I suffer from post illness, I do not how to discribe it really, I just not as sharpe as I was. I would like to go back to work but I know that at this point, as you say you look well on the outside, I am not back to normal.
I am volenteering in charity shop, just a couple of hours at a time, I sleep two hours when I get home, just to get in to the habit of driving to work, doing something, and coming home. It gives you something to put on our CV.
I became ill suddenly like you, and it really knocks your confidence, I worry about being ill again, but there is nothing to do but push on, and if its even just a little progress each day it all adds up. I eat a fair amount of protein, and I think this has helped with my recovery.
I do not know is I will ever go back to my profession, which after 40 years is hard, but I get lots of enjoyment out of life, and that really the main thing.