What is M.E?

I didn't realise how many people would take an interest in & read my blog! Not just sufferers who are familiar with the condition, so I thought it would be a good idea to write a bit about what M.E is.

M.E (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis) is a physical, extremely debilitating, illness which is also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) (CFS/ME). It is a long term - chronic - condition that causes many symptoms.

Sufferers experience persistent severe fatigue and/or pain.  Post-exertional malaise (P.E.M) is commonly experienced.  It is the body's inability to recover after expending even small amounts of energy, also known as "payback".  The fatigue sufferers experience is completely out of proprtion to the activity undertaken.  Doing the most minimal of things causes extreme fatigue & often pain.  It can take several days/weeks to recover & even then we never feel well.

Other symptoms include muscle & joint pain, mobility problems, sleep difficulties, problems with memory & concentration, hypersensitivity to light, smell or sound, cognitive problems also commonly known as "brain fog".  Brain fog is a good one, it makes us forget what we are saying mid sentence & jumble up our words.  It is good when you have an excuse for putting the milk in the cupboard instead of in the fridge though!

There is much debate about the underlying cause & what does or doesn't help but there is currently no treatment medically proven to cure M.E.

There is also a wide spectrum of severity, from mild to moderate, severe to very severe.  I personally am severely affected. Symptoms fluctuate & can change over time.  Even in it's mildest form, M.E can have a significant impact on life.  A lack of understanding & awareness often finds sufferers treated badly & they experience disbelief, even discrimination, from people close to them as well as health professionals & employers.

A good website with lots of information & helfpul advice is www.actionforme.org.uk

If I can try to help raise awareness of the condition, & help people understand a bit more what it is like to have it, then I will be happy.

I will be continuing to blog about what it is like having a child whilst suffering from this horrible condition but thought it was important to talk about it in depth a bit more at this stage.

Any questions feel free to ask.
ME Mummy A :-)