Earlier this year I was diagnosed with Epstein Barr Virus which then became Post Viral Fatigue (PVT). PVT is basically Chronic Fatigue Syndrome except the symptoms are new and as a result of a viral infection. If you're still suffering 6+ months later the diagnosis becomes Chronic Fatigue.

It was a nightmare. I went from an athlete training 14+ hours per week to a bed bound individual. There was a period of 3 months where all I did was work and sleep. My children, who normally eat healthy, were getting nuggets and chips for dinner nightly as I was too exhausted to cook and would just buy them take away. I would buy them dinner, out on a movie and tell them to wake daddy when it finishes. I personally gained around 9-10kg over 5 months due to not cooking and not moving.

I'm at the 8 month mark now and I'm very close to being 100% better. I'll be back training 7 hours per week this week, I've started losing the weight I gained, and I'm not spending all my free time sleeping.

The worst part of the experience is the doctors not having much of an understanding of the disease. Being told "you should be better in 12 months but it might last year's" is a horrible thing to hear when the disease is making your life fall apart. The only positive is that I've had every blood test you can think of, most tests twice, and I'm a bill of health.