All in the mind? Why critics are wrong to deny the existence of chronic fatigue

[Northerner]

This week is Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Awareness Week or, as it's more accessibly referred to these days: M.E. That may not mean a great deal to you. Certainly, it didn't to me. Oh wait, yes it did. Based on no personal knowledge whatsoever - fortunately neither I or my loved ones have M.E. - my judgement was gleaned from how the world has portrayed the illness.

Many sufferers have found themselves abandoned by health professionals, struck off of registers and even rejected by their own families
Like millions of others, I have seen M.E. through the eyes of the medical establishment, the Government and the Media. The picture has not been good.
Here is what I have previously understood about M.E. and those who have it.

M.E. sufferers are workshy malingerers. They whine, constantly, about feeling tired. They are annoying sympathy seekers.
Damn it. We're all tired. Especially those fools like me who work all hours God Sends (and even some he doesn't) to support the type of people who say they are too tired to work.

Oh, and mostly, importantly, M.E. is 'all in the head' and can be overcome with a bit more determination and a little less of the 'poor me' attitude.
That, generally, is what I thought about M.E. Until, that is, a reader sent me a DVD of a British-made film about the illness titled 'Voices From The Shadows'.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/a...ics-wrong-deny-existence-chronic-fatigue.html

 

[Pumper_Sue]

Have to say most people I find know as much about ME as they do diabetes... S*d all. But as per normal always happy to give their opinion on both conditions
So what's new with any chronic condition? 😡

 

[fencesitter]

The son of a friend of mine was diagnosed with ME about a year ago, much the same time as my son was diagnosed with T1. Her boy is still only making it into school on a part time basis ... a really difficult illness. Luckily they live near a hospital with a proper ME unit, so at least they don't have to contend with out of touch attitudes. For him, it started with glandular fever. Don't they sometimes call it post viral fatigue syndrome? He is getting better, but it's a very slow process.

 

[Ray of Hope]

I can't believe that this topic is here, the first day I've registered on a "diabetes" forum.

My daughter has had ME for the last 4 years. She has had it since she was 15 but was only diagnosed with ME last year. Too many stupid doctors and medics had ignored her complaint for years. She developed ME after she contracted glandular fever. She missed a whole year of school with the glandular fever.

She underwent test after test and no one could tell us what was wrong with our beautiful daughter. They kept telling us that they could find nothing wrong with her. They made it out that she was making it up. We wouldn't give up on her and although it took nearly a year to get an appointment we eventually got an appointment with a neurologist who diagnosed her with ME.

Her teachers in school treated my daughter as if she wa lazy and not bothered with her studies. The truth was that she didn't have the energy to get out of the bed. Some mornings it took us over 3 hours to get her fully awake. She missed over 2/3 rds of her last two years at school. I eventually lost my patience with her school with the way they treated her. It was only then that they realised that they were wrong. They then advised us that she wouldn't be able to finish her finals. My daughter is a very determined girl and ignored their advise and sat her finals. She did better that anticipated and got great grades and is now in university. However life continues to be a struggle for her and she is again missing out on a lot of her studies because of the ME.

Yesterday an article appeared in our national paper about a young woman who was bedridden for nearly a year as a result of ME. Thanks to a man called Raymond Perrin who designed a cure for ME called "the Perrin technique" she is now on her way to recovery. She can manage to work half days now. Her story really touched me so I contacted her and I met her today. She spoke to me for over an hour. She was amazing and full of hope. She is going to meet my daughter this Friday in order to share her story with my daughter and to help her with her ME. A big thank you to Sharon.

Regards,

Ray.