To Ski or not to Ski? That is the Question

I’ve just got back from a week in Italy, my first international holiday since developing CFS/ME. I have to say, despite my fears about travelling abroad with CFS/ME it all went very well and I coped better than I expected.

We arranged in advance that I would need assistance at the airports, this was done through the airlines website, and bar a minor blip at Milan I got all the help I needed. I had a wheelchair and someone to push it provided at both Gatwick and Milan Linate and Milan Malpensa on the return journey. Much to my surprise I didn’t need to produce any medical evidence, they just took my word for it. But I did have a letter from my GP with me just in case.

The assistance at the airports meant that I was able to function the next day, although I was still very tired. But I had been expecting to be so tired I would be in bed all day – so it was a nice surprise that I wasn’t.

We stayed at the fantastic Albergo Pineta and we were very well looked after. The food was amazing and I’ve eaten so much I’ve put on nearly 2 inches on my waist. Skiing holidays with no skiing do to lead to a lot of weight gain. So it’s reduced rations for me until it all drops off again.
 

I learnt to ski as a child and I have done one week of skiing most years since. Having said that I am a fairly indifferent skier. I have the skill but not a huge amount of desire to zoom down hills at high speed. So I was expecting to be quite happy not skiing this time round. I was very surprised when I realised I was terribly upset not to be skiing. Seeing everyone else going off on their skis and the beautiful wide, white, pistes made me realise I really wanted to be skiing. I eventually persuaded my dad and my husband that I would be ok to try my dad’s skis on the nursery slope. I was shocked at how difficult I found it, one run and I was thinking I should stop, but it seemed so ridiculous I did one more. I knew then that I really couldn’t cope with skiing properly, and I was able to accept it better, having tried it and established where the bar was. Two days later I did three runs on the nursery slope and then five runs on the last day. I am going to aim to be able to ski properly next year. So I shall be working to build up my strength and stamina gradually.

It’s strange that only when you can’t do something do you truly appreciate being able to do it. I took it for granted that I could ski and never really appreciated it. Not being able to made me appreciate it all the more. My few runs on the nursery slope were one of the highlights of my week.