and more about ME/CFS
Feb. 5th, 2003 03:24 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
baratronM.E. is an illness. M.E. stands for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis - which is a bit of a mouthful, but basically means muscle ("myalgic") and head ("encephalitic") symptoms. M.E. is also known as Post-Viral Fatigue Syndrome (PVFS), because it often follows on from a viral infection. Also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) or Chronic Fatigue and Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS).
As its name suggests, M.E. mainly affects the muscles and the head. Muscle symptoms include severe fatigue upon exercise, muscle pain and spasms, influenza-like malaise, clumsiness, poor memory, concentration and balance, non-refreshing sleep, sore throats, enlarged glands, and joint pains. Head symptoms include headaches, dizziness, "swimmy" feelings, and perhaps the most difficult to handle, loss of concentration and short-term memory.
These are not the only symptoms experienced in M.E. Sufferers will often feel "ill all over", and experience many flu-like symptoms; nausea, shivering, fever, and generally over-react to heat and cold. Some unfortunate sufferers may be in unremitting pain.
Digestive problems are common; constipation or diarrhoea, gas bloating and bowel pain. Alcohol intolerance may also occur.
Depression and emotional problems are often a part of M.E, but it is important to realise that these are a symptom of the illness, and not its cause. Some sufferers are very emotionally volatile and unpredictable - they may get angry or depressed for no apparent reason, or even cry at the slightest upset. This may be due to the illness affecting the nervous system. - Edited from mehelpinfo.users.btopenworld.com.
Great. A perfect description of me, associated with an illness which many doctors still don't believe exists, and which has no cure. Now I have to wait for an appointment to see my doctor, because although I could get an emergency appointment tomorrow to see someone, they won't have time in a 10-minute appointment to read my entire file. As my many ailments have been going on for months or years, it's important for them to see the history. And hey, if it is ME, waiting a couple of weeks to see someone isn't going to make any difference.
As its name suggests, M.E. mainly affects the muscles and the head. Muscle symptoms include severe fatigue upon exercise, muscle pain and spasms, influenza-like malaise, clumsiness, poor memory, concentration and balance, non-refreshing sleep, sore throats, enlarged glands, and joint pains. Head symptoms include headaches, dizziness, "swimmy" feelings, and perhaps the most difficult to handle, loss of concentration and short-term memory.
These are not the only symptoms experienced in M.E. Sufferers will often feel "ill all over", and experience many flu-like symptoms; nausea, shivering, fever, and generally over-react to heat and cold. Some unfortunate sufferers may be in unremitting pain.
Digestive problems are common; constipation or diarrhoea, gas bloating and bowel pain. Alcohol intolerance may also occur.
Depression and emotional problems are often a part of M.E, but it is important to realise that these are a symptom of the illness, and not its cause. Some sufferers are very emotionally volatile and unpredictable - they may get angry or depressed for no apparent reason, or even cry at the slightest upset. This may be due to the illness affecting the nervous system. - Edited from mehelpinfo.users.btopenworld.com.
Great. A perfect description of me, associated with an illness which many doctors still don't believe exists, and which has no cure. Now I have to wait for an appointment to see my doctor, because although I could get an emergency appointment tomorrow to see someone, they won't have time in a 10-minute appointment to read my entire file. As my many ailments have been going on for months or years, it's important for them to see the history. And hey, if it is ME, waiting a couple of weeks to see someone isn't going to make any difference.
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Meep!
The college doctors had my medical history there for them to see (in fact, my current GP has my notes going all the way back to when I was born, so I know that college must have had them), and they never asked about the pain, and it didn't seem relevant. I was much less educated about health problems than I am now.
In my second year at university, I kept falling asleep in classes again, as I had done at school, and was terribly worried about it, because (a) I was missing stuff, (b) it's dangerous to be potentially collapsing in a chemistry lab situation. I brought this up to my pile-of-shit GP (http://www.livejournal.com/talkread.bml?journal=baratron&itemid=76782) then - that I was falling asleep in class despite sleeping for sometimes as long as 12 hours a night, I was exhausted all the time, putting on weight despite eating fairly sensibly (I was in a catered hall with good, healthy food), and had cold after cold after cold. And she put me on fucking sleeping tablets!! Which did nothing... I couldn't get to sleep until 2 or 3 in the morning whatever I did, and then I'd need to sleep until the afternoon. I remember one night taking 4 times the dosage on the packet, because I needed to sleep so badly I didn't care anymore - every muscle in my body ached and I was in so much pain, but I just couldn't get my brain to switch over.
Oh yes, to say nothing of the fact that I couldn't be depressed because I was sleeping too much and putting on weight, whereas depressed people sleep too little and lose weight - but I think that rant's in the link I gave. I would sue that god-damned GP if I had the energy to :(