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Saturday 2nd May 2026 | Where's Sha? | A post by #TechGuyPaul

Sha lies curled on her side on a purple bed, wrapped in a large dark paisley blanket, bare feet poking out of the bottom. Her shaved head rests on a white pillow. She is asleep. The overall impression is of someone who has absolutely, completely run out of steam.

Hi, it's Paul here, #TechGuyPaul. You don't usually hear from me, but Sha asked me to update you all. She hasn't left you, her blog, or her community. She's just been completely wiped out.

The short version

Sha has been very poorly. Not "something has got significantly worse" poorly; please don't worry on that front. But genuinely, properly, repeatedly poorly. A sickness bug that in a person with a fully functioning immune system would probably mean a rough few days on the sofa and a lot of toast.

But for Sha, with FND and ME/CFS, it's been almost four weeks of illness, leaving her tired, weak, and run down.

The slightly longer version

It turns out that on top of everything else, Sha's immune system has decided to engage in what I believe the under-40s call "quiet quitting." It hasn't actually resigned. It's still technically showing up. It's just not putting the effort in anymore.

A black and white cartoon by Weekly Humorist (artist: Lance Hansen, writer: Rebecca Clifton). Two women sit at facing office desks, each with a mug of coffee. One gestures animatedly while the other looks thoroughly unimpressed. The caption reads: "She says she's quiet quitting but she won't shut up about it." Paul is using this to illustrate Sha's immune system. It tracks.

Because of this, she got a bacterial mouth infection from a bug that usually doesn't cause problems. Then she had several bouts of reeeeeaaaalllllllyyyyy bad nausea and couldn't keep much down except fluids, electrolyte gels, and ice lollies.

She doesn't know how she'll feel from day to day, or even hour to hour. That makes it almost impossible to plan anything, including writing.

The bits where she did make it out

There have been a few brief windows where she's been well enough to surface. She made it to her aunt's funeral a few weeks ago, which mattered enormously to her.

And on Wednesday, she managed to get to the press night of Disenchanted at the Lichfield Garrick Theatre. This was a big deal, considering how she's been feeling. Sha is a trustee at the Garrick and cares about it a lot. She wanted to be there, not just because she enjoys it, but because she takes her role seriously. She came home tired, but glad she went.

And today?

Today she got her eyelashes done.

I know it might sound odd, but if you know Sha, you'll get it. Getting her lashes (and her brows) done is the thing that helps her feel like herself again. It's her way of being Sha Taylor, not just someone who's unwell. She was determined, and Hannah was ready, so the lashes got done.

She came home and went straight back to bed. But she was smiling.

What happens next

Sha will be back. She's not going anywhere. She misses you all, she misses writing, and she's really frustrated about all of this, just like only Sha can be.

In the meantime, be kind to each other. Check in on your spoonie friends. And if your immune system is working today, take a moment to appreciate it.

Some of ours have handed in their notice.

As Sha would say... #KOKO 💜

Paul aka #TechGuyPaul / @theaardvark The less glamorous half of Wheely Happy Days

#WheelyHappyDays #TechGuyPaul #KOKO #ChronicIllness #FND #MECFS #Fibromyalgia #SpoonieLife #InvisibleIllness #Burntwood #LichfieldGarrick