Oh how I miss reading,
The ability to get lost in a book,
To be swept away by the story,
To hear the characters in my head!
I’ve been robbed of the ability to concentrate,
Absorb meaning,
Follow the story.
Eyes so tired,
Eyes that hurt with movement,
Eyes that fail to convert words into meaning.
I’ve read a page?
What did it say?
What has happened so far?
Who are these characters?
Brain that feels too big for my head,
Heaviness and exhaustion at the slightest mental task,
Where has the ability gone,
Will it ever come back?
Gone are the days of lazy reading to pass the time.
Here are the days of longing.
Frustration, exasperation, failure…
By Lori, As the RV Rolls
This poem was submitted as part of the Reflections of ME/CFS and FM and Long COVID Awareness Day Virtual Event on May 9th, 2023.
#MillionsMissing #MillionsMore #Hope4MECFS #Hope4FM #Hope4LongCOVID
Lucinda Bateman, MD, is a renowned clinician, researcher, and educator. Her Johns Hopkins University Medical School training instilled an approach to care that she has employed throughout her career – the patient comes first and the unknown or unexplained does not equate to a lack of proper and compassionate care. Since starting her own practice in 2000, she has served on six boards or committees, been the principal investigator for 45 studies, authored/coauthored 40 journal articles, served as adjunct instructor and adjunct assistant professor in the University of Utah Departments of Preventative Medicine, Internal Medicine, and Anesthesiology, and lectured around the world.