I wouldn't say I'm coping Vicky everything is still a struggle. The only thing I have learnt so far is, don't plan anything and don't expect to do what you used to do.
There will be days that you don't have the energy to lift a loaf of bread without screaming in pain and there will be days that you feel you can be normal for the day but you will pay for it for the next few days .
For every good day you have you will end up bed bound for the next three days paying for that one good day.
Baby steps is the way from now on , I know I have set my goal of returning to work but I know that this a big goal to reach and it will take years not weeks to hopefully reach this goal and being honest I know I won't be able to return to my old job.
Eldergarth - Have you looked at Spoon Theory? There's oddles about it on t'internet. In brief it's a way of trying to manages your available energy, and to help you explain it to others who may not understand what you're doing.
This image is just an illustration of the theory in action. How many spoons you have in any given day, and the value you attribute to your daily activities is a very personal thing, but when it was explained to me by someone with ME, it made all manner of sense.
For years, she lived her life by this theory and still does, only these days she has more spoons, which makes the management of them easier. She found this allowed her to reduce her number of bed or sofa bound days, and when invited to do something quite different, help her to work out how much of any given activity she'd be able to do.
Applying the image above, it you have 12 spoons a day, then getting out of bed, showering, dressing and manages your meds "spends" 6 of your 12 spoons, so you only have 6 spoons left over for anything else you want to do.