‘Living my life for ME, not for M.E’

Vikki Cook was diagnosed M.E/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in October 2012 after struggling to recover from a series of different illnesses. After leaving her job in May 2013, coeliac sufferer Vikki decided to channel her love of baking into a newfound energy, and an exciting new culinary project. Today she is gearing up for the launch of her own baking business…

Can you tell us about how your diagnosis came about?

My story starts, I suppose, with a vicious bout of flu that hit on Boxing Day 2010. After narrowly avoiding hospitalisation with it, I recovered, but came down with terrible fatigue-type symptoms around 2 weeks later. My symptoms grew worse over a week at work, and I was diagnosed with post-viral fatigue syndrome (PVFS).

I spent a month off work, needing almost full-time care as I struggled to do anything more than get myself to or from the bathroom in our little flat. But over time, I slowly recovered.

Then, six months later, shortly after we'd married and moved to a house, disaster struck when I caught chicken pox. Again, a few weeks after I recovered, the fatigue came back. In the end, I was off work for 3 months. Unfortunately this time, I didn't make a full recovery and in October 2012, I was finally diagnosed with M.E/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. It's something I'd previously believed was an invented illness of self-indulgence, but I know differently now.

How has the condition affected you and what are the symptoms?

In total, I've been ill for three years, varying from days where I can go out and be almost 'normal' to days where I struggle to get up the stairs without help. On the bad days, I'm riddled with a total physical exhaustion, feverishness and chills, sore throats, painfully swollen glands, breathing difficulties, short-term memory loss, noise sensitivity and a feeling as though I'm vibrating all over (not as fun as it sounds!!).

What triggered your lifestyle change?

When I finally had to leave my well-paid job in May last year, I was terrified of what would happen. But having been such a keen baker for so long, and a coeliac, I threw myself into experimenting with it - really having fun. After a few months, something in me changed. I felt a little better but more than that, I felt real hope. Hope that I could get better, but also that if I didn't, maybe I could still do something great…

Tell us about the exciting developments this year!

In January, I opened my own business, The Buttercup Bakery. I passed my hygiene certificate, I registered as a business with the local council and I got myself ready to go. I'm not well enough to visit markets yet, but I have my very first stall booked for 14th March and I'm utterly terrified and incredibly excited all at the same time! I may not be a huge success... I may not even be any kind of success! But my illness has shown me how awful life can be sometimes, and I'm determined that whatever happens from this point onwards, I'm living my life for ME, not for M.E.

My story, I'm sure, won't be as inspiring as many of the others out there, but I need all the luck I can get, so please send some my way!



Read Vikki's blog here.