{"id":6630,"date":"2021-06-01T15:56:41","date_gmt":"2021-06-01T13:56:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/untire.app\/experiences\/mariska\/"},"modified":"2024-05-06T11:07:16","modified_gmt":"2024-05-06T09:07:16","slug":"mariska","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/untire.app\/en-gb\/experiences\/mariska\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018It\u2019s nice to be able to talk to each other\u2019 – Mariska"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row bg_type=”image” bg_image=”5498″ bg_image_size=”responsive” padding_top_multiplier=”3x” padding_bottom_multiplier=”3x” equal_column_height=”middle-content”][vc_column vertical_content_position=”bottom” css=”.vc_custom_1612963367668{padding-top: 15% !important;}”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/5″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”3\/5″]

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\u2018It\u2019s nice to be able to talk to each other\u2019<\/span><\/h1>[\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/5″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/5″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”3\/5″][vc_column_text text_style=”leader-text” el_class=”groenetekst”]Mariska (49) has been suffering from fatigue for years. She had a burnout, then thyroid cancer and was eventually diagnosed with ME\/CFS. \u2018My story is different from many other Untire users\u2019 stories but the app was a great help, including the Vase of Energy. It really made me think about the things that give me energy and the things that use up my energy.\u2019[\/vc_column_text]
<\/div>[vc_column_text]She had a busy job in healthcare that involved a lot of responsibility. There was a lot going on at work and in her personal life, but Mariska just got on with it all. In the meantime, her symptoms were piling up: \u2018I wasn\u2019t sleeping well, I had headaches, dizziness, muscle pain and I could burst into tears at the drop of a hat,\u2019 she summarises.<\/p>\n

It turned out to be a burnout. It took a year to recover and build up from not working at all to working full-time again. Mariska continued to suffer from fatigue. The GP put it down to an after-effect of the burnout and, most likely, stress. But she didn\u2019t agree: \u2018I had already tackled almost all of the stress factors.\u2019[\/vc_column_text]

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Picking up where she left off<\/span><\/h3>[vc_column_text]One day, she went out for lunch with her mother who noticed a swelling in Mariska\u2019s neck. The swelling turned out to be a symptom of thyroid cancer.<\/p>\n

The diagnosis partly came as a relief. \u2018I finally knew what was going on. I was told that this type of cancer had a favourable prognosis, so I wasn\u2019t worried. I wanted to get the cancer out of my body as soon as possible, but after that I would be able to pick up where I left off.\u2019<\/p>\n

She had surgery and then received thyroid replacement medication. She had to stop taking the medication temporarily in order to have follow-up treatment involving radioactive iodine. \u2018It made me feel much more tired than usual. I had muscle pain, joint pain and I put on weight. I felt like an 80-year-old.\u2019 After the iodine therapy, she was allowed to take thyroid replacement medication again, this time on a higher dose in order to keep any remaining thyroid cells at bay.[\/vc_column_text]

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\u2018Even if it was 35\u00b0C outside, my teeth would be chattering and I’d be sitting with a blanket around me\u2019<\/span><\/h3>[vc_column_text]But Mariska felt tired all the time and her symptoms continued. \u2018I was constantly cold. Even if it was 35\u00b0C outside, my teeth would be chattering and I’d be sitting with a blanket around me.\u2019<\/p>\n

She clung onto the idea that things would improve once her dose of medication could be reduced. But that didn\u2019t happen. \u2018I have a nice endocrinologist who suggested all sorts of solutions, but nothing helped.\u2019<\/p>\n

A member of a Facebook group for people with thyroid cancer made her aware of ME\/CFS. A few months later, Mariska was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome. Her fatigue is different from that of other people after cancer, she says. \u2018One of the characteristics of ME\/CFS is that physical activity can aggravate the symptoms. It often gives me flu-like symptoms. Everything hurts: my muscles, my joints, my lymph nodes. I suffer from migraines behind my eyes, I have trouble focusing, I have memory problems and I have bowel problems.\u2019<\/p>\n

She stresses the fact that she is also constantly tired. \u2018It feels more like exhaustion.\u2019 She says that her life has changed a lot as a result: \u2018I have had to give up a lot of things.\u2019<\/p>\n

She can no longer work, external home help services and her boyfriend do the housework and her social life has been put on the back burner. \u2018On a good day, I manage to do some light housework myself.\u2019[\/vc_column_text]

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Benefits of Untire<\/span><\/h3>[vc_column_text]Unfortunately, there is no effective cure for ME\/CFS yet, Mariska says. \u2018But some of the medication I am currently taking may help.\u2019<\/p>\n

Mariska says she has benefited a lot from Untire. \u2018At the beginning, I used the app every day. I used the Vase of Energy, I read the information on all the topics, such as limits and sleep. I also find the tips and the relaxation section really useful.\u2019<\/p>\n

She is an active member of the Untire group on Facebook. \u2018My fatigue is not only caused by cancer, and so other cancer patients will have different experiences. But it\u2019s nice to talk to each other, and I enjoy helping other people. Being open and positive in life helps me. It helps to think about what you can do, rather than what you can\u2019t. You also have to learn to cope with the fact that your life has changed. Despite all my limitations, I feel very happy. I try to enjoy life. Fortunately, I\u2019ve never had a day when I\u2019ve thought it\u2019s not worth getting out of bed.\u2019[\/vc_column_text]

<\/div>[\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/5″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row bg_type=”color” padding_top_multiplier=”2x” padding_bottom_multiplier=”2x” equal_column_height=”middle-content” bg_color=”#44835b”][vc_column width=”1\/3″ css=”.vc_custom_1613647930245{padding-left: 50px !important;}”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/3″]
More experiences<\/span><\/a><\/div>[\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/3″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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She had a burnout, then thyroid cancer and was eventually diagnosed with ME\/CFS. \u2018My story is different from many other Untire users\u2019 stories but the app was a great […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":6625,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"yoast_head":"\n\u2018It\u2019s nice to be able to talk to each other\u2019 - Mariska - Untire<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/untire.app\/en-gb\/experiences\/mariska\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018It\u2019s nice to be able to talk to each other\u2019 - Mariska - Untire\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"[vc_row bg_type=”image” bg_image=”5498″ bg_image_size=”responsive” padding_top_multiplier=”3x” padding_bottom_multiplier=”3x” equal_column_height=”middle-content”][vc_column vertical_content_position=”bottom” css=”.vc_custom_1612963367668{padding-top: 15% !important;}”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/5″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”3\/5″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/5″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/5″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”3\/5″][vc_column_text text_style=”leader-text” el_class=”groenetekst”]Mariska (49) has been suffering from fatigue for years. 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