I forced myself out of bed for months, worrying that if I stopped I'd never start again, until I was getting through less and less of the week before I had to take refuge in bed, head under the covers, unable to function. I needed to stop entirely then, stayed in hospital for a month so that I had no responsibility for myself or anyone else. It would have been far better for me and my family if I had stayed in bed for a little while at the beginning rather than struggling on.