so why talk that way to yourself?
Small steps lead to big wins
Sophie’s recovery wasn’t linear. She started with small daily goals, like walking for five minutes, and gradually built up her stamina until she was running 7K twice a week. She focused on consistency and progress, not perfection.
One of her top priority was improving sleep.
If I get eight hours of sleep, I feel almost normal. With less than six, I’m back in a haze. Sleep is everything.
She also emphasized the importance of balance…
Self-care, not self-scare. I did things I thought would help me but were too extreme. You need calm, not stress.
Addressing trauma at its source
Sophie found that managing trauma was just as important as physical treatments. She used spiritual healing methods and therapy to process and release past trauma, which she believes was key to her recovery…
You can have all the tools to cope, but unless you address the trauma itself, true healing is hard to achieve.
Lessons sophie learned
- Mindset matters: “Your thoughts affect your body. Change your thoughts to change your life.”
- Disassociate from the illness: “You are not your illness. Observe it, learn from it, and let it go.”
- Challenge old beliefs: “Identify and replace beliefs that don’t serve you.”
- Heal emotional triggers: “Understand the roots of your behaviors to break free from them.”
- Progress over perfection: “Celebrate small wins. A small step forward is still progress.”
- Nurture, don’t deprive: “Eat to fuel your body, not to punish it.”
Takeaway
Sophie’s case shows how important it is to take a comprehensive approach – addressing both the physical and emotional aspects of healing. By combining functional medicine with trauma work and self-compassion, Sophie created a path to long-term improvement.
Her mantra sums it up…
I am not my illness. I am not my weight. I am resilient and capable of living a life of health and joy.
Dawn Rowland is an osteopath, nutritional therapist and founder of New Dawn Health. She guides and motivates women to improve current symptoms through diet and exercise, and ultimately enjoy a longer health span warding off the chronic diseases of modern living.
Caring and practical, Dawn will find a way to take you from where you are now to where you want to be.